Advance Practitioner Spinal Cord Injury

Job responsibilities

5. MAIN DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1Responsibility for People Management

To ensure that the workforce that is likely to encounter SCI patients has regular updates and training aimed at improving the SCI patient pathway, including preventing avoidable complications.

Providing on the spot advice and brief intervention training to health care professionals working with the patient in any setting, ensuring that the workforce is aware of the specific needs of SCI patients and the need to maintain access to specialist skills. For instance, in relation to bladder and bowel care, turning, mobilisation, hydration, communication, access etc.

5.2Responsibility for financial and/or physical resources

Being responsible for safe use of specialist equipment.

The post holder will have no direct responsibility for finances; however they will adhere to the relevant trust policies on financial issues

The post holder will use Livewell Southwest resources responsibly.

5.3Responsibility for administration

To decide priorities for work within the Peninsula in conjunction with Clinical Lead RMC and local teams. Balancing patient related and professional demands, planning and managing own time skilfully and flexibly to ensure the maximum benefit to patients.

To work within allocated resources and manage these effectively to ensure optimal outcomes for patients.

To have visibility in the local health community so that when SCI patients have new healthcare needs treating teams can make contact and seek advice if needed.

To demonstrate highly professional skills, standards, and experience consistent with a clinical specialist in SCI management and act as a source of expertise across the SCI network.

To have visibility and awareness all SCI within the Peninsula and be able to offer highly complex clinical advice as an autonomous practitioner.

To demonstrate on-going personal clinical and professional development through participation in development opportunities and recording and reflecting on learning outcomes.

Ability to understand and act on complex pieces of information

Ability to work to deadlines and produce reports to a high quality

5.4Responsibility for people who use our services

To act as a main point of contact and information giver for individual patients, their family and carers and to support the communication to external stakeholders regarding individual patient needs.

To refer the patient and/or carer to other services as appropriate, including as part of complex discharge planning involving multiple agencies.

To work with Multidisciplinary teams in all settings where patients with SCI are treated (including Salisbury Spinal Cord Injury centre, Major Trauma Centres, other referring services, rehabilitation centres and community/primary care settings) in order to deliver expert specialist care to patients who have sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury or develop a condition impacting a normal functionality of the spinal cord (non-traumatic SCI).

To demonstrate professional skills, standards and experience consistent with a clinical specialist in SCI management and act as a source of expertise across the SCI network.

To engage with, appraise and respond to individuals motivation, development stage and capacity, working collaboratively to support and empower individuals to participate in decisions about their care and to maximise their health and well-being.

To use specialist knowledge and experience to constructively challenge others; escalating concerns that affect individuals, families, carers, communities and colleagues safety and well-being when necessary.

To ensure that the workforce that is likely to encounter SCI patients has regular updates and training aimed at improving the SCI patient pathway, including preventing avoidable complications.

To maintain and enhance own clinical skills and knowledge in order to maintain professional competence and fitness to practise, ensuring that clinical practice is evidence based and effective, in keeping with national guidance.

To demonstrate on-going personal clinical and professional development through participation in development opportunities and recording and reflecting on learning outcomes.

5.5Responsibility for implementation of policy and/or service developments

To make recommendations for the improvement of care based on learning from practice and use highly specialist knowledge to inform service/policy developments as appropriate.

5.6Analytical and Judgement

To use specialist knowledge to work with the regional teams to inform sound clinical judgements/decision-making for service users within the region.

To have advanced analytical skills to provide opinion on treatment options that may conflict with that of consultants or similarly qualified healthcare professionals.

To review up to date SCI information and develop clear plans based on best practice.

To collect data and statistics as required by the hosting trust and SW SCI network, and consistently evaluate the impact of the role across the SCI system providing reviews, audits and reports when required.

To promote and create a climate of clinical enquiry through practice.

To contribute to advancing the body of knowledge through education, research and audit with the aim of improving access to treatment and rehabilitation for all SCI patients.

To demonstrate the ability to reflect on practice with peers and clinical supervisors and identify own strengths and development needs.

5.7Planning and Organisation

To innovate and implement new practice and service redesign solutions, working across boundaries and using sphere of influence to achieve effective outcomes.

