Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a COpAT Clinical Nurse Specialist within a dynamic and expanding team. The trust is in early stages of expanding on the successful complex infection team whilst incorporating the newly designed Hospital@Home model that will support patients to access acute hospital care in their own homes, utilising digital technology and supported by a multidisciplinary team.
The COpAT CNS will work solely within the COpAT arm of the Hospital@Home service and act as a highly knowledgeable and skilled individual within Infectious Disease and COpAT specialities. The CNS will support patients to receive intravenous (IV) antimicrobials in an outpatient setting who would otherwise need to be treated as an inpatient. The CNS will be able to make informed decisions within their own speciality and scope of professional practice to ensure agreed standards and objectives are met.
The post holder will be expected to provide clinical expertise and knowledge, demonstrating a sound understanding of the issues related to identification, assessment, treatment and management of the client group.
The post holder will monitor and improve standards of care through clinical audit, evidence base practice, teaching and supporting professional colleagues and the provision of skilled professional leadership.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be supported for professional development from the Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Hospital@Home Team and the Lead Consultant for Hospital@Home to enable them to become competent in the management of Complex infections, the planning for COpAT therapies/ Supportive Care and its possible complications.
COpAT has been shown to be safe and effective for a wide range of infections in adults and children, (BSAC, 2019) and is now part of routine care in the United Kingdom. There has been an increase in the complexity and co-morbidity of the infections being managed, with a shift from predominantly short course therapy for infections to skin and urinary tract infections to prolonged treatment courses for bone and joint infections, endocarditis and other complex deep-seated infections which is reflected within the local population.
The COpAT team is a multidisciplinary team led by an Infectious Disease (ID) consultant and supported by further ID consultants, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, Clinical antimicrobial pharmacists, and specialist nurses.
About us
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, rated as good by the Care Quality Commission, is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the UK.
We are extremely proud of our employees across our hospital sites, with high quality patient care at the heart of everything we do.
Boasting some of the most modern facilities in Western Europe, the Trust is renowned for being at the forefront of research and innovation as part of its blossoming reputation as a worldwide leader in healthcare.
We are proud to be recognised as a Pathway to Excellence designated organisation - please click the link for further details about this prestigious award. Pathway To Excellence - University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire (uhcw.nhs.uk)
By joining our exciting journey, you will form part of a passionate, talented team and will be able to access a wide range of learning and development opportunities. There has never been a better time to join our team.
The Trust is committed to building an organisation that makes full use of the talents, skills, experience, and different perspectives available in our diverse society. We want everyone to feel they are respected, valued, can achieve their potential and receive the most appropriate and relevant care. We will create an environment where the equality and human rights principles of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and autonomy are promoted and are part of the organisation's core values.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties/ Responsibilities
The post holder will act to forward the trust clinical governance agenda ensuring that the quality of the patient care is central to all relevant systems and processes, able to make an informed decisions within their own area and scope of professional practice.
- Co-ordinate the care of the COpAT patients along the COpAT care pathway with the multidisciplinary team and clinical services to ensure the effective management of this group of patients.
- Accountable for own actions in accordance with the Code of Professional Conduct. Will contribute to corporate objectives, acting within local, Trust and statutory guidelines and policies at all times
- Highly developed communication skills enabling maintenance of high quality service within a complex and challenging environment across primary and secondary care
- Regularly manage expected and unexpected clinical events requiring high but unpredictable levels of physical effort according to patient dependency/clinical need
- Teach, advise and assess patients and carers with regard to the COpAT condition, on a one to one and group basis enabling them to make an informed treatment choice
- Work autonomously in the delivery of COpAT Clinics
- Support patients, carers and staff during difficult situations arising in the clinical area, e.g breaking bad news or following an unexpected event
- Initiate relevant investigations such as blood tests or imaging to enable timely diagnosis and facilitate early decision making.
- Prescribe and review medication, appropriate to patient needs in the context of COpAT, taking into account any treatment given previously for pre-existing medical conditions, providing information and advice to patients on prescribed medication regimens, side-effects and interactions.
- Act as a resource of specialised knowledge and clinical expertise to ensure care delivery to COpAT patients is appropriate, optimum and evidence based. Demonstrates clinical expertise by role modelling patient centred practice to others.
Communication
- Document clearly all aspects of assessment, diagnosis and management plan clearly and present the findings to the Consultants.
- Ensure effective communication structures are in place to enable patients and relatives/carers to understand the nature of the care and treatment required as part of the COpAT service.
- Communicate complex information effectively to patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.
- Provides leadership that facilitates professional decision making and effective multi disciplinary team working. A knowledgeable professional leader who offers a supporting role to staff, patients and carers within the COpAT population, including End of Life.
- Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues
- Utilise and ensure others utilise information and IT systems to secure accurate and timely patient, workforce and resource data available.
Delivering a quality service
Ensure own and others clinical practise is research based
- Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
- Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work.
- Demonstrate continual evaluation of practice within the defined specialist area, making agreed changes where appropriate.
- Deliver care according to local and national guidelines ensure delivery of evidence-based care
- Initiate and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities
- Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team against Local and National policies, procedures and guidelines for COpAT, implementing improvements where required
- Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care
- Continuously assess and monitor risk in their own and others practice and challenge about wider risk factors
Leading and developing practice of self and others
Act as a positive role mode
- Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency or actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services
- Manage specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the COpAT management team
- Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols, clinical pathways and standards
- Undertake mentorship and clinical supervision for more junior staff, assessing competence against set standards
- Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
- Develop formal and informal teaching sessions and study days for nursing and multi-disciplinary staff within Hospital@Home services and across the wider organisation
- Assess own learning needs at an advanced level and beyond and undertake learning as appropriate
- Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning
- Contribute to and participate in the Trusts Education Strategy.
