NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The successful applicant will lead a team of specialist nurses who are committed to working as ‘one team’ for the benefit of patients. We will offer you a supportive, stimulating working environment, dedicated to delivering high quality patient care and continuing professional development.

Supporting Clinical Excellence:

The postholder will autonomously provide enhanced nursing stoma care to individuals who have or will have a stoma or an ileoanal pouch. This will be achieved by:

Expert communication and utilising diagnostic skills allowing a thorough assessment.

In collaboration with the patient plan a program of care, ensuring physical, social, psychological, and spiritual needs are met.

Empowering the patient through education, including health promotion, to implement the program of care independently. If independence is not possible then ensuring the program of care is implemented safely in conjunction with other nursing and specialist staff and with the co-operation of the patient and their relatives/carers.

Evaluation of the specialist nursing care; clearly and accurately documenting the outcomes of consultations either electronically or handwritten in the paper clinical notes; with letters, communicating the outcomes of outpatient and community consultations, to other appropriate healthcare professionals; and maintaining an accurate record of all interactions with individual patients on the Stoma Care Team database.

The postholder will use their considerable enhanced knowledge and skills to triage their patients either face to face, over the telephone or through email.

The postholders input will ensure patients are comforted that their concerns have been thoroughly reviewed and are either appropriately escalated to other healthcare professionals or reassured with the advice and/or treatment provided.

As an expansion of professional practice, the postholder will use their considerable professional expertise and evidence-based practice to mark the patient’s abdomen pre-operatively to enable the surgeon to place the stoma in the best possible position thereby enhancing the patient’s quality of life. During the procedure the post holder will utilise expert counselling skills due to the psychological and physical impact of the impending surgery.

The postholder will utilise enhanced counselling skills to provide empathetic support for patients and their families/carers who are experiencing a potentially life threatening and life changing illness and who may be distressed by the changes in their body image; utilising excellent communication skills when breaking bad news and explaining treatment options.

The postholder will ensure information conveyed to the patient is in a timely and understandable manner, using different communication methods to clarify understanding.

The postholder will confidently act as an advocate for their patients, assisting them to make informed choices concerning treatment.

The postholder will ensure the patient is discharged safely; the SCNS will have the confidence to halt a discharge in the patients’ best interests if there are concerns regarding stoma management.

The postholder will have a thorough knowledge of stoma products and their uses and will critically evaluate the clinical effectiveness for each individual.

The postholder will monitor patient’s compliance against treatment plans from verbal or written feedback from the patient and through interpretation of information from clinical findings and test results.

The postholder will use their enhanced knowledge to manage high output stomas and fistulas acting as a resource to other healthcare professionals on their management.

The postholder will contribute to the management of complex wounds when requested and if appropriate.

The postholder will work autonomously in nurse led clinics and community reviews for stoma patients.

The postholder will carry out several expanded professional practice roles, including, but not confined to the following:

Colostomy Irrigation

Granuloma Management

Management of a stenosed stoma

Management of rectal stenosis

Administering medicines under PGD

The postholder will work alongside the Colorectal Cancer Multidisciplinary Team, the Gynaecology Multidisciplinary team, the Gastroenterology Multidisciplinary Team, and the Integrated Care System ensuring a seamless service for patients and their families/carers.

The postholder will receive and make direct referrals to and from General Practitioners, Consultants and other specialists and members of the multidisciplinary team.

The postholder will clearly and accurately document the outcomes of consultations either electronically or handwritten in the paper clinical notes; with letters, communicating the outcomes of outpatient and community consultations, to other appropriate healthcare professionals; and maintain an accurate record of all interactions with individual patients on the Stoma Care Team database.

The postholder will be responsible for arranging the prescription for ostomy products, ensuring that the patient has adequate supplies of equipment in the community and understands how to use the products enabling them to carry out treatment plans.

The postholder will be responsible for reviewing and monitoring patient’s use of ostomy products in the community thereby promoting good evidence based practice and avoiding wastage of resources and NHS funds.

Professional Responsibilities:

 The postholder will act at all times in accordance with The Code, NMC 2015 and future Codes as published.

The postholder will proactively engage with yearly appraisals.

The postholder will take responsibility for meeting the necessary requirements for revalidation and maintaining their nursing registration.

The postholder is responsible for maintaining their clinical competence through mandatory training, maintaining their own professional and personal growth, and for keeping up to date with developments within the specialty.

The postholder is responsible for interpreting new knowledge in the specialist field to ensure that practice is up to date. They are responsible for using the information to affect change in practice in line with research findings/national guidelines and they are responsible for ensuring the effective dissemination of new knowledge.

The postholder will demonstrate awareness of their responsibilities and accountability for service standards and the further development of the stoma care service.

The postholder will actively engage in the development of policies and clinical guidelines in collaboration with the Directorate Matron, supporting the development of the specialist stoma care nursing service.

The postholder will be prepared to undertake further education training to effectively develop the service.

Management:

 The postholder will work collaboratively, with all healthcare professionals while acting as a professional role model.

 The postholder will demonstrate insight and personal awareness of management role responsibilities and accountability for service standards and further development.

The postholder will manage and develop the stoma care nursing team to meet the ongoing demands of the patients within the field of stoma care nursing, in accordance with clinical governance and evidence-based practice.

The postholder will ensure effective use of resources, contributing to the management of the stoma care team budget, and proactively looking to identify cost saving measures – with implications for both the acute hospital budget and for the primary care setting.

The postholder will:

demonstrate the ability to support and manage team dynamics, ensuring effective service delivery

provide effective support and education to enable individuals to develop and maintain their potential

The postholder will demonstrate an understanding of strategic development which influence/change practice both locally and nationally and improve patient outcomes.

The postholder will be responsible for:

ensuring that clinical practice meets Information Governance policies

managing e-Rostering effectively

ensuring staff adhere to the trust policy for booking and taking annual leave/time owing

managing HR policies and proactive management of sickness and unauthorised absence

undertaking recruitment and selection of staff to the team

reporting risks and incidents using DATIX

reviewing incidents reported related to Stoma Care for accuracy, verifying the actual level of harm that has occurred

ensuring learning ensues in the event of an incident

Educator:

 The postholder will proactively initiate and participate in innovative clinical education and facilitation of other staff members to encourage their development and skills and knowledge – this will be carried out in formal settings in collaboration with the Practice Development Team; by promoting opportunities for health care professionals to shadow the SCNS; and by encouraging health care professionals to engage with ad-hoc teaching opportunities.

The postholder will provide specialist education within various institutions to deliver relevant, research-based teaching sessions ensuring seamless care for their patients in community settings.

The postholder will share evidence of good and innovative practice with other Stoma Care Nurse Specialists across the Association of Stoma Care Nurses UK network, thus contributing to the knowledge base of Stoma Care Nurses.

Research and Development:

 The postholder will:

assist in data collection for local research projects.

in collaboration with team members, instigate audits to demonstrate insight into how quality of the Stoma Care Service can be developed to recognised national standards of care.

collect data to demonstrate the activity levels and value of the specialist nursing service

participate in local, national, and international research projects thereby promoting the development of evidence-based care.