Overview
The Acute Children's Outreach Nursing Service (ACORNS) is a team of highly experienced paediatric nurses who triage, assess, review and safety net patients and families during an acute episode of illness. The service supports infants, children and young people at home and via remote monitoring, preventing unnecessary hospital admissions, facilitating early discharge and reducing re‑attendance to hospital while providing an outstanding patient experience.
Responsibilities
* Provide evidence‑based structured clinical telephone and video assessment for all children on the ACORNS caseload, using highly competent communication skills to assess, monitor and plan care.
* Carry out initial assessments/home visits and plan, implement and evaluate nursing care for all patients for whom you have continuing responsibility.
* Act in partnership with the child and family when assessing needs and planning, contributing to the well‑being of the patient and participating in health promotion.
* Carry out physical assessment, initiate nursing and emergency interventions by recognising deteriorating children and monitoring acute exacerbations of illness, initiating appropriate nursing interventions.
* Accept referrals and work autonomously with the child and family in the community setting, providing structured clinical assessment of individual needs that empowers children, young people and parents.
* Regularly attend and liaise with acute hospital colleagues to enable timely and safe discharge from hospital and appropriate follow‑up in the community setting, e.g., care of children with viral wheeze needing inhalers and observation at home, fluid challenges for children with diarrhoea and vomiting and many other high‑volume conditions presented in the CED.
* Support the consultant‑led service in the Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) pilot scheme, performing observations, assisting with medications and facilitating interventions as required.
Person Specification
Essential Experience
* Registered Nurse – Child Branch or adult nurse with conversion certification
* Experience working with children in an acute inpatient or acute community setting
* PILS
* Acute nursing skills
Desirable Experience
* Substantial experience working within Children’s Emergency nursing or a Hospital at Home service
* Children’s ED course, Physical assessment course or equivalent
* Previous autonomous practice experience
* Teaching and assessment in clinical practice or equivalent
* APLS/EPLS provider or equivalent
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
* Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role).
* Evidence of having undertaken own development to improve understanding of equalities issues.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see the NHS Careers website.
Employer Details
University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital
Eastern Road
Brighton
BN2 5BE
Employer’s Website
https://www.uhsussex.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
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