Heart Failure Specialist Nurse Practitioner

Job responsibilities

KEY RESULT AREAS:

Clinical Practice:

Specialist practitioners will:

• Proactively identify appropriate patients and accept referrals to agreed criteria, working in partnership with other professionals to deliver co-ordinated programmes of care effectively, referring patients to other practitioners as required.
• Work collaboratively and in partnership with other health care professionals, offering advice to colleagues, and prescribe as appropriate if the relevant qualification is held.
• Assess health and psychosocial needs of individual patients, and provide care to meet these needs, through a process of shared decision making. Deliver nursing care to patients in agreed practice settings, working as part of nursing/multidisciplinary teams.
• Provide appropriate education and communicate with patients and carers in ways that empower them to make informed choices about their health and health care and encourage self-care.
• Act as advocate for individual patients and the client group.
• Use effective conflict management strategies
• Use communication skills provide patients and carers with information, advice and emotional support.
• Maintain patient documentation meeting NMC standards for all patients seen and all advice given in any practice setting, and contribute to clinical activity/data collection as required.
• Have excellent organisational and communication skills that will contribute to effective teamwork
• Evaluate the efficacy of care in partnership with the patient /family and the multidisciplinary team
• Contribute to effective discharge of patients

Leadership:

Specialist practitioners will:

• Collaborate with the multiprofessional team to develop a shared vision of the service.
• Act as a role model and resource in expert clinical evidence based practice.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to contribute to the development of effective documentation, pathways, protocols and guidelines for care. Demonstrate a commitment to share expertise and disseminate information.
• Contribute to the development of the team and the service to continuously improve patient care
• Participate in implementing national standards and frameworks at a local level.
• Network locally and regionally, and seek opportunities to develop the SNP role.
• Support the Advanced Nurse Practitioners in change management, using an awareness of effective change management skills to develop practice and the service, taking in to consideration the best use of resources.
• Maintain involvement and active input in multidisciplinary meetings and appropriate local bodies / forums to contribute to practice and service development

Education/Training:

Specialist practitioners will:

• Maintain, advance, and develop personal theoretical knowledge, high standards of clinical competence and professional development through ongoing self education and attendance at relevant courses of study this may include modules at Masters level.
• Maintain own professional portfolio.
• Contribute to the development of specialist nursing knowledge and skills to enhance and extend the practice of other nurses and health care professionals within the service
• Identify and address the educational needs of patients, families, carers and staff involved in the delivery of this service.
• Contribute to the teaching and support of students from the multi professional team within relevant educational programmes.
• Contribute to relevant educational programmes and in house study days.
• Completion of SNP and role specific competency frameworks

Improving quality and developing practice:

Specialist practitioners will:

• Assist in the evaluation of the service and patient care, including monitoring of patient experience.
• Evaluate clinical practice in relation to its evidence base and clinical effectiveness including policy and guidance.
• Maintain awareness of relevant research, evaluations and audit, and act on this information in collaboration with colleagues to continually develop the service.

• Identify areas of risk and poor quality, and address these through appropriate governance structures and forums.

• Develop personal and professional knowledge through critical self-appraisal, clinical supervision and networking with other health care professionals locally and nationally.
• Have responsibility to ensure annual appraisal, agree objectives which reflect local service needs and develop personal development plans.
• Advocate and contribute to a working environment that promotes continuous learning and development, evidence based practice and succession planning, as well as identifying learning opportunities at local and national levels.
• Have a high level of communication skills to enable the participation in the dissemination of practice.
• Contribute to protocols, documentation systems, standards, policies and clinical guidelines for others to use in practice.
• Ensure statutory and mandatory training updates, as well as role /speciality updates are completed and necessary records maintained.

Education / qualifications

Essential

• Registered nurse part 1 or 8 or 12 or 15 of register (depending on area of practice)
• First degree in nursing, midwifery (HEI Level 5 or 6) or equivalent
• Demonstrable post graduate level working
• Relevant specialist post basic programme
• Teaching / Assessment/ Mentoring qualification
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable

• Completed or completing Masters level (HEI level 7) qualification or evidence of working towards

Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrates up to date knowledge in the specialty
• Knowledge of the key professional issues and NMC guidelines relating to professional practice
• Evidence of being able to work across organisational boundaries

Desirable

• Experience of applying research evidence to clinical practice

Skills / abilities

Essential

• Confident in own knowledge base, aware of learning needs and seeks guidance when appropriate
• Previous experience of formal/informal teaching of patients and staff
• Able to critically review and communicate clinical information
• Decision making skills
• Demonstrates skilled written and verbal communication skills
• Able to organise own workload
• IT skills

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrates clinical experience in relevant area of clinical practice
• Evidence of ability to work collaboratively
• Previous experience in audit and evaluation
• Experience of acting as a clinical supervisor, appraiser and mentor to others

Desirable

• Multidisciplinary working
• Leadership role

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service in conjunction with other members of the team
• Appropriately assertive, able to listen to others views, supportive to others
• Uses initiative and able to explain own decisions

Other

Essential

• Demonstrates understanding of relevant national strategy / policy and how this relates to the service.
• Commitment to maintain own fitness for practice through maintaining a personal profile of practice competencies (portfolio)
• Understanding of appropriate health and safety legislation
• Understanding of equal opportunities.
• Ability to travel between hospital sites as required

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).