Job overview
We are recruiting for a Clinical Nurse Specialist who share/s our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
We are a forward thinking Faster Diagnosis team. We are passionate about providing excellent care for our patients whist also ensuring we are an inclusive supportive team.
As a member of this multidisciplinary team you will play a key role in supporting the on-going improvement effort to shorten diagnosis pathways, reduce variation, improve patient experience of care and meet the Faster Diagnosis standard.
The Post holder must have recent experience in working in Upper GI Cancer with specialist knowledge of the Suspected Cancer pathways and investigations required.
At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.
Main duties of the job
Provide clinical support, nursing care and clinical leadership for patients referred on the suspected cancer pathway for upper gastro-intestinal (UGI) cancer.
Take patients off the cancer pathway and communicate with them and primary care providers. The post holder will work as an integral member of the UGI team, collaborating with primary and secondary care clinical and operational teams, to ensure those referred on the pathway receive a high quality, safe, effective and timely diagnostic pathway.
See new referrals into the pathway in a clinic setting and make clinical decisions on next steps. Previous experience of nurse led clinics including physical examinations is desirable.
The role will support compliance against the 28 day and 62 day standard for Cancer Wait Time guidance, working autonomously and in collaboration with colleagues, proactively identifying potential and actual risks for non-compliance with the pathway, instigating mitigating actions or escalating as appropriate.
Working for our organisation
At East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general & specialist services we provide & our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible & innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
• The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
• New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
• Hertford County, Hertford
• Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person specification
Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria
* Registered Nurse educated to degree level or willingness to undertake
* Post registration qualification in speciality
* Evidence of continuous professional development
* Teaching qualification
* Advanced communication skills/counselling qualification or willingness to undertake
* Advanced clinical assessment
Desirable criteria
* Research Module Masters Degree
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
* Significant relevant experience in Colorectal Cancer/ Colorectal diseases & Colorectal
* Ability to demonstrate expert nursing skills
* Accept personal accountability for own practice
* Experience of formal/informal teaching
* Experience of initiating change
* Understanding evidence –based practice
* Experience of Clinical Governance
* Understanding of patients pathways and it’s complexities and how to support patient through this
Desirable criteria
* Nurse led clinic
Skills
Essential criteria
* Good verbal and written communication skills
* Capable of working as an integral member of a small team
* Flexible and adaptable to changing situations due to workload and colleague’s needs
* Ability to undertake teaching of staff and patients
* Leadership skills
* Ability to work unsupervised and manage own workload; effective time-management
* Effective interpersonal skills
* Ability to lead developments in practice
* Commitment to multi-disciplinary working
* Demonstrate analytical and judgmental skills
* Ability to quickly appraise situation and act accordingly
Desirable criteria
* Advanced communication skills
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Understanding in depth of Colorectal cancer pathways
* Understanding of Colorectal cancer pathology
* Understanding of BCSG guidelines on polyp management
Other requirements
Essential criteria
* Experience and evidence of engagement around equality, diversity and inclusion issues in relation to policy, service development and service delivery in respect of both services to users and the management of staff
* Role model our Trust values every day
* To act in a professional manner at all times in accordance with NMC Code of Conduct Capable of developing liaisons with other practice areas/academic situations
* Knowledge of broader issues related to specialty – political and Trust