Deputy Clinical Nurse in Rheumatology and Metabolic Bone Disease

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

The closing date is 28 April 2025

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to work within the Rheumatology / Metabolic Bone Department. The Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist will be providing evidence based clinical advice to healthcare professionals, patients and their carers. The post holder will help to deliver a patient focused service through the delivery of integrated care and contribute to the visions and values of our speciality and the Trust.

The Rheumatology/Metabolic Department operates a medical day suite, outpatient clinics, and a dedicated patient helpline. The team includes 6 Consultants and other medical staff, Clinical Nurse Specialists and clerical staff.

Key attributes that need to be demonstrated include:

ability to work as part of the multi-disciplinary team
ability to communicate confidently and have established organisational skills
excellent IT skills
cannulation skills and intravenous administration of drug competencies
aspiration to continue to learn and develop, particular around metabolic disease.

The post would give the following opportunities -

Development of expertise in the management of patients with inflammatory arthritis and osteoporosis

Experience in the management of patients with other rheumatological diseases such as hypermobility, chronic pain and rare metabolic bone disease

Increasing skills in cannulation and IV drug administration, with opportunity to visit other departments and hospitals

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist advice, education and support to patients and their relatives attending the nurse-led rheumatology clinics. This includes counselling patients for new therapies and review of patients on existing therapies.

Responsible for assessing patients physical, psychological and social needs, planning, implementing and evaluating patient care, recommending the most appropriate course of action.

Help develop and work within protocols for the management of patients with rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis.

For patients on disease modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies: -Use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and clinical skills to, evaluate patient progress,Request appropriate investigations for monitoring of patients. Analyse and interpret these results.

Responsible for the care of patients receiving intravenous biologic or bone therapies, and cannulate these patient.

Provide high quality written, verbal and telephone advice service.

Liaise with GPs to maintain continuity of care and patient compliance with medications/supplements prescribed. Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team making appropriate referrals when necessary.

Work closely with pathway co-ordinators to assist with triaging into appropriate nurse-led clinics and awareness of nurse clinic waiting lists.

About us

RNOH Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (RNOH) is the largest orthopaedic hospital in the UK and a global leader in our field. We provide a dynamic working environment where we support frontline staff to implement improvements so that we can realise our vision of being a world leading neuro-musculoskeletal hospital providing the best patient care and staff experience in the NHS, delivering world leading research, and offering a strong foundation of education, training and career progression. Our dedicated staff come from diverse backgrounds, and our patients benefit from the wide range of experience they bring to the trust. RNOH brings unrivalled expertise together in one place allowing us to deliver some of the world's most complex and innovative care to our patients. RNOH is rated good by the CQC and covers two sites, one in central London and one in Stanmore - which has recently opened The Stanmore Building, a new, state-of-the-art inpatient facility. For more information, please access the following link: https://www.rnoh.nhs.uk/

Home :: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust aims to be a world-leading orthopaedic hospital with the best patient care and staff experience in the NHS.

Date posted

14 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 6

Salary

£42,939 to £50,697 a year Per Annum inclusive of HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

392-RNOH-VJF0059

Job locations

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Bolsover Street

Stanmore

HA7 4LP

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To assess and manage patients with Rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis care. To develop and work within agreed protocols. To provide support both for patients and medical/nursing colleagues, to support and take charge of the intravenous medications day suite. Help support telephone helplines and generic email accounts.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Rotation between Bolsover Street and Stanmore sites when applicable to your banding

Clinical

Work with patients and provide follow up in order to support compliance and adherence with prescribed treatment.

Responsible for assessing patients physical, psychological and social needs.

Responsible for planning, implementing and evaluating patient care, recommending the most appropriate course of action.

Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care.

Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.

To help develop and work within protocols for the management of patients with rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis.

For patients on disease modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies: -

Use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools and clinical skills to evaluate patient progress

Request appropriate investigations for monitoring of patients. Analyse and interpret results.

Responsible for the care of patients receiving intravenous biologic or bone therapies, supporting and working closely with the Day Unit who administer the infusions.

Provide high quality written, verbal and telephone advice for patients and their families.

Produce accurate and complete documentation both electronically and written correspondence consistent with legislation, policies and procedures.

Ensure that written information for health professionals in primary and secondary care is clear, concise and of a high standard.

Liaise with GPs to maintain continuity of care and patient compliance with medications/supplements prescribed.

Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team making appropriate referrals when necessary.

Work closely with pathway co-ordinators to assist with triaging into appropriate nurse-led clinics and awareness of nurse clinic waiting lists.

Cannulate and administer medications in an intravenous medications day suite setting.

Management and Leadership

To manage systems and maintain accurate records to ensure patients care is appropriate and audit can be undertaken.

To maintain appropriate databases for patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies

To organise own work and practice, taking a flexible approach to ensure support for patients and colleagues.

To provide support to nursing staff working within clinic and ward areas.

Participate in the development of Trust policies, protocols and guidance for patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies

Discuss, highlight and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

Professional

Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.

Adhere to nurse revalidation requirements as set out by the NMC

Take responsibility for ones own development, undertaking appropriate activities to update clinical knowledge and skills.

Attend regular mandatory and statutory training as specified by the Trust.

Promote awareness and compliance amongst colleagues regarding Trust policies, procedures, guidelines and standards.

Education, Training and Development

Provide support and specialist advice to colleagues in the Trust and in the Community.

Attend and actively contribute to relevant meetings within and outside the Trust.

Provide patients and relatives with information about their condition and treatment.

Take responsibility for ones own development, undertaking appropriate activities to update clinical knowledge and skills.

Attend regular mandatory and statutory training as specified by the Trust.

Promote awareness and compliance amongst colleagues regarding Trust policies, procedures, guidelines and standards

Audit

Participate in the auditing of your speciality to evaluate the efficiency of treatment in all sectors of your speciality. With your Line Manager produce action plans from evaluation and share these findings with the wider team.

Undertake audits in relation to your speciality in order to assess and monitor the quality of nursing practice in the clinical setting. Assist other team members to do the same. Ensure feedback to other interested parties are given so that lessons learnt and changes in practice made can be shared.

Participate in a regular system of audit and research activities within the speciality and in collaboration with colleagues. Assist your Line Manager to develop professional practice, review and develop policies depending on results.

Participate in research-based, innovative practice in the delivery of your speciality which will improve care.

Ensure that you complete incident reports when required which occur within the RNOHT, encouraging transparency and a culture of no blame to encourage high levels of no harm reporting, while reporting all levels of harm

Be aware of the direction provided by specialist commissioners, National Service Frameworks, NICE and DoH guidelines to ensure high quality, evidence based best practice is carried out.

Assist in the development of local, standard policies and practices which further the philosophy of patient-centred, individual, research-based care for all patients within your speciality.

To actively seek to improve practice through the application of research and participate in the clinical audit activities with the Speciality and Trust. Will where required contribute to data entry regarding your specialist patients and their care eg National Joint registry, SCI database etc.

To participate in and support the research nurse and the research projects undertaken in the clinical area.

Special Requirements:

Any other duties commensurate with the banding and in line with the requirement of this post.

This job description gives a general outline of the post and is not intended to be inflexible or a final list of duties. It may therefore be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder.