KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• CLINICAL
• To accept clinical responsibility for undertaking the comprehensive assessment of a caseload of patients, including those with a complex presentation, in line with evidence based practice, legislation, policies and procedures. Using investigative and analytical skills; review and interpret all information available, utilizing a systematic process of reasoning to make a differential diagnosis.
• Provide treatment plans for patients that are consistent with the outcome of assessment and the most probable diagnosis using current clinical pathways where required in order to facilitate timely, quality patient care and / or appropriate onward
• Where appropriate, initiate diagnostic tests, interpret and act upon results and provide advice to members of the multidisciplinary team on patient treatment. Evaluates the effectiveness of interventions/treatments and makes any necessary
• Practice autonomously; performing advanced practice skills that have been agreed with the senior nursing and medical teams within the specialty.

• To use an extended scope of practice beyond own profession recognising any limitations in knowledge, referring to senior medical staff when scope of practice is exceeded
• Maintain a safe environment for patients, relatives and staff, and adhering to infection prevention policies.
• As a registered non-medical prescriber, independently prescribe medication and fluids within current legislation and Trust policies.
• To accept referrals from and make referrals to consultants, GPs, and other healthcare professionals. Review the patient and act accordingly, thereby reducing length of time patients wait for intervention.
• Improve the quality of the patient experience by identifying and meeting the individual clinical needs of Act at all times in the patients best interests and as a patient advocate.
• Provide specialist advice on patient care to the healthcare team and act as a specialist resource within the service and other areas within the Trust.
• To maintain comprehensive and accurate assessment and treatment records (written and electronic) in line with legal, professional and Trust requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of letters and / or reports.

2.0   MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP 

• Understands professional accountability and legal frameworks for advanced practice
• To be professionally accountable and legally responsible for all aspects of own work, including the management of patients in your care.
• Demonstrate safe practice in line with the Trust Quality, Safety and Risk Management Policies, Child Protection and Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Policies, Consent and assent regulations and the UHL ‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ Policy.
• Act as a role model in the clinical area, promoting and demonstrating the standards of care and behaviours Provide appropriate challenge to individuals when required raising quality issues and related risks with relevant people and addressing poor performance as per Trust policy (i.e. complaints and incidents, poor communication with patients, relatives or staff).

• Demonstrate and plan efficient and effective use of resources against the agreed speciality or team budgets.

• Contribute towards Ward / Department / Service or Trust meetings at which broad professional and service issues are discussed.
• Encourage and influence the multidisciplinary team to identify and discuss opportunities to develop clinical practice, protocols, policies and guidance for the speciality utilising current evidence and ensuring meaningful consultation, effective evaluation and sharing of results.
• Be proactive in developing own professional practice, demonstrating evidence of increasing autonomy, clinical judgment and decision making skills whilst contributing to the development of others.

3.0 EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Provide an authoritative and credible source of knowledge and specialist clinical advice/information to the team by keeping abreast of new treatments and technologies for the speciality.
• Actively maintains self-development, objectively reviewing own performance in terms of management, clinical practice and decision making, identifying own needs and taking steps to meet those needs.
• Demonstrate responsibility for personal professional development using feedback and reflection aligned to the NMC Code and maintain a Professional Portfolio to improve personal clinical practice whilst meting the future requirements of Revalidation of Nursing and Midwifery.
• Participate in planning and delivery of multidisciplinary education programmes for staff within speciality and wider arena to promote learning opportunities and the development of clinical skills.
• Provide supervision, support and training for student and foundation advanced nurse practitioners enabling them to develop and apply their knowledge and skills in practice. Provide timely feedback to individual practitioners and their line managers to support this process, identifying, reporting and proactively dealing with poor
• Participate in the development and delivery of specialist training programmes for nursing and medical undergraduate students, student and foundation advanced practitioners, post-registration nurses and other groups of learners, making effective use of all learning opportunities developing the workplace as a learning
• Be an active member of the continuing education, in-house programmes by the attendance and presentation at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions, journal clubs, external courses, clinical supervision and reflective practice.
• Undertakes annual mandatory training and ‘essential to job role’ updates and other relevant courses in line with professional and Trust policies.

4.0   RESEARCH AND AUDIT

• Participate in data collection for audit including research
• Participate in audit, mortality and morbidity and other clinical meetings where the outcomes and recommendations have the potential to improve the quality of care, give case presentations as required.
• Identify areas of own clinical practice that require research/audit. Devise audit/research tools, analyse data, write report and present findings to the multidisciplinary team. Complete audit cycle by implementing change in practice as required and re-auditing.
• Research that has been undertaken should be disseminated both locally and nationally at seminars, conferences and through publication in national journals.
• Develop evidence based policies and procedures specifically required by the

5.0   COMMUNICATION

• Communicates effectively with a wide range of people in a manner consistent with their level of understanding, culture and background and preferred ways of understanding that meet mental or physical health needs e.g. altered conscious level, sensory loss, altered perception, pain, fear, and severe psychosocial problems; identifying and managing challenging behaviour .
• To assess capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment.
• Demonstrates an empathetic and reassuring approach to communicating highly sensitive condition related information and advice to patients, carers and relatives.
• Competently receives highly sensitive information concerning patients medical condition and acts appropriately