Job overview
Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist Hospital/Community| Band 7| North London| 37.5 hours/week/ London Supplement paid
Our Tissue Viability Team provides specialist care to patients with complex wounds, and plays a key role in promoting and educating colleagues in tissue viability and wound care.
We are looking for someone with specialist tissue viability knowledge, experience and expertise in wound care service delivery wishing to utilise and expand their existing knowledge and skills in a senior role in our team.
You need to be motivated, flexible, work independently and in a team and enjoy working in a variety of environments – in people’s homes, hospitals, care homes, GP practices.
You will receive professional comprehensive learning and development support to assist you in your role, and will become part of a team committed supporting professional development of self and others.
This is a 37.5 hours/week post with usual hours of work Monday- Friday (excluding weekends and bank holidays). Job share/part time would be considered.
Informal discussions are welcomed so please talk to us to see if this role could be right for you. If you would like us to arrange this please contact:
Pauline Vyse, Lead Specialist Nurse – Tissue Viability
Email: or telephone 07552 262851
Main duties of the job
• To take a leading role in the management, development and efficient running of the Tissue Viability Service (TVS) across Whittington Health which includes Whittington Hospital, Haringey and Islington community and Haringey and Islington Mental Health in-patient units in North London Foundation Trust.
• To act as resource of expert advice, carry own case load and provide coordination of care from diagnosis, treatment and follow up care. To provide clinical leadership and develop patient centred evidence-based care to positively affect patient outcomes.
• To provide specialist tissue viability advice, support, education and training to patients, carers and health care professionals based on knowledge of relevant evidence, current research, good practice guidance and policy development from DH, NMC and other national and professional organisations.
• To develop, promote, advance and monitor standards of care following national guidelines and ensure all national data requirements are collected.
• To work collaboratively with the Leg Ulcer Services and Lymphoedema services, as well as all members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team.
• The post holder will work across Whittington Health in order to ensure full integration of the tissue viability Service across the Integrated Care Organisation
Working for our organisation
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
MAIN DUTIES
Leadership
To provide leadership to the TV team to ensure that the service is delivered effectively and within budget.
To ensure that all advice provided is evidence based and in line with Whittington Health and National policies and guidelines.
To provide clinical and professional leadership to support and inspire colleagues in local nursing homes, hospital wards, community teams and other primary or acute care settings associated with Whittington Health regarding the management of patients with complex wounds.
To promote clear, concise, and specific documentation in relation to tissue viability issues in order for positive outcomes and purposes of audit.
To promote communication and inter-professional working across the service by means for face-to-face contact, use of I-pads, teleconferences, and virtual wards.
To mentor and support junior members of the team, to aid their development of clinical and theoretical knowledge, as well as student nurses or other health professionals who are seeking to develop their professional skills.
To participate in the tissue viability education training plan developed by the service to education and support the development of clinical and non-clinical employees of Whittington Health
To triage referrals and allocate to team members as requested.
To ensure all areas (hospital and community) have clinically support and Tissue Viability cover in the absence of the Lead Nurse.
To act as a role model and lead the service in the absence of the Lead Nurse
To support the Lead nurse in managing the Hospital Pressure relieving equipment and bed contract.
Managing Care
To have overall continuing responsibility for the effective and efficient delivery of care to patients with complex wounds in a manner that at all times reflects the NMC code.
To provide expert level of practice which includes the assessment of patients, initiation of treatment, assessment of care delivered, interpretation of investigations relating to wound care and the implementation of recurrence prevention strategies.
To assess the patients referred to the TVS holistically, using a range of different assessment methods and reach valid, reliable, and comprehensive patient centred conclusions, which manage risk and are appropriate to their need, context, culture and ethnicity.
Plan, deliver and evaluate programmes of care for patients referred to the TVS by providing clinical and professional evidence-based advice.
Instigate referrals directly to and from healthcare professionals in both primary and secondary care to implement and best holistic treatment plan for the individual.
Communicate with patients in ways that empower them to make informed choices about their health and well-being and promote independence where appropriate.
To accept responsibility for own patient caseload, ensuring all patients have an accurate plan of care, which reflects the assessment undertaken and incorporates the issues and recommendations made ensuring clear documentation in the patients computerised records.
• To ensure that the trust pressure ulcer prevention policy is followed by the team at all times. This includes a proactive approach to the prevention of pressure ulcers and implementation of service prevention strategies, as well as ensuring that reporting, escalation and investigation procedures are followed.
To take appropriate measures to ensure the health and safety of patients, visitors, and staff and reporting incidences, accidents, and hazards to appropriate managers.
• To ensure that infection control best practice is met and maintained by the team at all times.
• To have active involvement in the risk management and support of action plans associated with the management of patients with complex wounds and/or complex social situations.
