Childrens Asthma Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Following the publication of the NHSE/I National Asthma Bundle in September 2021, exciting opportunities exist for an asthma practitioner with relevant experience of working with children and young people with asthma to provide a major contribution to the implementation of the Integrated Care System (ICS) deliverables attached to the bundle.

The aim of this asthma practitioner is to provide targeted interventions to patients in Primary Care Networks (PCN) with the highest Children and Young Peoples (CYP) asthma admissions in order to prevent avoidable asthma attacks and escalations in care. This role will be heavily outreach focussed, the post holder can expect to engage with schools, youth organisations, local authorities and the third sector to promote good asthma management.

This pilot will also complement the NHS Long Term Plan commitments to improve CYP asthma care and respond to the recent recommendations from the HSIB and coroners reports that have criticised NHS care.

The aim of this role/service is to support the ICS to achieve the NHSE/I ambition to:

• Reduce avoidable harm from Asthma (control and reduce the risk of asthma attacks)
• Improve quality of life
• Develop and embed a whole system approach to improve environment, education, personalised care, preventative medicine, and accuracy/ timeliness of diagnosis.

The specialist CYP asthma practitioner will provide clinical advice, leadership and outreach in these respects:

They will work with the ICS Clinical Lead for asthma to deliver the commitments set out in the National Bundle of Care for CYP with Asthma.

They will take a lead role in the implementation of asthma friendly schools across one PCN and work as an outreach champion, promoting awareness of asthma exacerbations.

They will provide professional leadership role across the PCN inclusive of clinical governance and a commitment to high-quality, evidenced based practice.

They will help to ensure health colleagues treating CYP with asthma have access to the appropriate level of asthma training, contributing to the delivery of training and education.

They will help to facilitate improvements in patient pathways, policies, clinical standards, and quality of care.

The role will be four days outreach/education based, and one day reviewing clinical cases within the primary care setting working alongside the practice nursing team(with flexibility if part time offered)

The postholder will be based in primary care. They will work collaboratively with all members of the multidisciplinary team including general practitioners, practice nurses, paediatricians, and school nurses to deliver improvements in consistency and quality of care in the community.

They will help to decrease outpatient activity, emergency department activity and primary care activity through better control and access to more specialist input in the community.

The appointment is offered, on secondment, on a full-time or less than full-time basis for the duration of 12 months.

Key Job specifics and responsibilities

Key accountabilities

Improving quality and outcomes

To liaise with the multi-disciplinary team in order to effect best possible care outcomes initiating and developing flexible and innovative approaches to meet the needs of the patients and their families

Leading the implementation of asthma friendly schools and other outreach initiatives

Supporting escalation in ICS systems where asthma outcomes/pathways of care require improvement to meet national standards

Championing adherence to national guidelines and good practice

For children and young people who are admitted to hospital with asthma the post holder will help providers to facilitate safe discharge and follow up arrangements.

Enabling Clinical Leadership

To promote up to date education and expert advice for health professionals, families, and carers with regards to asthma

Support the development of a network of ICS clinical leadership

To champion person centred care

Enabling patient and public involvement

To act as a champion for patients and their interests

To work within the ICS to involve patients, carers, and families in the development of commissioning tools and resources

To embed patient and public involvement into the organisations decision making and practice at all levels

Promoting equality and reducing inequalities

To uphold organisational policies and principles on the promotion of equality

To create an inclusive working environment where diversity is valued, everyone can contribute, and everyday action ensure we meet our duty to uphold and promote equality

To influence the commissioning of services to eliminate social and cultural inequalities for disadvantaged groups

Partnership and cross boundary working

To develop excellent clinical partnerships across community, primary, secondary, and tertiary asthma healthcare

To work closely with clinical networks to deliver objectives

To model a collaborative and influencing style of working, negotiating with others to achieve the best outcomes

To promote innovation and research through leadership, promoting data scrutiny and evidence synthesis.

Developing an excellent organisation

To actively support the development of individuals and the team through appraisal, personal development planning, coaching, and mentoring

To work in partnership with others and as part of cross directorate teams to deliver successful outcomes

To support the organisations ways of working, model its values and champion the NHS Constitution

To ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of all staff within the team

To ensure compliance with all confidentiality and governance requirements within the system

To adhere to the NHS Managers Code of Conduct and any other relevant professional codes of conduct at all times

To ensure regular, productive, and open communication with staff whom they lead

This post will provide high-quality clinical advice to drive the ambitions to improve outcomes for Children and Young People as set out by the National Bundle of Care for CYP with Asthma. Responsibilities will include:

Being a member of the ICS Asthma Networks

Working with Local Systems to support them with transforming asthma services for children and young people and delivering on local plans. This will include working with local systems supported by the regional Children and Young Peoples Transformation Programme.

Training will be provided by Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust tertiary asthma centre and the practitioner will work closely with nurses in this centre and attend MDT meetings with this team

Experience

Essential

• Experience of providing education sessions with multi agency childrens workforce professionals and other stakeholders

Desirable

• Knowledge and expertise in the care and management of children with Asthma
• Knowledge of the National CYP Asthma Capability Framework
• Good understanding of health system dynamics
• A good understanding of how to use data to improve quality and productivity
• Some experience of working as a clinical leader
• Experience of operating in the healthcare system
• Experienced clinician with credibility and the ability to command the respect of all clinical and non-clinical professionals.
• Experience of developing applying and reviewing an evidence-based approach to decision making

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level in a relevant medical/ scientific/nursing / allied health/pharmacy discipline
• Experience working with children

Skills and capabilities

Essential

• - Apply skill and experience to drive quality improvement to achieve the required domain outcome.
• - Use resourcefulness and judgment to navigate and negotiate across the NHS and the wider health, social care, and educational landscape
• - The ability to build excellent collaboration across the healthcare system
• - Highly developed interpersonal skills, negotiation, conflict management, feedback, partnership working, and coaching skills
• - Able to develop effective and mutually supportive relationships with key partners within and out with organisations.

Desirable

• - Excellent leadership skills and the ability to build and motivate high performing teams

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Essential

• - Will consider the most effective way to promote equality of opportunity and good working relationships in employment and service delivery and has the ability to take actions which support and promote this agenda

Desirable

• - Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness
• - Self-awareness in terms of emotional intelligence, biases and personal triggers with cultural sensitivity and awareness.

Values and Behaviours

Essential

• Demonstrable commitment to and focus on quality, promotes high standards to consistently improve patient outcomes
• - Demonstrably involves patients and the public in their work
• - Consistently puts patients at the heart of decision making
• - Values diversity and difference, operates with integrity and openness
• - Works across boundaries, looks for collective success, listens, involves, respects, and learns from the contribution of others
• - Uses evidence to make improvements, seeks out innovation
• - Actively develops themselves and others
• - Demonstrable commitment to focusing on both the mental and physical health of children and young people

Desirable

• - Demonstrable commitment to partnership working with a range of external organisations.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).