Advanced Clinical Practitioner

This is an excellent opportunity to join an established but expanding Oncology nursing team in beautiful Dorset. This is an exciting new role for DCH and offers the opportunity to support Acute Oncology services and support the Lead Cancer Nurse in the development of our cancer services.

At DCH we have a supportive cancer network and excellent hospital and community palliative care services.

The role includes working as a core member of the multi-disciplinary team, having active involvement in the investigation, treatment and follow-up of our patients.

This is a challenging role that requires a self motivated and dedicated individual who can provide leadership and support to the advancing service.

The post holder will provide professional leadership to all elements of the operational cancer nursing workforce and workstreams as required and in collaboration with the senior lead cancer nurse and will deputise to the lead cancer nurse in their absence.

The post holder will use their expert knowledge and extended skills in cancer care to independently manage a mixed cohort of patients with cancer who are undergoing treatment for their cancer with a focus on the formal clinical assessment of patients receiving systemic anti-cancer treatment in a nurse-led clinic environment.

The post holder will take an active role in the support and delivery of the acute oncology nursing service and this will include telephone assessment, physical examination and history taking, clinical decision making, treatment initiation and delivery and care planning as required to ensure a robust service is delivered.

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.

Provide professional nurse leadership and expertise to nursing staff responsible for the in-patient cancer Beds and the Fortuneswell Day Unit and clinical nurse specialists and cancer support workers working in cancer care.

Deputise for the Lead Cancer Nurse role for the Trust. This will include participation in DCH activity in an operational capacity, and occasional participation at strategic level with Dorset Cancer Partnership and Wessex Cancer Alliance. It will involve representation and escalation of cancer nursing issues and compliance issues with recommendations from national cancer policies.

Review current pathways and processes involved in the care of patients with non-surgical cancer needs and work with colleagues to improve the quality and efficiency of these pathways and processes.

Provide expert input to the clinical management of patients who present via the acute oncology route and develop the knowledge and expertise of other clinical staff involved. The post holder will take an active role in the delivery, and maintenance of the Trust’s Acute Oncology Service, in collaboration with other colleagues. This includes delivering acute oncology nurse services on a rotational basis and may involve hours to be worked over 7 days of the week.

Deliver unsupervised, nurse-led clinical activity on a regular basis in the form of formal oncology clinics, either at DCH or at peripheral clinics. This will include patient assessment, physical examination and care planning.

The duties will also include prescribing of medicines in line with non-medical prescribing role and requesting a range of investigations including radiological examinations in line with professional training and permissions. High standards of documentation will be maintained at all times.

Work in partnership with the lead cancer nurse, service manager and other clinical and non-clinical leads to ensure that DCH services meet the National Cancer Services Standards.

Work with the divisional team to meet all relevant corporate objectives.

Support senior sisters to ensure nursing services for delegated areas are delivered and managed within allocated budgets.

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner is accountable for the delivery of nurse-led clinics in oncology and the care of patients who present via the acute oncology route.

The post holder is also responsible for supporting the senior clinical sisters as required, on Fortuneswell unit and ward and CNS teams through effective leadership, support, and monitoring of quality standards in respect of patient care thus ensuring continuous improvement

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner is responsible for creating pathways for patients that improve and enhance their experience, ensuring that patients are always treated with respect, ensuring privacy and dignity is protected by setting and monitoring standards

The Advanced Clinical Practitioner will ensure that the highest s