Nurse Consultant Infection Prevention and Control Specialist

About the Role

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Nurse Consultant to join our team at NELFT North East London Foundation Trust. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading our infection prevention and control service, providing clinical expertise and guidance to staff, and ensuring that our trust remains compliant with national and local standards.

Key Responsibilities

• To lead the development and implementation of infection prevention and control policies and guidelines, ensuring that they are aligned to current legislation and best practice.
• To provide clinical leadership and oversight to the infection prevention and control team, including line managing the lead nurse and staff in the absence of the lead nurse.
• To ensure that strong links are forged with operational staff across the localities to facilitate the delivery of safe practice and governance requirements.
• To be the trust decontamination lead and ensure that all responsibilities around this, including policy, audit, education, and compliance against standards, are maintained.
• To support and ensure that the trust remains compliant with the Health and Social Care Act, 2015: Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections, and registered with no restrictions with the Care Quality Commission.
• To advise and assist during major outbreaks to ensure that Gold, Silver, and Bronze are provided with timely advice and information to manage the situation.
• To assist the Associate Director, Quality & Patient Safety in meeting strategic, national, and local standards and objectives.
• To develop the infection prevention and control service in line with the strategic aims of the trust and national requirements as set out in the Health and Social Care Act, 2015: Code of Practice on the Prevention and Control of Infections.
• To provide day-to-day clinical leadership to the infection prevention and control team and provide expert advice on all matters relating to infection prevention and control to all clinicians and managers, departments, and wards, and to staff involved in the planning of clinical services or facilities, particularly in respect of key service changes.
• To support the lead nurse in managing the infection prevention and control service for NELFT on a day-to-day basis, ensuring that the appropriate staff support systems and performance management structures are in place to enable clinical governance, staff development, service development, and monitoring.
• To manage the infection prevention and control service budget, ensuring that best value for money and the most efficient use of resources are assured through establishing systems and practices within the service that deliver clinical and financial performance in line with local, national, or professionally determined standards.
• To support the Associate Director, Quality & Patient Safety in the annual planning and review process and ensure that workforce planning and training and development needs are incorporated into all service planning.
• To ensure smooth collaborative working in infection prevention and control with partners in the local health economies, neighbouring trusts, the Health Protection Teams, Commissioners, and Local Authorities.
• To maintain effective communications between acute providers' infection prevention and control teams, NELFT Localities, and other corporate directorates within NELFT.
• To provide specialist advice around dental infection prevention, dental infection control, audit these services, and work closely with Estates to ensure that Capital is spent in line with HTMs, HBNs, COPs, sign off refurbishment, maintenance, and new build projects for IPC, ensure site visits are completed and documented to record decisions.
• To work closely with procurement and facilities departments to ensure that IPC is given due regard when purchasing and commissioning services for NELFT, that standards of cleanliness are maintained, and Patient-Led Assessment Care Environment assessments are completed, including IPC input.
• To provide mentoring and coaching to the team and in particular developmental posts to ensure they continue to learn and develop.
• To design, deliver, and evaluate teaching sessions, conference speaking on IPC, providing Continuing Professional Development for medical and dental staff.
• To work with Pharmacy to ensure the national antimicrobial agenda is progressed locally.
• To provide expert advice and recommendations when there are cases of raised levels of Legionella species in water supplies.
• To participate in the development of an effective team and the development of productive working relationships throughout the trust.
• To actively promote integrated health professional working internally and externally.
• To facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.
• To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols, and guidelines.
• To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
• To advise, encourage, and share knowledge utilizing the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.
• To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.
• To be responsible and accountable for service delivery to clients/patients.
• To be able to assess and develop plans of care to meet the complex needs of patients with a variety of conditions, raising concerns or complex cases to infection control doctor and/or microbiology as required.
• To be able to initiate referrals to other health professional specialist services and agencies.
• To provide patients and relatives with information and education, thus ensuring they have meaningful choices that promote dignity, independence, and quality of life.
• To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence-based practice, literature, and peer review.
• To be computer literate and encourage implementation of the Trust's IM&T Strategy.
• To ensure accurate recording of actions, and updating patients' records, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
• To have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing patient care.
• To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers, and clinical leads within the trust.
• To be able to communicate complex patient-related information, facilitating positive outcomes, and ensuring collaborative working.
• To participate in the review and development of clinical policies and identifies improvements to service provision.
• To act as mentor to students, providing effective education, facilitating their development, and promoting high standards of nursing care.
• To ensure students are actively supported to enable them to achieve their learning needs.
• To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others.
• To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops.
• To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy.
• To support new staff and their integration within the team.
• To support training as part of the role, including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines.

About Us

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust is a leading provider of mental health and community services in North East London. We are committed to delivering high-quality care to our patients and communities, and we are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Nurse Consultant to join our team.

What We Offer

We offer a competitive salary and a range of benefits, including a pension scheme, annual leave, and access to training and development opportunities. We are committed to supporting the ongoing development of our staff, and we offer a range of opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

How to Apply

If you are a highly skilled and experienced Nurse Consultant who is passionate about delivering high-quality care to patients and communities, we would encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Please submit your application, including your CV and a covering letter, to [insert contact details].