NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To undertake a comprehensive holistic assessment of patient’s needs (HNA) at key stages during the illness experience from the point of diagnosis in line with National directives

To agree a plan of care in consultation with the patient/family, ensuring a written copy is available for the patient.

To attend the weekly cancer multidisciplinary team meeting, contributing to the discussion, providing expert nursing opinion on the patient’s assessment and care

To screen patients for psychological distress using a recognised tool

To provide Level 2 psychological support for patients and their carers, referring patient with complex needs to the Macmillan Clinical Psychologist.

To provide specialist support for patients and their families, ensuring their physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs are identified and met.

To lead on complex communication issues and co-ordinate the patient’s pathway acting as the main point of contact or responsible for nominating a main point of contact for the patient depending on their individual needs.

To identify and met patient/carers specialist informational needs utilising the local Macmillan Information Centre, referring patients to the dedicated Cancer You Tube Channel to support self-management strategies.   

Supports the development of patient focussed education, including specialist information and advice to self-manage ongoing consequences of treatment.

To identify and address the palliative care needs of patients and their families, referring patients with complex needs to the Specialist Palliative Care Team

To identify AMBER patents working with the multidisciplinary team to agree ceiling of intervention.

To identify the patient’s Preferred Place of Care at the appropriate point in the illness experience, communicating very sensitive information to patients/carers ensuing they have the opportunity to discuss their choice of where they wish to die where possible.

Support the generation of an “End of Treatment Summary” for patients following each modality of treatment, ensuring their ongoing needs are identified and addressed.

To respond to EAU alerts for patients with UGI cancer providing specialist information and support, co-ordinating their pathway from the point of admission

To lead the development of specialist Health & Wellbeing events for patients living with UGI cancer, ensuring they are tailored to meet their individual needs

To use advance communication skills to support patients in the development of an Advance Care Plan, identifying their preferences and wishes

To initiate proactive telephone support for patients in the palliative stage of their disease, identifying new or progression of symptoms providing specialist advice and support 

To promote a culture that supports and enables self-management.

Utilise patient/carer experience feedback to drive innovation and change. 

Promote self-management, risk stratifying patients into who can self-manage following education, those who will need guided support to self-mange and those who will require ongoing face-to-face support in order to support people to live with cancer. 

To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and other national regulations

To participate in the formal review process and plan future personal development and competencies to be achieved, actively engaging with the learning and development opportunities offered by Macmillan.

To act as a specialist resource for healthcare professionals relating to UGI cancer, providing expert nursing advice and support

To support patients at new diagnosis cancer clinic in Nene Park Outpatients alongside the Leicester surgeon and specialist dietician

To follow up patients following UGI surgeries in a nurse led clinic as per national and local guidelines

To promote collaborative working relationships and effective communication between all members of the Upper GI cancer multidisciplinary team and across different boundaries of care

To act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care, providing clinical leadership in UGI cancer.

To support the development of the Band 6 Macmillan GI Nurse/Support Worker, contributing to the appraisal process and objective setting

To become acquainted with the local and regional pathways for patients with UGI cancer including knowledge of contact points for referral and advice.

To demonstrate advance practice in planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care, documenting the outcomes of consultations in the hospital notes and on the Somerset database.

In all aspects of work, challenge and demonstrate an ability to work across organisational and professional boundaries.

To identity own personal development needs to work at specialist level and take appropriate action to ensure that these are met

To maintain a personal professional profile, demonstrating clear evidence for nursing revalidation

Demonstrate skills in conflict resolution and negotiation skills when dealing with difficult or challenging situations

To be actively involved in the self-assessment against National Quality Standards related to UGI cancer, taking an active part in the NHS England Quality Surveillance Program  

To ensure the specialist nursing service is development in line with National directives related to cancer care.

To collect activity data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the specialist nursing service.

To participate in service reviews, completing a SWAT analysis to highlight the effectiveness/challenges of the nurse specialist service

 To actively seek feedback from patients/carers to inform service developments

 To lead the development of policies and clinical guidelines to enhance the specialist nursing service in line with national directives

To promote the specialist nursing service through conferences and written papers

To influence decisions regarding service delivery through participation in local, regional and national meetings

To evaluate the effectiveness of the nurse specialist service, implementing change to enhance the patient/carer experience   

To identify areas of practice this may be expanded to promote optimal care and the best outcomes for patients

Develop specialist nurse led clinics, performing and undertaking a holistic review of the patients following surgery & oncology treatment to support self-management strategies and early identification of recurrence of disease.

To request relevant tests/investigations

To act as an independent nurse prescriber

To initiate and be actively involved in nursing research/audit

To promote best practice ensuring care in evidence based

To demonstrate knowledge of the clinical trials available for UGI cancer patients