Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Specialist Nurse (Development Post)

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

• Be professionally accountable for the maintenance of standards and professional practice as set by Trust Policies/Procedures, the NMC code of Professional standards of Practice and Behaviour and relevant professional guidelines.
• Be an experienced practitioner who can work towards managing a caseload of complex cardiac patients in a variety of settings, working autonomously within local and national guidelines in achieving and maintaining regional and national targets throughout the patients care episode.
• Will be required to be / become an independent prescriber, to be able to prescribe evidence-based medicines within appropriate scope of practice adhering to the Trusts prescribing policy and guidelines.
• Successfully complete the service competency framework to a proficient standard before promotion to band 7 is considered.
• Work collaboratively to provide a planned and unplanned responsive service to maintain routine and anticipatory care to heart disease patients.
• Provide specialist nursing advice to support individualised care to patients and relatives/carers without supervision and provide peer to peer support for the wider teams within primary, secondary and community services.
• Undertake a variety of physical observations appropriate to the scope of practice using a range of equipment, record and report and escalate exceptions as required to relevant multi-disciplinary team members.
• To ensure that the patient pathways are in place to increase the referrals to cardiac rehabilitation, ICD/CRT device therapies, palliative care, and to the cardiology medical specialists.
• Provide mentorship and leadership support for all staff who are developing their roles within the immediate and wider teams.
• Work with the service lead for ongoing development of policies and protocols to enhance service delivery in collaboration with cross organisational partnerships.
• Maintain and update personal clinical expertise in accordance with their professional regulatory body and contribute as a role model to uphold the delivery of exceptional nursing care utilising reflection as a tool for learning.
• Work with the team on customer care initiatives to monitor the quality of nursing care and action audit information to achieve agreed standards set within the service specifications and within the Trusts policies and procedures

Planning and Organisational Duties

• To implement specialist advice and demonstrate delivery of autonomous evidence-based treatments with the aim of improving the quality of care to the target population to enhance their quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
• Assess and evaluate inbound referrals to be able to accept or decline according to the service specification and notify the correct health care professional of the decision.
• Be competent in triaging referrals, incorporating a needs-based approach to identify those at risk who would benefit from an early consultation.
• Clinically assess, plan, implement and evaluate patients individual plan of care by providing specialist advice and education within the patients own homes or community clinics, taking appropriate action in accordance with national/local policies and protocols for the treatment and care of patients following a diagnosis of myocardial infarction.
• Manage individual patient caseload and support those of the wider team to safely discharge patients as per the local policy.
• Ensure that electronic or written documentation is maintained and recorded within the professional registration requirements and the Trusts standards utilising regular audits to measure compliance.
• To provide a clear focus for clinical leadership and to be responsible for ensuring the provision of a high standard of holistic, patient-centred care supporting the development of staff caring for patients through support formal education and training, practice development and role modelling.
• Work collaboratively to ensure the active engagement of service users and patient/ family and carer feedback through facilitation of user groups, open days, support groups and ensure feedback informs service development.
• To implement and adhere to the Trusts framework for Clinical Governance within their area of practice.
• Identify clinical risk and act according to the trusts Risk Management policy, gaining advice and reporting as required to maintain the safety of the patient, themselves, and others.
• To be able to assess the complex health care needs of patients competently with chronic diseases and support the patient/carer in agreeing a holistic individualised plan of care.
• Carry out venepuncture as and when required in accordance with Trusts policies and protocols.
• Support patients and their families in managing the symptoms of coronary heart disease and heart failure throughout their disease process and including at the end of life referring to and liaising with palliative care services and other agencies as required.
• Facilitate high-quality cost-effective specialist service through monitoring and audit and other quality initiatives, this includes the use of consumables associated with the service. Actively contribute to the evaluation and feedback of equipment and consumables ensuring economic use.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Provide highly visible and accessible professional nursing leadership and demonstrate expert knowledge and standards of clinical practice and provide support or advice when necessary to staff, patients, their families and carers.
• Be able to confidently work within a multidisciplinary team across a variety of partnerships to develop, implement and evaluate an integrated service through teaching, research, and clinical audit.
• Participate in organised regular multidisciplinary team meetings, clinics, and patient reviews where the post holder will co-ordinate treatment independently or in conjunction with the wider multidisciplinary team.
• To maintain a seamless service with key stakeholders so that patients receive the highest possible delivery of care.
• To demonstrate politeness, be courteous and sensitive in dealing with patients/clients, visitors/relatives, and colleagues, maintaining good customer relations. Following relevant consultation within multidisciplinary teams, provide information and support to relatives/carers (where appropriate).
• Uphold the Trusts shared values.
• Promote the corporate image of Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to all individuals, groups and organisations both within the Trust and to the community at large.
• Act as an advocate and champion for patients in line with professional and national guidelines, using in-depth knowledge of holistic, cultural, and socioeconomic aspects of care to challenge attitudes and behaviours within a variety of professional groups or forums.
• Report and raise concerns about Safeguarding, accessing advice and support at the point of need. Be conversant with Trust policies, procedures and systems for safeguarding including the assessment of Mental Capacity, the process for consideration requests for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) and the application of the principles of Prevent (counter terrorism awareness).
• Take an active role in the promotion of a healthy lifestyle for patients and staff utilising motivational interviewing techniques and cognitive behavioural therapy to facilitate positive change.
• To be a champion of positive developments and trends within the Trust, nursing, and the wider NHS.
• Establish and maintain robust communications process within and external to your team. Organise team/individual meetings at an appropriate frequency, recording and circulating minutes/ agreed actions of these, encourage the exchange of ideas and allow staff to contribute to the agenda.
• Assist with investigating complaints, ensuring untoward incidents are reported and that lessons are learned from previous incidents.
• The post holder shall as necessary, provide cover for and undertake duties of absent colleagues.
• Actively participate in departmental projects, audits, quality initiatives and statutory accreditation processes. This will include the setting, monitoring of clinical standards and care on a regular basis and the updating of protocols, guidelines, policy and procedures. Undertake literature reviews and searches to evidence practice when updating or developing Policy, Procedures and Guidelines.

Responsibility for Human Resources

Maintain a personal, professional profile, identifying role and skill developments in line with the Scope of Professional Practice and fitness to practice requirements to maintain professional registration.

Actively manage own annual leave in line with Trust and local Policy and Procedure.

Maintain, update and develop personal and professional knowledge and skills, using the Trusts Performance Review System, enabling standards of patient care to be monitored constantly and improved.

Participate in clinical supervision within the team and the wider clinical group as required.

Participate in the appraisal process ensuring they have a personal development plan that support revalidation.

Work towards supporting the service lead with workforce management areas of recruitment, attendance, and performance management for the cardiology team. Ensure any concerns that are identified are reported and actioned in accordance with the relevant Trust policy and procedure.

Responsibility for Teaching

• As a confident specialist nurse, it will be expected that formal and non-formal teaching will be delivered in a variety of formats encompassing existing knowledge to all key stakeholders as required.

Work Circumstances & on-call

• The working hours are Monday to Friday between the hours of 8am to 6pm but may change in the future to 7 day working reflecting the changing needs of the service.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Adult Nurse on the NMC register.
• Relevant degree.
• Evidence of post registration qualification within specialism or professional knowledge supplemented by specialist experience and short courses to degree/masters' level.
• Recognised Teaching / Mentorship Module or equivalent experience
• NMC registered Non-Medical Prescriber (V300), or willing to undertake

Desirable

• To have or working towards a masters qualification.
• Advanced Communication skills training.
• Motivational and cognitive behavioural therapy short courses.
• Clinical Examination and Diagnostics module.

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience with evidence of working in the speciality of cardiology or cardiothoracic nursing.
• Experience of working with Cardiac Rehabilitation patients.
• Evidence and ability to revalidate as required by the NMC.
• Experience of positive multiagency working.
• Experience and enthusiasm for developing educational programmes and teaching / assessing and supervising others in a clinical setting.

Skills

Essential

• Excellent advanced communication and interpersonal skills.
• Positive change agent.
• Ability to adapt to changing needs of service.
• Ability to work autonomously, manage / prioritise own workload, supervise / appraise and assess junior staff.
• Competent in a range of clinical skills and expanded practices relevant to the scope of practice required.
• Evidence of ability to compile reports and documents for internal / external communication.
• IT literate and champion new IT systems to enhance the patient consultation experience.
• Report writing skills.
• Risk assessment skills.

Knowledge

Essential

• Can demonstrate expert nursing knowledge
• Extensive knowledge of national policies and standards.
• Awareness of current national and local agenda in health and social care.
• Able to demonstrate highly developed specialist knowledge of own patient group.
• Comprehensive understanding of multi-agency working.
• Knowledge of corporate and clinical governance.
• Has an understanding / experience of the principles of safeguarding for staff, patients, and carers at risk.

Additional

Essential

• Ability to work a varied shift pattern where required
• Able to travel across Trust independently
• Confidence to act as the patient advocate and challenge poor practice
• Ability to act on own initiative
• Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).