Nurse Consultant Infection Prevention and Control Specialist

The post holder will be responsible for leading the infection prevention and control service at NELFT North East London Foundation Trust. This will involve providing clinical leadership and oversight to the infection prevention and control team, developing and implementing policies and guidelines, and ensuring compliance with national and local standards.

1. To develop and implement infection prevention and control policies and guidelines that are aligned to current legislation and best practice.
2. 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.
3. To ensure strong links are forged with operational staff across the localities to facilitate delivery of safe practice and governance requirements.
4. To be the trust decontamination lead and ensure all responsibilities around this policy, audit, education, and compliance against standards are maintained.
5. To support and ensure 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.
6. To advise and assist during major outbreaks to ensure Gold, Silver, and Bronze are provided with timely advice and information to manage the situation.
7. To assist the Associate Director, Quality & Patient Safety in meeting strategic, national, and local standards and objectives.
8. 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.
9. To develop training strategies, ensuring their rollout to localities and implementation.
10. To lead continuous improvement of infection prevention and control processes and systems, including rollout to Localities and monitoring their implementation.
11. To monitor and evaluate the contribution made by all NELFT service staff to infection prevention and control through ensuring that there are mechanisms in place for the supervision, support, development, and training of staff in infection prevention and control practices.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. To manage the infection prevention and control service budget, ensuring best value for money and most efficient use of resources is assured through establishing systems and practices within the service that deliver clinical and financial performance in line with local, national, or professionally determined standards.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. To maintain effective communications between acute providers infection prevention and control teams, NELFT Localities, and other corporate directorates within NELFT.
18. To provide specialist advice around dental infection prevention, dental infection control, audit these services.
19. To work closely with Estates to ensure 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 decision.
20. To work closely with procurement and facilities departments to ensure IPC is given due regard when purchasing and commissioning services for NELFT, that standard of cleanliness are maintained, and Patient Led Assessment Care Environment assessments completed include IPC input.
21. To provide mentoring and coaching to the team and in particular developmental posts to ensure they continue to learn and develop.
22. To design, deliver, and evaluate teaching sessions, conference speaking on IPC, providing Continuing Professional Development for medical and dental staff.
23. To work with Pharmacy to ensure the national antimicrobial agenda is progressed locally.
24. To provide expert advice and recommendations when there are cases of raised levels of Legionella species in water supplies.
25. To participate in the development of an effective team and the development of productive working relationships throughout the trust.
26. To actively promote integrated health professional working internally and externally.
27. To facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.
28. To take an active interest in working parties and groups within the trust to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols, and guidelines.
29. To participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
30. To advise, encourage, and share knowledge utilizing the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.
31. 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.
32. To be responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients/patients.
33. 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.
34. To be able to initiate referrals to other health professional specialist services and agencies.
35. To provide patients and relatives with information and education thus ensuring they have meaningful choices that promote dignity, independence, and quality of life.
36. To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence-based practice, literature, and peer review.
37. To be computer literate and encourage implementation of the Trust's IM&T Strategy.
38. To ensure accurate recording of actions, and updating patients records, maintaining confidentiality at all times.
39. To have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing patient care.
40. To be able to effectively communicate with colleagues, peers, senior managers, and clinical leads within the trust.
41. To be able to communicate complex patient-related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working.
42. To participate in the review and development of clinical policies and identifies improvements to service provision.
43. To act as mentor to students, providing effective education, facilitating their development, and promoting high standards of nursing care.
44. To ensure students are actively supported to enable them to achieve their learning needs.
45. To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others.
46. To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops.
47. 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.
48. To support new staff and their integration within the team.
49. To support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines.

Education

Essential

• educated at degree level and above

Desirable

• continuous professional development

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 3 years experience in IPC

Desirable

• worked in a management role

IPC qualifications

Essential

• IPC qualification

Desirable

• Achieved recognised qualifications in IPC