Job responsibilities
As a member of the Integrated Urgent Care Team (IUCT) you will be expected to be a senior nurse with a broad range of competencies who is able to adapt to a wide variety of clinical circumstances. To work as part of a multidisciplinary team to complete skilled rapid assessments for individuals referred into the Integrated Urgent Care Team either from discharge from the hospital under the discharge to assess pathway or via the community for a crisis visits referred by family, public or other health / social care professionals including North West Ambulance Service, GPs.
Main Duties and Responsibilities.
To conduct holistic assessments for all aspects of care, equipment and therapy to promote independence and avoid hospital admission. You will be part of a community team where your ability to make clinical decisions will aid patient recovery. This will include liaising with patients hospital discharging teams for advice support where necessary and with the patients GP or other health care professional to prevent hospital admission.
You will provide complex assessments and interventions and will make high impact clinical decisions. You will be expected to work autonomously whilst drawing assistance from other colleagues in primary and secondary care.
You will use evidence based principles/current best practise and specialist skills to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions and to ensure that all members of your team do so accordingly.
Your caseload management and communication skills will enable you to priorities patient care and manage your own caseload. You will also work closely with senior clinicians, practitioners social workers, and other health or social care professionals to establish and maintain a whole systems approach for our patients
Communications
- To gain consent from patients, negotiate and agree goals
- To address distressing and emotional needs of patients and carers in an exemplary manner. To communicate sensitively with patients and their families some of who have high levels of distress caused by pain, dementia, long-term disability and terminal illness
- To provide specialist advice on patient care to other health, social and voluntary sector services. This may involve challenging or negotiating changes to treatment programmes or care plans set by other professionals.
- To advise and train members of other agencies, health care professionals, carers and families in aspects of care.
- To communicate effectively with all other health sector and outside agencies for information exchange/ gathering and problem solving.
Responsibility for Patient Care
- To be professionally and legally accountable for all work undertaken. To work within the standards and guidelines of the team, the Trust, and the conduct and standards of your relevant professional bodies, NMC
- To deliver care to patients within their home that is technically excellent, expressly personal and ensures patients and carers dignity is enhanced.
- To undertake highly skilled and complex clinical activities directly related to the assessment, planning and evaluation of patient care.
- To develop your skill set with advanced techniques and other skills not normally associated with your profession.
- To make skilled clinical decisions and communicate the rationale clearly
- To document fully and clearly to a very high standard
- To ensure effective implementation of infection control policies
- Management of complex patient care ensuring that risks are adequately assessed, minimised, translated into appropriate care plans and reported across the organisation as appropriate
- Manage the effective coordination and continuity of patient care working closely with external agencies and community colleagues
- To ensure that clinical practice is contemporary to meeting the needs of patients and families
- To ensure that each patient has a comprehensive assessment of need, including risk assessment and that their care is culturally sensitive and addresses issues of diversity
- To participate in resource projects and health promotion programmes as requested
- To work closely with the Acute trust, GPs, nursing, social care and therapy colleagues and the VCSE sector to prevent inappropriate hospital admissions
- Assess for, prescribe and issue a range of equipment, mobility aids and aids to daily living.
- To undertake other duties that may be allocated
Key Liaisons
- Integrated Urgent Care Team colleagues.
- Social Care Assistant Team Managers
- Community nurses
- Other continuing care teams
- Hospital Doctors and GPs in community.
- Hospital and community allied health professionals
- Specialist hospital and community practitioners.
- Digital Health
- Extensive Care Team
- NWAS
- Neighbourhood teams Order stock and audit stock levels
Responsibilities for Human Resources and Leadership
- Ensure safe and efficient use of equipment, resources and consumables at all times
Responsibilities for Physical and / or Financial Resources
- Have a car and full UK driving license and Business insurance and be able to travel within the requirements of the post
- Prioritise workload or activities in order to meet the demands of the Urgent care team
Planning and Organising
- To be responsible for the safety and welfare of patients, colleagues and self during the treatment period in accordance with professional standards and health and safety regulations.
- To work at other sites in the Trust, specifically across IUCT and ITS, if required
- Comply with Trust Standard Operating Procedures, Policies and processes; and other related guidelines.
- Attend regular team meetings to ensure local and national, health and social service initiatives are implemented within the service; contributing ideas for improvement and sharing lessons learned.
- Participate in regular clinical supervision and appraisals as per trust policy
- Act as a positive role model, establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships with team members, encouraging innovation.
- Actively participate and support in service development.
- To actively participate in clinical governance processes with a particular emphasis on identifying and handling risks that affect patient care
- To ensure appropriate evaluation mechanisms are in place to check that the service continues to meet the required standard and quality
- Maintains best practice and own fitness to practice through continual professional development
- Comply with the incident reporting process and contribute to the resolution of complaints as required.
Research, Development and Audit
To participate in audit as required by the department and Trust.
To use audit results, current research and government guidelines to recommend changes to service delivery and to demonstrate evidence- based practice.
Physical Skills and Effort
The post-holder will be expected to travel between different work locations frequently throughout the day. They will be expected to load, transport and unload necessary equipment between work locations.
Manages and prioritizes workload which may be unpredictable.
Respond to changes in workflow being interrupted frequently during the working day.
The post will require a high level of concentration with the ability to be flexible to the needs of the service
Attend regular team meetings to disseminate information between senior staff and the team.
Lead MDT meetings which may require managing sensitive, emotive or conflicting views/opinions.
Manages conflict between agencies, challenging poor practice and none adherence to local and national policy.
Manages complaints and conflict with patients, carers and family members at times of major life changes where services are not available due to financial constraints or, expectations outside service provision criteria; or where there is a barrier to understanding.
Advocates for patients ensuring choice is respected whilst adhering to both social service and health eligibility.
Manages own time within expected response timescales having the ability to change direction at short notice.
Be accountable for completion, accuracy and presentation of content of nursing assessments undertaken
The post-holder will be expected to kneel, sit on heels, move adult limbs during manual care delivery, support patients while walking, assist patients to transfer, position limbs whilst patient is sitting and standing, give tactile feedback to exercise, push wheelchairs and use hoists on a frequent basis.
The post-holder will be expected to concentrate during treatment sessions and ensure good communication with patients who have impaired understanding and communication difficulties e.g. impaired speech and hearing. Some patients will also not speak English as a first language, and use of an interpreter may be necessary.
The post-holder will be working in many environments over which they have no control. These will include environments where exposure to body fluids (blood, faeces, urine, vomit, and sputum), infestations, smoke and animals will occur. Spaces to work in are often confined, with variable temperatures, noise levels, ventilation and less than ideal work surfaces. There is a risk of exposure to physical/verbal aggression from patients, their families and the general public
