Job summary
- Main area
- Rheumatology
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 409-7006212
- Employer
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- St Helens Hospital
- Town
- St Helens
- Salary
- £46,148 - £52,809 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/03/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 31/03/2025
Employer heading
Nurse Specialist - Rheumatology
NHS AfC: Band 7
After applying via NHS Jobs, your submitted application will be imported into our preferred Third-party recruitment system. All subsequent information regarding your application will be generated from apps.trac.jobs. You will not be able to track the progress of your application or receive messages through the NHS Jobs website, and furthermore, as an employer, we will not be able to respond to any e-mails sent to us via the NHS Jobs website. By applying for this post you are agreeing to "name of trust" transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are appointed to a post information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
Job overview
To undertake an autonomous specialist nursing role in planning, co-ordinating, delivering and evaluating nurse-led services for rheumatology patients and carers. This includes the advanced nursing assessment and treatment of patients within rheumatology speciality, who may have difficult acute and/or chronic presentations, in order to meet their physical, psychological and social needs throughout their illness within the hospital and community.
To take responsibility for education of patients and carers with Rheumatological conditions.
To act autonomously in ensuring safe prescribing and monitoring of Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs).
To act as autonomous first line of contact for rheumatology patients seeking advice or support.
To work collaboratively with nurse practitioners, other members of MDT team and consultant rheumatologists to optimise patient care.
To give specialist advice and support to other health care professionals including General Practitioners and community nurses regarding Rheumatological issues.
Main duties of the job
- Active participation in the reporting of clinical incidents/concerns and take appropriate action to address any safety and quality issues raised.
- Adhere to policies, procedures and protocols relevant to area of work.
- Monitor standards of care and participate in the improvement of care through ad hoc benchmarking/audit/research.
- Maintain clear, concise, legible and contemporaneous records at all times, in line with Trust Policy and the Standard for Record keeping (NMC Act 1993).
- Demonstrate understanding of evidence based care, including where to obtain evidence.
- Provide verbal and written advice to patients/carers about discharge planning, equipment needs, etc.
- Ensure decisions regarding consent and mental capacity are taken in accordance with Trust protocols.
- Establish effective communication with patients, carers and relatives attending the department.
- Provide sensitive, complex information to patients, carers, relatives and professionals across multidisciplinary and multi-agency boundaries, as appropriate to the patient’s specific needs.
- Support patients, carers and relatives in their understanding and acceptance of their diagnosis and treatments, and provide education and support in their needs.
Working for our organisation
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
· CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
· SAFETY that is of the highest standards
· COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
· SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
· PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
- Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY DUTIES CONTINUED
- Provide leadership support to Department Manager and Lead Nurse in the continued development of preoperative assessment department.
- Take lead of development projects as appropriate.
- Continually promote equality and diversity, undertaking equality impact assessments when appropriate.
- Ensure effective uses of physical and financial resources within the service.
- Promote patient and public involvement activities in specialist area to promote service improvement.
- Develop and maintain specialist clinical skills in assessment, diagnosis and investigation request/interpretation within the Rheumatology service.
- Attend annual appraisal to identify and agree training and development needs as part of a Personal Development Plan.
- Participate in clinical supervision sessions and provide leadership to colleagues, arranged by the team Leader/Clinical Supervisor.
- Deputise, if required for Clinic Manager maintaining smooth running of the clinic
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- Maintain Professional Registration
- Adhere to relevant Code of Practice of Professional body
- Education of patients and carers
- To plan, develop, implement and evaluate health education MDT programmes for patients and carers with rheumatological conditions.
- To empower patients with rheumatological conditions to realise and maintain their potential in relation to health and well being through one-to-one contacts and MDT education programmes by facilitating improved knowledge on disease management, medication and it’s effects on daily living.
- To be the first point of referral for patients commencing on disease modifying drug therapy, including education, consent, monitoring requirements.
