Job overview
The purpose of this post is to contribute to an advanced/expert specialist service that positively impacts on the experience of patients, visitors and carers by providing high standards of clinical practice and care as appropriate across the Trust in regard to infection prevention & control.
This will be achieved by providing clinical advice on infection prevention & control, ensuring consistent and ongoing improvements in related practices and standards of care, supporting staff development to enhance infection control skills, and contributing to the overall effectiveness and efficiency of infection prevention efforts.
Main duties of the job
1. Provide infection prevention & control advice for all clinical and non-clinical staff across the Trust; acting as a role model to promote and facilitate high standards of infection prevention in clinical practice.
2. Support the identification, management and investigation of outbreaks of infection with reference to source and mode of spread, advising on management and control, liaising closely with all relevant personnel within and beyond the Trust.
3. Develop positive relationships with clinical areas through regular presence and communications with all grades of staff.
4. Communicate sensitive condition related information to patients, staff, carers and the public; providing infection prevention and control advice and reassurance as appropriate.
5. As part of the IPCT to participate in the development of the team objectives and operational plan and to participate in the implementation of the Trust Infection Prevention and Control annual programme.
6. To provide support for investigations into complaints and clinical incidents where infection prevention and control is involved.
7. To provide effective clinical leadership to support and encourage nursing colleagues.
8. To promote evidence-based infection control practice.
9. To participate in a 7-day service rota, including weekends and public holidays, as part of a shared team schedule to ensure continuous service delivery.
Working for our organisation
Our vision is to provide outstanding care for every patient. Patient care is at the heart of what we do at our three sites: Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital, Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester and Andover War Memorial Hospital. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides medical and surgical services to a population of approximately 600,000 people across Hampshire and parts of West Berkshire.
Our cultural ambition is to have a culture that places people at the heart of all we do, where we all belong, and where learning, improvement and excellence thrive.
We provide specialist services to people across the UK and internationally. We are one of only two centres in the UK treating pseudomyxoma peritonei (a rare form of abdominal cancer) and we are leaders in the field of tertiary liver cancer and colorectal cancer.
The trust employs more than 9,000 staff and has a turnover of over £500 million a year. As a Foundation Trust, we are directly accountable to our members through the governors. The Council of Governors represent the interests of their constituencies and influence the future plans of the Foundation Trust.
Tackling Climate Change: Hampshire Hospitals aims to embed sustainability and net zero carbon principles into the delivery of care across all its services. To find out more, search or .
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
CUSTOMER CARE FOR PATIENTS AND/OR SERVICE USERS
10. To provide a daily ward-based infection prevention & control service working with ward staff across the organisation during the delivery of patient care.
11. To assess individual patient’s complex health and well-being needs at all stages of their illness to formulate individual patient care pathways in relation to infection prevention & control.
12. Utilise the Trust’s incident reporting system to record and report untoward occurrences and escalate to more senior Infection Prevention and Control Nurses where follow up is required to ensure best practice.
13. Undertake data collection and participate in PSIRF investigations.
COMMUNICATION
14. Contribute to the review and development of foundational infection prevention & control policies, guidelines and standard operating procedures, with guidance and support from senior team members.
15. Meet with patients and staff on an individual basis to discuss infection prevention and control measures and advice given to inform and reassure them where the topic may be highly emotional and sensitive and where there may be barriers to understanding.
16. Assist with data collection for use by the infection prevention & control team.
17. Participate in the provision of infection control input, support and advice to relevant specialist areas e.g. Estates, Health and Safety, Health4Work, Governance etc.
18. Attend professional meetings and conferences related to infection control as agreed by the Lead Infection Prevention and Control Nurse.
PLANNING AND ORGANISATION
19. Undertake audits as part of the infection Prevention & control audit plan, recording and reporting findings.
20. Implement audit findings by identifying educational and training needs, feeding back the information to ward managers and supporting the necessary measures to improve practice.
21. Implement and action the requirements of local surveillance schemes.
22. Partake in daily alert organism surveillance and document findings feeding back to the senior infection prevention and control nurses.
23. Use a variety of IT systems including pathology software packages to analyse and interpret laboratory results, use clinical judgement with support from the infection prevention & control team to escalate to consultant microbiologist and communicate complex results to ward based staff with advice on how to manage patient care.
24. Support studies and trials of new techniques and equipment, collating and evaluating results and acting on findings.
25. Participate in research to support best practice in infection prevention & control.
BUDGETARY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
26. Be aware of need to use all resources effectively and maintain within dedicated infection control budget.
27. Maintain accurate records and documentation in accordance with NMC.
TEACHING, TRAINING AND RESEARCH RESPONSIBILITIES
28. Contribute to the delivery and evaluation of infection prevention and control educational programmes for all staff groups (clinical and non-clinical).
29. Participate in proactive ward and classroom-based infection prevention & control team education and training for staff within the Trust on a regular basis.
30. Participate in the development of the ward-based infection control link champions.
31. Have gained or be working towards an infection prevention & control award or similar relevant infection prevention & control qualification.
32. Participate in specialist study days and infection prevention & control awareness events
33. Maintain an up-to-date PDP and take ownership of development needs.
Person specification
Training and qualifications
Essential criteria
34. registered general nurse
35. holds or working towards a degree
36. Willing to undertake a post grad course in IPC
Desirable criteria
37. teaching qualification
38. University qualification in IPC
Experience and Knowledge
Essential criteria
39. Minimum 2 years post registration experience
40. Teaching or mentoring qualification or relevant teaching experience
41. evidence of management of change
Desirable criteria
42. QI experience
Skills and ability
Essential criteria
43. leadership and people management skills
44. skills and or experience in supporting behaviour change
45. IT skills
Desirable criteria
46. Report and policy writing