Managing Resources
To teach and supervise the clinical practice of team members and to appraise and identify training needs of all directly managed staff.
• To ensure that staff are line managed and supported in line with Whittington Health’s Human Resources procedures, including carrying out regular one to one meetings (4-6 weeks) and annual appraisals with all staff.
• To manage the service budget ensuring cost effective and evidence-based ordering and use of wound dressings and of temporary staff.
• To assess the current treatments and make recommendations for the provision of appropriate resources to improve clinical outcomes whilst monitoring cost effectiveness in care provision
• To promote good communication, employment practices and industrial relations within the tissue viability service
• To represent the Tissue Viability Service at meetings as designated.
• To ensure the successful implementation of appropriate organisational arrangements so that the overall aims and objectives of the tissue viability service are achieved.
• To be able to use the computer systems provided to write written reports in Word, access/send emails on the Whittington Health system, access the intranet/internet for relevant information according to Whittington Health policy, present and prepare training programmes.
• To ensure the smooth running of the pressure relieving equipment contract on the Hospital site to support the Lead Nurse.
Service Development
• To assist in developing and implementing appropriate policies, protocols, and guidelines and care pathways to ensure safe, equitable and consistent practice.
• To demonstrate leadership in the implementation of national recommendations and other guidelines e.g., NICE, National Wound care strategy and National Service Frameworks, as they relate to Leg Ulcer Management, best practice of complex wound management and pressure ulcer management and prevention.
• To commence and participate in research and audits in order to promote and develop patient care, to co-ordinate and participate in clinical research projects and wound care product evaluation and to facilitate the dissemination of appropriate research findings to the clinicians within Whittington Health and to GP Commissioners.
• To organise, co-ordinate and evaluate current practice in the tissue viability service via audit to determine the efficacy of the service.
Quality
• To deal with referrals into the tissue viability service in proficient manner and prioritising service provision based upon individual need and referring on if appropriate.
• To ensure that the 6Cs are kept at the centre of all care provided by the team.
• To participate in policy and standard setting, quality initiatives and clinical audit.
• To be fully aware of the clinical governance agenda and ensure that the team follows and upholds this at all times.
• To ensure that the care given meets the standards and policies set by Whittington Health. To inform line management of constraints that will prevent these standards from being met.
• To respond promptly to any incident where service quality has fallen below an acceptable standard and report to the Service lead and ensure that all team incidents are reported, escalated and investigated in line with trust and service procedures
• To attend own regular clinical supervision, ensure that the team attend clinical supervision and act as a clinical supervisor in line with Whittington Health policy.
Professional development and responsibilities
• Where the post holder has particular expertise, act as advisor/resource person to other staff.
• To participate in training as appropriate of student nurses, NVQ candidates, GP trainees and other trainees.
• To participate in resource projects and health promotion programmes as requested.
• To undertake duties as delegated by the Service lead
• To monitor completion of all mandatory training by the tissue viability team within the prescribed time scales.
Person specification
Education / Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Registered Nurse
2. Post registration qualification in Tissue Viability / Leg Ulcer
3. Clinical degree or equivalent
Desirable criteria
4. Leadership development program
5. Non-medical prescriber
6. Teaching/Mentorship qualification
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Essential criteria
7. A developed knowledge of tissue viability and complex wound care
8. Demonstrates a clear vision of the role and service
9. Ability to assess, direct and coordinate programme of care/treatment
10. Evidence of assessment and management skills for complex wound care
Desirable criteria
11. Ability to assess and manage complex leg ulceration including the use of diagnostic assessment tools
12. Ability to undertake sharp debridement as a suitably trained practitioner
Experience
Essential criteria
13. Sound clinical knowledge and judgement
14. Up to date knowledge and understanding on recent research / national initiatives in tissue viability and wound care
15. Experience of applying evidence-based practice to clinical practice
16. Evidence of implementing and evaluating, sustain and initiate change, of clinical practice
17. Minimum of 3 years post-registration experience with at least 2 years at Band 6 level
Desirable criteria
18. Evidence of project management
PERSONAL QUALITIES
Essential criteria
19. High Level Communication skills
20. Ability to manage and prioritise own workload and patient caseload
21. Ability to manage and prioritise own workload and patient caseload
22. Flexible attitude to work
23. Efficient management of resources
24. Ability to resolve complex problems
25. Excellent team worker, with well-developed interpersonal
26. Understanding of equal opportunities/equal access
27. Experience in acting as clinical mentor
Desirable criteria
28. Experience at networking across partnerships in primary and secondary care
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS
To comply with the Trust’s Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults This will require you to:
29. Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
30. Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
31. Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
32. Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
33. Participate in required training and supervision.
34. Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct
Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.