Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Job Purpose

To assess and manage patients with Rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis care. To develop and work within agreed protocols. To provide support both for patients and medical/nursing colleagues, to support and take charge of the intravenous medication’s day suite. Help support telephone helplines and generic email accounts.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Rotation between Bolsover Street and Stanmore sites when applicable to your banding

Clinical

 Provide specialist advice, education and support to patients and their relatives attending the nurse-led rheumatology clinics. This includes counselling patients for new therapies and review of patients on existing therapies.

Work with patients and provide follow up in order to support compliance and adherence with prescribed treatment.

 Responsible for assessing patients physical, psychological and social needs.

Responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating patient care, recommending the most appropriate course of action.

Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care.

Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.

To help develop and work within protocols for the management of patients with rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis.

For patients on disease modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies: -

 Use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and clinical skills to evaluate patient progress

Request appropriate investigations for monitoring of patients. Analyse and  interpret results.

Responsible for the care of patients receiving intravenous biologic or bone therapies, supporting and working closely with the Day Unit who administer the infusions.

Provide high quality written, verbal and telephone advice for patients and their families.

Produce accurate and complete documentation both electronically and written correspondence consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.

Ensure that written information for health professionals in primary and secondary care is clear, concise and of a high standard.

 Liaise with GPs to maintain continuity of care and patient compliance with medications/supplements prescribed.

Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team making appropriate referrals when necessary.

 Work closely with pathway co-ordinators to assist with triaging into appropriate nurse-led clinics and awareness of nurse clinic waiting lists.

Cannulate and administer medications in an intravenous medication’s day suite setting.

Management and Leadership

To manage systems and maintain accurate records to ensure patients care is appropriate and audit can be undertaken.

To maintain appropriate databases for patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies

To organise own work and practice, taking a flexible approach to ensure support for patients and colleagues.

To provide support to nursing staff working within clinic and ward areas.

Participate in the development of Trust policies, protocols and guidance for patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies

Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

Professional

Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.

Adhere to nurse revalidation requirements as set out by the NMC

Take responsibility for one’s own development, undertaking appropriate activities to update clinical knowledge and skills.

Attend regular mandatory and statutory training as specified by the Trust.

Promote awareness and compliance amongst colleagues regarding Trust policies, procedures, guidelines and standards.

Education, Training and Development

Provide support and specialist advice to colleagues in the Trust and in the Community.

Attend and actively contribute to relevant meetings within and outside the Trust.

Provide patients and relatives with information about their condition and treatment.

Take responsibility for one’s own development, undertaking appropriate activities to update clinical knowledge and skills.

Attend regular mandatory and statutory training as specified by the Trust.

Promote awareness and compliance amongst colleagues regarding Trust policies, procedures, guidelines and standards

Audit

Participate in the auditing of your speciality to evaluate the efficiency of treatment in all sectors of your speciality. With your Line Manager produce action plans from evaluation and share these findings with the wider team.

Undertake audits in relation to your speciality in order to assess and monitor the quality of nursing practice in the clinical setting. Assist other team members to do the same. Ensure feedback to other interested parties are given so that lessons learnt and changes in practice made can be shared.

Participate in a regular system of audit and research activities within the speciality and in collaboration with colleagues. Assist your Line Manager to develop professional practice, review and develop policies depending on results.

Participate in research-based, innovative practice in the delivery of your speciality which will improve care.

Ensure that you complete incident reports when required which occur within the RNOHT, encouraging transparency and a culture of no blame to encourage high levels of “no harm” reporting, while reporting all levels of harm

Be aware of the direction provided by specialist commissioners, National Service Frameworks, NICE and DoH guidelines to ensure high quality, evidence based best practice is carried out.

Assist in the development of local, standard policies and practices which further the philosophy of patient-centred, individual, research-based care for all patients within your speciality.

To actively seek to improve practice through the application of research and participate in the clinical audit activities with the Speciality and Trust. Will where required contribute to data entry regarding your specialist patients and their care eg National Joint registry, SCI database etc.

To participate in and support the research nurse and the research projects undertaken in the clinical area.

Special Requirements:

Any other duties commensurate with the banding and in line with the requirement of this post.

This job description gives a general outline of the post and is not intended to be inflexible or a final list of duties. It may therefore be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder.