Job responsibilities
Post Title: Dementia Specialist Practitioner
Pay Band: 6
Hours:Full Time 23.5 hours per week
Contract: Permanent
Location / Department:Dementia Team, Corporate Nursing
Accountable to:Deputy CNO
Reports to:Lead Nurse for Dementia & Older People
Key Working Relationships:
Line Manager
Matrons
Geriatricians and their medical teams
Divisional Directors of Nursing
Nursing staff Trust wide
Multidisciplinary Professionals including Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Dieticians and Social Workers
Onward Care Team
Adult Safeguarding Team
Patient Experience Team, patients, relatives and carers
Older Adult Mental Health Liaison Nurses
Clinicians and managers within Acute Trust
IT, Information, Estates and Catering within Acute Trust
External
Worcestershire Health & Care Trust Memory Services
Health & Social Care Professionals working in the Primary Care, Community Hospitals and Social Services.
General Practitioners and members of their multi-professional teams
Professionals and carers working in the community including residential settings
Patients, carers and relatives attending the outpatient setting and for ongoing support following discharge from hospital
Voluntary organisations
University of Worcester, Association for Dementia Studies
Royal Colleges
Risk Assessment:
This post requires some manual handling activities e.g., assisting patients with sitting up, moving up the bed, and sitting out in a chair, physical support when walking.
Assessing patients with dementia/delirium requires advanced communication skills and empathy. It is emotionally distressing at times.
Frequent use of VDU.
Job Purpose:
To work as part of a multidisciplinary team providing specialist support within the Acute Trust in relation to the care and treatment of patients with older people and those with dementia and/or delirium.
To deliver formal and informal staff training and education.
To contribute to the organisation of dementia patient centred care.
To provide expert relevant clinical advice and support to other health professionals, patients and their carers.
To support the development and implementation of best practice within evidence-based dementia care.
To provide a specialist role in the assessment and management of patients with dementia and/or delirium.
To provide key support and an educational resource for any qualified and unqualified nursing staff, allied health professionals, junior doctors and students Trust wide.
To manage a patient caseload where patients require specialist clinical input to support their journey.
To engage in local and national audits related to dementia care.
To play a key role in ensuring that national and local targets for dementia/delirium are met.
Key Duties:
Clinical/Professional:
To identify those patients with dementia, cognitive impairment and delirium who require further investigation.
To ensure staff are educated to commence patients diagnosed with dementia and/or delirium is commenced on the Dementia/Delirium Care Bundle.
To ensure medical staff and practitioners completing electronic discharge summaries for patients with suspected dementia, make a referral for further investigation made to their GP on discharge.
To promote a culture that encourages families / carers to work in partnership with staff, to enhance the wellbeing of the person in support of Johns Campaign.
To undertake a comprehensive assessment of patients, including those with complex and multi-pathological presentations of dementia/delirium using specialised skills.
To act as a source of information and provide advice regarding patients care and management to medical, nursing and therapy colleagues within the health care setting.
To contribute to multidisciplinary team meetings and support patients journeys through and discharge from the acute setting.
To proactively engage in the development of care of older people and dementia in line with the Trust Dementia Strategy.
To deliver dementia training in accordance with the NHS England Dementia Core Skills Education and Training Framework to all staff groups via appropriate training sessions e.g Trust Induction, Nurse Preceptorship, Care Certificate, other study days and conferences.
To assess patients mental capacity, gain valid consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment e.g., when prescribing or discussing future care options
To ensure that there is clear and concise reporting, oral and written information regarding the care and wellbeing of patients.
To discuss with senior colleagues the development and changes, both nursing and medical, which affect patients directly and indirectly.
Establish and maintain communication with people about routine and daily activities over coming any differences in communication between the people involved.
To liaise effectively with other members of the multi-professional team to ensure a high standard of co-ordinated care to the patient
To engage with patients and carers to ensure a high standard of co-ordinated patient care and improved patient experience.
To lead others in the development of knowledge, ideas and skills in the clinical area
To attend professional meetings and study sessions as appropriate and keep an up to date professional portfolio.
To maintain NMC registration and achieve any related competencies
To maintain own continuing professional development in line with clinical governance, local guidelines and national standards
To work within the regulations contained in the professional code of conduct
To be responsible for maintaining own competence through self-directed learning and reflective practice
To be legally and professionally accountable for all aspects of own work
To develop plans to gain patients and carers views on service provision and to ensure that these inform future service development initiatives
To participate in research, audit and clinical effectiveness projects, in particular Royal College of Psychiatrists National Audit of Dementia and Trust internal audits.
To ensure that patient confidentiality, privacy and dignity are maintained at all times.
Education:
To contribute to and support the Lead Nurse for Dementia & Older People in policy writing, review and service development.
To be appraised by the Line Manager at least once a year, agree personal objectives to be achieved and formulate a personal development plan.
To keep up to date with new developments within dementia and delirium care, evidence based practice, ensuring that staff caring for people with dementia are kept informed.
To take an active part in multi-professional staff development and assist in developing robust in-service training programmes both as a provider, and when appropriate as a participant
To educate patients, and where indicated, their relatives or carers, regarding their diagnosis, management plan and any self-help strategies
To participate in all annual mandatory training provided by the Trust
To develop/review care pathways to ensure timely progression of patients through from the acute hospital assessment and discharge.
To identify training needs, develop and implement training programmes for health care professionals
Clinical Governance:
In conjunction with other members of the Dementia Team, set, maintain and monitor standards of patient care.
To support the development, implementation and review of policies and procedures related to dementia/delirium, delivering a consistent evidenced based approach to care of older people in Worcestershire in line with NSF and NICE guidelines
Participate in clinical audit including the Royal College of Psychiatrists National Audit of Dementia (NAD).
To maintain own professional development working at all times within the professional codes and hospital guidelines
To monitor dementia care standards at WAHT, problem solve, action plan and escalate issues
Patient/Carer Support/Involvement
Develop close working relationships with voluntary groups e.g. The Alzheimers Society, Admiral Nurses, Worcestershire Association of Carers
Provide support to lay people involved in Patient User Groups
Personal/Professional Responsibilities:
To ensure the health and safety of staff, patients and visitors, reporting actual or potential problems promptly
To identify actual or potential clinical risks and take appropriate action, using the appropriate reporting structures when appropriate
To ensure that policies and procedures are adhered to, clinical guidelines and care pathways are followed
To ensure that patient records and documents are kept and maintained in line with NMC and Trust standards
To undertake continuing professional development to ensure both clinical and specialist skills are updated
Leadership/Management:
To play a key role for Dementia care within WAHT supporting others in caring for patients with dementia, assisting in the delivery of the organisational and National agenda.
To participate in clinical audit, service audits, research and development, to progress services delivery as appropriate
To advise ward staff on ordering and use of appropriate equipment
Strategic/Service Development:
Review/development of evidence based care underpinned by national guidelines in Dementia
Participate in service development meetings.
