NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities

• To apply highly specialised nursing skills to assess patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), analyse symptoms and initiate appropriate clinical investigations to establish an appropriate specialised clinical management plan for individuals with IBD.
• To act in an advisory and specialist clinical capacity in partnership with medical, nursing and paramedical staff within the trust, community and at a national level. This includes active involvement in appropriate professional and charitable organisations.
• Initiate changes in complex medical therapy in keeping with agreed protocols and patient group directives.
• To visit ward based IBD patients as required, working with ward-based staff to provide continuity of care.
• To support the IBD nursing biologics team in the administration of complex intravenous therapies to appropriate patients within a day care setting, utilising appropriate protocols and guidelines.
• Provide nurse led clinics, within the outpatient department, and via the telephone and ensure responsibility for the accurate assessment utilising nursing skills and ordering of appropriate clinical investigations.
• To provide specialist knowledge and skills to the MDT within the scope of practice.
• To apply expert skills to assess individual’s level of understanding about their clinical condition and simplify highly complex medical information for patients providing appropriate information aids to ensure understanding.
• To deliver individualised care and psychological support to patients and families incorporating their diverse cultures, ethnic backgrounds and any disabilities they may have.
• To participate in the identification and development of clinical protocols and strategies to enhance both the continuity and standard of specialist care whilst ensuring equity of access to the service
• To regularly review those clinical notes of patients ensuring all assessments, diagnostic investigation and test results are up-to-date and in place to ensure a smooth review/consultation process.
• To ensure all patients are fully informed of the risks and benefits of proposed procedures / treatments, contributing to the process of securing informed consent
• Provide informal counselling for patients with psychological or behavioural problems related to their IBD.
• Ability to communicate specialist and sensitive information to patients about highly complex and emotional subjects regarding IBD and long-term care, including medication issues, investigations and surgery if appropriate.
• Ability to adapt to changes in the patient’s physical well-being and psychological status whilst the patient is an inpatient.
• Act as patients advocate in multidisciplinary discussions regarding management and care

Communication & Interpersonal Relationships

• Highly developed interpersonal skills to communicate with all members of the MDT both within the trust, regionally and nationally to achieve a coordinated specialist service for patients, communicating specialist and highly complex or sensitive information verbally, formally written or electronically as appropriate.
• To participate in relevant forums at Care Group, Trust or CCG Level to represent the specialist service or generic Child Health perspective
• Ensure accurate records of patient care are maintained i.e. patient notes and referral letters.
• To establish and maintain individual and team communication networks within primary and secondary care settings to ensure multi-disciplinary and multi-agency communication.
• To ensure all patients have an accurate plan of care that reflects the assessment undertaken and incorporates the advice and recommendations made.
• To ensure clear documentation in the patient’s records.
• To follow-up patients as appropriate and ensure all relevant information is available to enable patients/carers to make an informed choice about their treatment

Governance / Quality Control

• To contribute in the process of operational policies review annually in accordance with national standards and agreed protocols
• Develops protocols for the provision of care of patients with IBD.
• To comply with measures to actively manage and reduce risk to patients. Ensuring the formal reporting and recording and investigating adverse incidents in line with Trust policy
• To utilise and maintain information systems to aid audit and to provide regular activity analysis reports
• Maintain contemporaneous and accurate treatment records, submitting relevant statistics, reports and activity data as requested.
• To participate in the evaluation of the service in terms of clinical effectiveness, clinical excellence and value for money
• To ensure the best use of available resources is used within agreed budget to provide a cost-effective service. This includes ensuring specialist drug and diet challenge packs for allergen diagnosis is available.

Community Relationships

• Develop links with other areas within the trust and community including dieticians, GP’s and district nurses, to facilitate continuity of care for patients.
• To liaise effectively with all other disciplines within the Trust and at local level.
• Provide clinical advice and support nurse specialists within the department and other nurse specialists within the trust.

Research, Education & Service Development

• To produce and provide patients / carers with relevant and accessible written information regarding their treatment in accordance with Trust standards
• To supervise and participate in the delivery of programmes of education and training according to the identified needs of clients, carers and other involved in their care
• To contribute to the development of nursing practice within the team. Additionally, where appropriate, to act as a practice supervisor to Trust and honorary contract employees.
• To actively participate in educational events provided by the Trust and primary care sector.
• To attend meetings and conferences as appropriate ensuring that you are fully conversant with current issues both within the Trust and within the specialist services locally and nationally.
• To promote and facilitate evidence-based practice and clinical audit within the Trust, raising the profile and enhancing the contribution of nursing to patient care and informing business and service development plans.
• To participate in and assist with any appropriate / relevant Trust approved research projects conducted within the department.
• To promote nursing research and evidenced based practice relevant to the speciality
• To ensure own practice is kept up to date by attending appropriate study days and conferences Prepare specialist teaching material and submit for publication within the specialist field
• Developing improvements within the service of IBD specialist nursing, e.g. patient group directives, audit of the service.
• Development of specialist policies and protocols for the management and follow up of patients with IBD, Gastroenterology conditions and patient pathways, transition to adult care, patient/parent information leaflets
• Publish and present research findings. Both trust wide and at national/international level, to include relevant journals and conferences.

Leadership

• Promote the role of the Paediatric Gastroenterology CNS within the directorate, Trust and national arena. Provide cover in the absence of colleagues within the team.
• To support nurses who administer IBD Biologics to gastroenterology patients and to review care plans and outcomes
• To collaborate with other clinical nurse specialists across the Trust as required, and act as a resource for newly appointed nurse specialists.
• Participate in the specialist education and training of all levels of staff within the trust in relationship to Gastroenterology conditions and their management e.g. IBD
• Responsibility for dealing with difficult situations
• Act as a role model to ward nursing staff, providing clinical support and advice and demonstrating high standards of nursing expertise and patient care.
• To participate in the management of change to improve standards and communication links from Acute Trusts through to Primary and community Care.
• To actively contribute to any relevant initiatives within the care group and provide support to colleagues.
• To contribute positively to the leadership of nursing within the care group acting as an effective role mode
• Ensures compliance with the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy, supporting the delivery of the Trusts Race Equality Scheme and the Trust's duty to positively promote race equality and equality of opportunity for disabled people ensuring services are responsive to the needs of equality groups.
• To forge effective links within primary, secondary and tertiary care to ensure effective communication.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet agreed deadlines.
• Able to deal with confrontation and deal with complaints effectively.

Financial responsibility

• Ensure economical use of resources
• To have an awareness of cost implication of various medication and therapeutic strategies for IBD and incorporate this awareness into day-to-day practise
• To be able to effectively utilise and manage available resources to meet service objectives
• Responsible for maintaining of stock control for the IBD service, including day care unit, including the purchase of specialist supplies.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Assist in the collection of information and maintenance of the departmental database for in / out patients and maintain the IBD registry / audit.

Safeguarding

The Trust takes the issues of Safeguarding Children, Adults and addressing Domestic Abuse very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the organisation in our duties by;

• attending mandatory training on safeguarding children and adults
• familiarising themselves with the Trust's processes for reporting concerns 
• reporting any safeguarding child or adult concerns appropriately