- Maintain a personal professional profile.
- Regularly participate in teaching activities for medical students and junior doctors
Evaluation and Research
Continually evaluate and audit the practice of self and others selecting and applying a broad range of evaluation approaches and methods.
- Critically appraise the outcomes of relevant research, evaluations and audits and apply them to improve practice.
- Alert individuals and organisations to gaps in evidence and/or practice for COpAT.
- Contribute to specialist forums and National initiatives.
Other Associated Duties
- Represent Nursing at Trust, Regional and National level in relation to COpAT Management and Service delivery.
For further details of the role please see the attached job description.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Duties/ Responsibilities
The post holder will act to forward the trust clinical governance agenda ensuring that the quality of the patient care is central to all relevant systems and processes, able to make an informed decisions within their own area and scope of professional practice.
- Co-ordinate the care of the COpAT patients along the COpAT care pathway with the multidisciplinary team and clinical services to ensure the effective management of this group of patients.
- Accountable for own actions in accordance with the Code of Professional Conduct. Will contribute to corporate objectives, acting within local, Trust and statutory guidelines and policies at all times
- Highly developed communication skills enabling maintenance of high quality service within a complex and challenging environment across primary and secondary care
- Regularly manage expected and unexpected clinical events requiring high but unpredictable levels of physical effort according to patient dependency/clinical need
- Teach, advise and assess patients and carers with regard to the COpAT condition, on a one to one and group basis enabling them to make an informed treatment choice
- Work autonomously in the delivery of COpAT Clinics
- Support patients, carers and staff during difficult situations arising in the clinical area, e.g breaking bad news or following an unexpected event
- Initiate relevant investigations such as blood tests or imaging to enable timely diagnosis and facilitate early decision making.
- Prescribe and review medication, appropriate to patient needs in the context of COpAT, taking into account any treatment given previously for pre-existing medical conditions, providing information and advice to patients on prescribed medication regimens, side-effects and interactions.
- Act as a resource of specialised knowledge and clinical expertise to ensure care delivery to COpAT patients is appropriate, optimum and evidence based. Demonstrates clinical expertise by role modelling patient centred practice to others.
Communication
- Document clearly all aspects of assessment, diagnosis and management plan clearly and present the findings to the Consultants.
- Ensure effective communication structures are in place to enable patients and relatives/carers to understand the nature of the care and treatment required as part of the COpAT service.
- Communicate complex information effectively to patients and carers, recognising the need for alternative methods of communication to overcome different levels of understanding, cultural background and preferred ways of communicating.
- Provides leadership that facilitates professional decision making and effective multi disciplinary team working. A knowledgeable professional leader who offers a supporting role to staff, patients and carers within the COpAT population, including End of Life.
- Act as an advocate for patients and colleagues
- Utilise and ensure others utilise information and IT systems to secure accurate and timely patient, workforce and resource data available.
Delivering a quality service
Ensure own and others clinical practise is research based
- Prioritise, organise and manage own workload in a manner that maintains and promotes quality
- Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments that are relevant to the area of work.
- Demonstrate continual evaluation of practice within the defined specialist area, making agreed changes where appropriate.
- Deliver care according to local and national guidelines ensure delivery of evidence-based care
- Initiate and participate in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the organisation and its activities
- Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team against Local and National policies, procedures and guidelines for COpAT, implementing improvements where required
- Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care
- Continuously assess and monitor risk in their own and others practice and challenge about wider risk factors
Leading and developing practice of self and others
Act as a positive role mode
- Encourage others to make realistic self-assessment of their application of knowledge and skills, challenging any complacency or actions that are not in the interest of the public and/or users of services
- Manage specifically identified services or projects as agreed with the COpAT management team
- Contribute to the development of local guidelines, protocols, clinical pathways and standards
- Undertake mentorship and clinical supervision for more junior staff, assessing competence against set standards
- Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
- Develop formal and informal teaching sessions and study days for nursing and multi-disciplinary staff within Hospital@Home services and across the wider organisation
- Assess own learning needs at an advanced level and beyond and undertake learning as appropriate
- Provide an educational role to patients, carers, families and colleagues in an environment that facilitates learning
- Contribute to and participate in the Trusts Education Strategy.
- Maintain a personal professional profile.
- Regularly participate in teaching activities for medical students and junior doctors
Evaluation and Research
Continually evaluate and audit the practice of self and others selecting and applying a broad range of evaluation approaches and methods.
- Critically appraise the outcomes of relevant research, evaluations and audits and apply them to improve practice.
- Alert individuals and organisations to gaps in evidence and/or practice for COpAT.
- Contribute to specialist forums and National initiatives.
Other Associated Duties
- Represent Nursing at Trust, Regional and National level in relation to COpAT Management and Service delivery.
For further details of the role please see the attached job description.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Knowledge
Essential
Desirable
Skills
Essential
Desirable
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
Desirable
Experience
Essential
Desirable
Knowledge
Essential
Desirable
Skills
Essential
Desirable
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
Employer details
Employer name
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Address
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
Clifford Bridge Road
Coventry
CV2 2DX
Employer's website
https://www.jobsatuhcw.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)