- To be responsible for the autonomous prescribing and monitoring of disease modifying drug therapy by acting upon identified haematological and biochemistry abnormalities in accordance with Professional, national and departmental guidelines.
- To prevent adverse effects on health and well being through education and monitoring of patients on DMARD therapy.
- To autonomously act as a first point of contact for patients at home who are experiencing difficulties with aspects of their treatment or disease presenting via telephone help line and rapid access clinics.
- To demonstrate expert skills in rheumatological assessment including performing joint assessment, requesting appropriate investigations and interpreting these including blood test and X-ray reports.
- To develop a comprehensive nursing management plan to meet the needs of the patient and to liaise with other members of the MDT over patient management.
- To liaise with more senior rheumatology nurse or medical staff in development of medical management plan.
- To review care plans to ensure the needs of patient are being met.
- Assist consultant rheumatologist by reviewing follow-up patients at medical outpatient clinics including taking full history, appropriate rheumatological examination, requesting appropriate investigations, interpreting results of these, instituting appropriate management plan, reviewing progress and re-evaluating plan.
- Where necessary, done in consultation with rheumatology consultant or specialist registrar.
- To be professional and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own work including the management of patients. To ensure a high standard of clinical care for the patients within the rheumatology service, and support all grades of staff and MDT colleagues to do likewise.
- Assist in the co-ordination and effective delivery of services.
- To provide a link between hospital and home to ensure a patient centred, integrated service relevant to their need and those of their family.
- To be clinically responsible for the management of patient caseload within own specialist area.
- To be available to colleagues, managers and other clinical staff, for the provision of expert advice on nursing matters pertaining to the management of rheumatology patients.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Ensure patient records are kept up to date and accurate and recording is done in line with Trust policies and procedures.
- To maintain accurate, comprehensive and up to date documentation, in line with legal and departmental requirements, and communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports and letters
- To co-ordinate the collection of appropriate data and statistics for the use in the review of service delivery
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- To provide expert advice, teaching and training to other members of the MDT regarding the management of patients and service delivery/development.
- Deliver training to wide range of health professionals including nurses, medical students, community based care workers and other members of MDT.
- To participate in the in-service training programme, delivering presentations and training sessions at staff meetings, tutorials, training sessions in-house and externally, attending external courses and undertaking reflective practice.
- Organising local conferences/study days promoting the speciality and nursing services to a wider audience
LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Deputise, if required for Clinic Manager maintaining smooth running of the clinic.
- To represent the Trust externally (locally, regionally and nationally) regarding nursing services provided to patients within speciality
- To plan, develop, implement and evaluate nurse specialists services within rheumatology
- To continue involvement in supervision of junior members of nursing staff.
- To provide expert advice to allied health professionals and students working within other clinical areas
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To commence and participate in research/special projects as directed by the Ward Manager.
- Active participation in collection and collation of research and audit data as appropriate, presenting the outcomes to clinical audit.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Registered Nurse, with current NMC Registration
- Teaching and Assessing Qualification, or equivalent experience
- Specialist post registration qualification training and appropriate implement of new learning
- Non-Medical Independent Prescribing, or willing to work towards
- Clinical Examination Course, or willing to work towards
Desirable criteria
- Educated to Masters Degree Level
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Substantial post registration experience
- Experience of teaching within the clinical area
- Knowledge of clinical skills required to undertake the role
- Knowledge of current professional & clinical issues
- Knowledge of Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults procedures
- Rheumatology Nursing experience
- Evidence of advanced standard of performance in specialist clinical area
- Excellent record of extensive experience in training, teaching and supervising others
- Knowledge of and participation of research and audit
Desirable criteria
- Management experience
Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent time management and prioritising skills
- Effective record management
- Able to demonstrate the application of research findings to practice
- Able to demonstrate the ability to apply evidence based practice to patient care
Other
Essential criteria
- Flexible and adaptable approach
- Car Owner/Supported Driver/Ability to travel across sites as required
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Clare Bennett
- Job title
- Acting Nurse Lead
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 01744 646444
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