Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Leadership, Management and Practice

• Assessment of care needs of clients and develop care programmes to be implemented by the post holder and delegated to other members of the team.
• Manages an unpredictable clinical caseload on an ongoing basis including making modifications within prescribed parameters reporting back to the Consultant.
• Autonomously performs specialist nurse procedures in line with Trust protocols and NMC guidance.
• Provides specialist advice in relation to the care of individual or groups of patients, underpinning theory with specialist training and knowledge.
• Liaises with other healthcare providers caring for clients within the specialty in order to provide specialist knowledge to optimise patient care.
• Demonstrates a commitment to best practice and relevant knowledge of the NHS and modernisation agenda, seeking to develop the service as part of the professional team.
• Contributes to the development of the corporate nursing strategy ensuring local action plans produced, implemented and evaluated.
• Represents the Trust at external events, networking with professional colleagues to maximise the opportunities of promoting the Trust and benchmarking practice with peers.

Education

• Develop and provide educational programmes to patients, carers, multidisciplinary teams, nursing and medical staff.
• Promote the development of a climate which is conducive to life-long learning and evidence-based practice.
• Continually seek to improve the quality of education delivered by the team by seeking the opinions of others and formal evaluation, amending the programme as necessary.
• Act as a role model exploiting at every opportunity to enhance the knowledge of others in issues relating to the specialism.
• Provides specialist advice which contributes to the care, well-being or education of patients/clients including health promotion.

Audit and Evidence Based Practice

• Regularly audits own practice in line with agreed protocols, providing feedback to multi-professional team meetings.
• Occasionally undertake nursing research and audit as part of the multi-professional team within the specialism.
• Undertake nursing audit. Develop and implement action plans as a consequence and produce an annual audit plan reporting results to the trust audit and evidence-based practice forum.
• Ensure that high-quality data is collected for both audit and research trials, as required.
• Develops protocols of care and implement evidence-based practice in order to improve patient care and safety.

Communication, Relationship Skills and Teamwork

• Frequently communicates complex information regarding patient’s chronic condition effectively to colleagues, patients and other users of the Trust. This often involves overcoming barriers to communication.
• Produces written communications which are clear, fluent, concise and easily understood.
• Establish and build relationship with colleagues and clients/users and the effective management of patient/client concerns in line with Trust policy.
• Fully understand the rights and views of clients/users, their families, seeking out and addressing their needs and acting as the patients advocate
• Cooperates and works well with multidisciplinary team appreciating the roles of other staff and agencies involved in the care of patients

Specialist Practice

• Give advice regarding the appropriate assessment for high dose bronchodilator therapy according to agreed hospital protocols.
• Frequently instruct patients in the correct use of inhaled medication devices and nebulised therapy.
• Identification and holistic assessment of COPD patients who meet the agreed criteria for Respiratory Early Discharge Service (REDS) and maintain patient records.
• Facilitate the Early Discharge of COPD patients accepted onto REDS and make referrals as necessary to other members of MDT.
• Home visits to patients on REDS to perform clinical observations and monitor their respiratory symptoms within agreed hospital protocols and assess their ability to cope at home.
• Recognise any deterioration in patient’s condition that requires a change in treatment or re-assessment at the hospital.
• Interpretation of arterial blood gases and make recommendations regarding prescription of O2 therapy and need to monitor blood gases if O2 therapy changed.
• Give advice regarding the appropriate assessment of patients for LTOT according to agreed hospital protocols.
• Frequently co-ordinates any changes in treatment, or re-assessment at the hospital, with Respiratory Consultant.  
• Performance and interpretation of hospital anxiety and depression scores.
• Frequently assist patients to accept and cope with a chronic illness and provide psychological support.

Effort and Risk

• Frequent exposure to highly unpleasant working conditions and unpleasant body smells as a lone worker in patient’s home.
• Frequent examination and collection of infected sputum.
• Frequent exposure to emotionally demanding situation. Imparting unwelcome news to patients regarding a progressive, incurable illness and end of life decisions.
• Frequent need for concentration when interpreting complex patient information, often within competing demands for attention, while still maintaining speed and accuracy.
• Frequently provide on-going support for patients and their families who have been on REDS / Outreach Service via telephone, or home visit.
• Continually working within time constraints for patient treatment, assessment and education. 
• As identified in agreed job plan and personal development plan.

For a full comprehensive list of main responsibilities and duties, please kindly refer to job description and personal specification attached.