Community Heart Failure Specialist Nurse (HFSN)

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical responsibilities:

• Assess, risk-stratify and plan care for all HF referrals received from HF team, in-hospital departments, GP Practices, HCPs and self-referrals.
• Provide highly specialised, evidence based advice and information regarding all aspects of Heart failure, intervention and treatment to patients and their families/carers.
• Improve patients confidence and capability in self-management of their conditions with appropriate use of other healthcare resources.
• Ensure all patient information is documented in an accurate and timely manner.
• Manage the telephone calls, clinic and virtual consultations to support HF patients ensuring optimisation of all therapies such as medications, cardiac devices and CR.
• Develop personalised care plans with shared decision making between individuals and professionals. Plans should endeavour to address depression, anxiety, loneliness, isolation, as well as healthy behaviours.
• Improve patients health-related quality of life, self-management, functional and maximum exercise capacity; reducing disability associated with HF.
• Independently manage and run HFSN led clinics Face to Face or Virtual, providing information and advice regarding explanation of diagnosis, symptom control, risk factor management, stress management, exercise, dietary and HF medicines advice and HF medicines optimisation.
• Virtual ward assessing patients (on-boarding), ensuring HF patient have monitoring equipment, medications, Cannular, IV furosemide. Daily ward rounds assessing effectiveness of IV furosemide and implementing clinical plan.
• Virtual ward discharging patients ensuring patient clinical safe, on-going referrals are in place and communicated to HCPs inclusive of GP.
• Provide health education to groups/individual patients ensuring that appropriate, consistent and realistic information is provided.
• Provide sensitive and highly complex information in sometimes hostile and highly emotive atmospheres.
• Provide internal and external teaching.
• Make and receive direct referrals to and from relevant members of the multi-disciplinary teams and Primary Care colleagues when appropriate.
• Initiate relevant investigations if required and advice on appropriate treatment.
• Liaise with Consultant HF and Cardiologists as appropriate.
• Devise and maintain educational/health promotion documentation for patients, ward staff etc.
• Use professional judgement to act as an advocate for patients to ensure patient focussed care. Enabaling patients and carers to make informed decisions relating to their treatment and management. Escalate any concerns.
• Report any concerns regarding safeguarding, awareness of trust policies of safeguarding, mental capacity and DOLS and the application of the principles of Prevent.
• To prescribe as a non-medical prescriber appropriate medical therapies as agreed by the trust.
• Seek expert help or more experienced help where necessary.
• Practice within the scope of professional registration (NMC)

Person Specification

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• oExtensive experience at a Band 6 level or equivalent.
• oProven experience of role within Cardiology/CCU.
• oEvidence of continuing professional development.
• oAbility to support & supervise a Team.
• oProven experience of management, change management, assisting with service and quality development.
• oAbility to identify pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to secondary prevention and produce suitable management plans for Heart Failure patients.
• oAbility to lead and motivate.
• oReport writing skills.
• oImplements policies and proposes changes to working practices.
• oCritical analytical skills & maintaining several information systems.
• oTeaching/deliver of core training.
• oPresentation skills.
• oAbility to motivate others.
• oGood organisation
• oAbility to demonstrate sound clinical knowledge a professional judgement.
• o Frequent requirement for concentration where the work pattern is unpredictable
• oOngoing requirement to exert moderate physical effort, pushing trolleys, transferring patients.

Desirable

• oCurrently working in specialist are of Heart Failure
• oExperience of Research Management.
• oExperience of audit and resource
• oAbility to think strategically

Qualification(s) and Professional Training

Essential

• o1ST Level nurse with current NMC registration
• oRelevant post graduate cardiology qualification.
• oENB998/Preparation for Mentorship or equivalent.
• oDegree or evidence of level 3 studies.
• oIntermediate/advanced life support or willingness to obtain

Desirable

• oFirst line management course.

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• oExcellent communication skills.
• oThe ability to work autonomously in stressful situations frequently.
• oAbility to form positive working relationships with multi- professional colleagues.
• oTo be able to apply normal care and attention throughout the shift. To deal with competing demands for attention.

Personal Qualities

Essential

• oEnthusiastic.
• oAbility to achieve goals and meet deadlines.
• oFrequently be able to deal with patients and relatives during distressing situations.
• oAbility to manage difficult situations/conflict effectively.
• oAbility to manage difficult situations/conflict effectively.

Other

Essential

• oAble to pass occupational health requirements, which includes the ability to perform all nursing duties.
• oFlexibility.
• oReliability/Timekeeping
• oFitness to carry out duties.
• oCommitted to personal/professional development

Desirable

• oGood previous health record

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).

Employer details

Employer name

George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust

Address

George Eliot NHS Trust

College Street

Nuneaton

CV10 7DJ

Employer's website

http://www.geh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)