OPAT Senior Nurse

Are you looking for a new and exciting role? Do you want to be part of a new service and be integral to providing excellent patient care?

We are looking for a Registered Nurse or work in our Outpatient Parental Antimicrobial Therapies clinic.

This is a Permanent full time contract but part time / secondment will be considered.

The post holder will work as part of the Integrated Care and Hospital at Home teams for Mid and South Essex Hospitals to deliver an Outpatient Parental Antibiotics Therapies service to patients from across the Mid Essex NHS Trust areas in a clinic setting. They will assist with organising a caseload of patients with a variety of complex needs but will have the support of the clinical teams working within the virtual wards setting.

The post holder will assist the clinic manager with day to day operating of the OPAT clinic

MSE Trust sites, however, the successful candidate may be required to work across multiple sites within the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust area. ( Basildon, Southend, Billericay or Broomfield)

A driving license and access to a car are essential for this role as you may be expected to travel between hospital base sites. Travel expenses will be reimbursed via the Trust expenses system.

The OPAT service is to facilitate early discharge from hospital and to provide an admission avoidance service and the post holder will be expected to liaise with the virtual wards and emergency departments medical teams to identify and assess those who it is felt would benefit from OPAT services. There may be an expectation to communicate with community teams and patient GP's to ensure a continuity of care for each patient. The post holder will be expected to have excellent communication skills and be able to communicate via a variety of platforms – email, telephone, virtual meetings etc.

The post holder will ensure that IV medications are safely administered as per agreed clinical pathways within scope of practice. They will devise relevant care plans and ensure that these are adhered to and kept current within the OPAT service.

To work as part of the team within the Integrated Care division, in particular the teams, managing a clinical caseload and to facilitate patients flow through identified pathways, including discharge planning.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is now one of the largest in the country, with a workforce of approximately 15,000 who serve a population of 1.2 million people.

We work together, and in conjunction with MSE Health and Care Partnership, to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients in a compassionate way, and provide a respectful, but vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

From facilities through to consultant specialists we want to be the best, to achieve this we need to recruit not just those who are the finest in their field but also those who have the potential to be. Yes, experience is important but so is outlook – if you are dynamic, forward-thinking and enthusiastic we want you to join us.

We not only offer you a good working environment with flexible working opportunities, but also the opportunity to develop your career with access to appropriate training for your job and the support to succeed and progress

For full details about this varied and rewarding role, please see attached job description, but some of the responsibilities include

The Band 6 nurse will be responsible for coordinating the clinics and ensure the nurse led service is organised and adheres to Trust policies and procedures.

They will work alongside the Band 7 clinic manager and a Healthcare Assistant to ensure patients are suitably assessed and optimal treatments are provided. You will work with multidisciplinary teams to ensure high quality care is given to each patient.

The post holder will be expected to have previous experience in autonomous patient care and administering intravenous medications via PICC or peripheral cannula and be proficient in cannulation skills.

Due to the nature of the service and the patient demographic there is an expectation of flexibility to the working practice of this role to ensure optimum care is provided. The OPAT team may be required to work at multiple clinic sites and to support the service with the administration of IV therapies to patients on the service in their own homes if required.