Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Practice

The postholder will work as a Band 7 Vascular Specialist Nurse within a structured development pathway towards Advanced Clinical Practice, providing specialist assessment, care, advice and support for patients with vascular conditions across inpatient, outpatient and ambulatory care settings.

The postholder will build on existing vascular knowledge and experience, developing advanced clinical assessment, clinical reasoning and decision making skills through an agreed competency-based development plan. Clinical autonomy and responsibility will increase progressively as the postholder demonstrates the required knowledge, competence, experience and qualifications.

Working closely with consultant vascular surgeons, the Vascular Specialist Nursing team and the wider multidisciplinary team, the postholder will contribute to the delivery of safe, evidence-based, coordinated and patient-centred vascular care.

The postholder will:

• Undertake specialist assessment and ongoing review of patients with arterial and venous disease, diabetic foot complications, vascular ulcers, aneurysm surveillance and post-operative vascular conditions, working within their level of competence and with appropriate clinical support and supervision.
• Develop advanced clinical assessment, diagnostic reasoning and treatment-planning skills as part of the agreed development pathway.
• Support and, as competence is achieved, progressively develop responsibility for nurse-led vascular clinics, follow-up clinics, surveillance programmes and urgent patient reviews.
• Develop competencies to request, interpret and act upon appropriate diagnostic investigations, including vascular imaging, pathology and physiological assessments, within agreed professional and organisational frameworks.
• Develop knowledge and competence in medicines management and treatment planning, with opportunities to undertake relevant prescribing education where this forms part of the agreed advanced practice development pathway.
• Provide specialist assessment and management for patients with complex vascular wounds, lower-limb conditions and vascular deterioration, escalating appropriately to senior clinicians and vascular surgeons.
• Recognise the deteriorating vascular patient, initiate appropriate actions within their level of competence and coordinate timely escalation to the vascular consultant or other specialist teams.
• Provide specialist advice and clinical support to patients, carers and healthcare professionals involved in vascular pathways.
• Act as a key point of contact for vascular patients, promoting continuity and coordination of care across acute, community and specialist services.
• Participate in consultant-led multidisciplinary team meetings, developing confidence and competence in presenting clinical cases and contributing to multidisciplinary decision-making and treatment planning.
• Support safe admission, discharge and follow-up planning, promoting effective communication across services.
• Promote patient education, self-management and health promotion, enabling patients and carers to participate actively in decisions about their care.
• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous electronic patient records in accordance with professional and organisational standards.
• Contribute to the achievement of service priorities and the continued development and sustainability of specialist vascular nursing.

Leadership and Management

The postholder will provide clinical leadership appropriate to a Band 7 specialist nursing role, while developing the leadership capabilities required for future advanced practice.

The postholder will:

• Provide visible and compassionate clinical leadership within the vascular service and act as a positive professional role model.
• Contribute to the ongoing development and evaluation of nurse-led vascular services to improve patient access, experience and outcomes.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, service improvement and pathway redesign in partnership with the vascular multidisciplinary team.
• Participate in quality improvement, clinical audit, service evaluation and governance activities.
• Contribute to the development and review of clinical guidelines, standard operating procedures and evidence-based vascular pathways.
• Work collaboratively with consultant vascular surgeons, nursing colleagues, divisional teams and wider partners to support effective service delivery and workforce development.
• Support the induction, supervision, teaching and professional development of colleagues and learners, where appropriate.
• Contribute to the review of incidents, complaints and patient-safety concerns, supporting learning and improvement within the service.
• Contribute to monitoring clinical activity, patient outcomes and service performance.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, compassionate leadership, multidisciplinary working and high-quality patient care.
• Progressively develop greater clinical and professional leadership responsibilities as experience and advanced practice competencies are achieved.

Education and Professional Development

Professional development is a central component of this role. The successful candidate will be supported through an agreed development pathway designed to build specialist vascular expertise and progress towards advanced clinical practice.

The postholder will:

• Complete an agreed programme of specialty-specific and advanced clinical practice competencies.
• Undertake relevant continuing professional development and reflective practice.
• Be supported to pursue appropriate postgraduate and Master's-level education as part of the agreed development pathway towards Advanced Clinical Practice.
• Develop advanced assessment, clinical reasoning, decision-making and leadership capabilities through supervised clinical practice, education and competency assessment.
• Develop teaching, mentoring and clinical supervision skills and contribute to the education of nursing colleagues, learners and members of the wider multidisciplinary team.
• Participate in and contribute to vascular education for hospital and community healthcare professionals.
• Share specialist knowledge through teaching, case review, multidisciplinary discussion and clinical learning.
• Develop and maintain a professional portfolio demonstrating progression against agreed competencies and development objectives.
• Develop knowledge and experience across the four pillars of Advanced Clinical Practice: clinical practice, leadership and management, education, and research as part of the developmental pathway.
• Maintain compliance with statutory, mandatory and professional training requirements.

The successful candidate is not expected to have completed all advanced clinical practice competencies or Master's-level qualifications on appointment. The purpose of the role is to provide a structured and supported opportunity for an experienced nurse with vascular knowledge, aptitude and ambition to develop these capabilities.

Research, Audit and Quality Improvement

The postholder will contribute to an evidence based culture and support the ongoing improvement and development of vascular services.

The postholder will:

• Participate in clinical audit, service evaluation, research and quality improvement activities relating to vascular care.
• Contribute to evaluating clinical practice against relevant national guidance, recommendations and local quality standards.
• Support the development and use of appropriate outcome measures and clinical information to understand service performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Participate in the presentation and sharing of audit, service evaluation and quality-improvement outcomes where appropriate.
• Support research activity within the vascular service and contribute to implementing relevant evidence and learning into clinical practice.
• Work collaboratively with specialist nurses, Advanced Clinical Practitioners and multidisciplinary colleagues to share learning and promote consistent standards of vascular care.
• Contribute to the development and review of Trust policies, clinical guidelines and evidence-based vascular pathways.
• Use clinical experience, patient feedback and service data to identify opportunities to improve patient safety, experience, efficiency and quality of care.
• Develop research, audit and quality-improvement capabilities progressively as part of the pathway towards Advanced Clinical Practice.