To refer the patient and/or carer to other services as appropriate, including as part of complex discharge planning involving multiple agencies.

To work in partnership with the other SCI Network clinicians, providing cross-cover and supporting caseloads to ensure equity of provision and access to expertise.

To decide priorities for work in own sub region, balancing patient related and professional demands, planning and managing own time skilfully and flexibly to ensure the maximum benefit to patients.

To work within allocated resources and manage these effectively to ensure optimal outcomes for patients.

To make recommendations for the improvement of care based on learning from practice and use highly specialist knowledge to inform service/policy developments as appropriate.

5.8Other Responsibilities

To use specialist knowledge and experience to constructively challenge others; escalating concerns that affect individuals, families, carers, communities and colleagues safety and well-being when necessary.

To maintain and enhance own clinical skills and knowledge to maintain professional competence and fitness to practise, ensuring that clinical practice is evidence based and effective, in keeping with national guidance.

Experience

Essential

• Advanced knowledge of current developments/initiatives/issues in own profession and the NHS.
• Experience in influencing internal/external activities
• Demonstrate appropriate knowledge of outcome measures and evaluation of services.
• Change management experience
• Experience in project management
• Experience of leading and developing local services within an MDT
• Implement strategy and guidance
• Presentation skills
• Evidence of conducting audit within the specialist area
• Current valid UK driving licence and access to own vehicle for business purposes.

Desirable

• Implementing complex change in a clinical setting

Knowledge

Essential

• KnowledgeHighly advanced range of clinical knowledge and experience involving patients with SCI and disability management.
• Advanced knowledge of current developments/initiatives/issues in own profession and the NHS.
• Experience in influencing internal/external activities
• Knowledge of health and social care policies/processes and structures
• Ability to work on own initiative and also as an effective team member
• Ability to manage substantial programmes of change
• Highly developed verbal and written communication skills
• Highly developed interpersonal skills
• Ability to prioritise own workload
• Able to manage difficult situations effectively
• Highly developed facilitation and arbitration skills
• Highly developed IT /word processing skills
• Leadership training
• Advanced knowledge of risk management and how to ensure quality improvements are incorporated into daily activities

Desirable

• Leadership training
• Advanced knowledge of risk management and how to ensure quality improvements are incorporated into daily activities

Qualifications

Essential

• QualificationsRegistered Nurse/Occupational Therapist/ Physiotherapist to degree level supplemented by specialist knowledge obtained by formal/informal learning with 3 to 5 years significant relevant experience
• Current Professional registration
• Experience of teaching and mentoring within the clinical environment
• Evidence of Continued Professional Development in specialist field of practice.
• Advanced skills in physical assessment
• Specialist seating skills.
• Tissue viability training
• Bladder and bowel management training.
• Member of MASCIP
• Member of or previous involvement with a spinal injury charity
• Relevant Spinal Cord Injury course

Desirable

• Advanced skills in physical assessment
• Specialist seating skills.
• Tissue viability training
• Bladder and bowel management training.
• Member of MASCIP
• Member of or previous involvement with a spinal injury charity
• Relevant Spinal Cord Injury course

Skills

Essential

• Excellent critical analysis and clinical decision-making skills.
• Highly specialist physical skills required for complex patient positioning and movement including teaching and demonstrating to others.
• Advanced computer literate
• Evidence of being caring and compassionate with a good understanding of managing patients with complex needs

Desirable

• Evidence of management skills
• Evidence of experience managing ventilated and tracheostomy patients to a high level of skill
• Research skills and ability to undertake research

Additional requirements

Essential

• Able to command respect of multi-disciplinary team
• Self- directed practitioner
• Flexible to meet service needs
• Work under pressure to meet deadlines
• Motivated and enthusiastic
• Understands the requirement to work within own professional scope
• Approachable and inspirational; to work as a role model
• Aptitude to deal with patients/ the public face to face with a considerate and confident manner
• Evidence of experience carrying out small scale departmental projects
• Evidence of being responsible for interpreting the policies
• Manage conflict

Desirable

• Evidence of conducting research within the specialist area
• Evidence of being responsible for developing protocols for the specialist area

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).