Specialist Practitioner

Choose Well - Choose WWL

Job overview

This post is for a Specialist Practitioner on our Virtual Hub, which is a permanent full time role (37.5 hours) across Monday to Sunday with no on-call requirement. 

An exciting opportunity has arisen with the investment of Virtual Care Technology at WWL, to join an innovative Virtual Hub team, that enhances ‘hospital-without-walls’ care provision close to home. Virtual Care in the Community allows our patients to receive the care they need in their own home, safely & conveniently as an alternative to hospital. Using community ‘wrap-around’ services our aim is to provide opportunities to prevent hospital admission, facilitate early discharge, ability to detect deterioration earlier in health condition to prevent readmission to hospital.

NHS/UK healthcare experience is essential. An Enhanced DBS with Children’s and Adults' Barred List checks will be obtained during pre-employment checks.

This vacancy may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Main duties of the job

The Specialist Practitioner holds responsibility in the coordination of monitoring & management of the daily Virtual Hub Caseload. They should be expert in all areas of nursing care from patient admission to discharge, which facilitates clinical practice development. They actively support the Digital Ward Leader, ensuring the effective running of the daily caseload in their absence. They provide daily clinical and managerial leadership to nursing/AHP and support staff in the delivery of high standard, evidence based patient centred care. They are responsible for ensuring all care is delivered according to Trust policies and procedures. Utilising clinical audit, research, supervision of practice and teaching, they monitor and improve standards of care by efficient and effective use of resources. There is scope for this service to become 24/7.

Working for our organisation

Choose Well – Choose WWL

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values ‘the WWL Way’.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst COVID-19 vaccination is not a condition of employment, we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated there is helpful advice and information available by contacting covid-19.vaccine@wwl.nhs.uk where you can also ask about how to access vaccinations.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

Assess, plan, implement and evaluate prescribed pathways from admission to discharge Undertake remote care pathway interventions consistent with evidence-based practice, transferring and applying knowledge and skills to meet patients’ needs Evaluate the effectiveness and make necessary modifications of any remote care pathway interventions Analyse and rigorously review all aspects of the patient remote care pathway interpreting information and using knowledge and judgement to recommend new course of action where necessary. Monitor the effectiveness of remote care delivery and re-negotiate the programmes of care were indicated to meet the patients need Discuss and agree short-, medium- or long-term goals, prioritise remote care and develop plans with the patient, family carer and health care team Utilise highly developed physical skills where accuracy is important i.e., utilising acute assessment tools in triaging deterioration remotely. Refer people to other practitioners when needs and risks are beyond one’s own scope of practice or require longer term support Liaise with the multidisciplinary team, co-ordinating and participating in case discussions as required Support patients/carers encouraging them to promote their own health and wellbeing and to express their interests and concerns to the Team Leader Maintain accurate and legible patients notes (written and electronic) in accordance with Trust and National professional policies and guidelines Adhere to trust policies and procedures relating to own workplace to contribute to service development Evaluate current policies and procedures and identify the impact they have within their clinical environment Identify outcomes of evaluation and offer constructive views on how the service should change as a result Implement and propose changes to policies/practices in own area Evaluate with others the effectiveness of any changes and how these have improved services To monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others in own work area To identify and assess potential risks in work activities and how to manage these risks appropriately To take immediate and appropriate action in relation to adverse incident reporting utilising the hospital incident reporting system. discharge your responsibilities. You must bring deficiencies to the attention of your manager To undertake all duties having regard to the NMC ‘Code of Professional Conduct’ for the nurse, midwife and health visitor and their professional contribution to Clinical Governance Recognise the importance of people’s rights and interpret them in a way that is consistent with trust procedures, policies, and legislation Challenge behaviour that infringes the rights of others Ensure own actions promote quality and identify and manage any risks Lead in setting and maintaining optimal standards of care on the Virtual Hub Keep up to date and act consistently with quality standards and guidelines within their own clinical area and associated areas Understand the quality agenda and how standards of care can be maintained Lead others in understanding how their practice should change to improve Undertake data collection effectively using the agreed systems. To identify the wider benefits, and influence and prioritise the development of knowledge, ideas and work practice in self and others Inspire others and encourage them to seek advice and solutions to problems Challenge others to take an active part in developing knowledge, ideas, and work practice to create a supportive culture To challenge tradition and take calculated risks following risk assessment, accepting joint responsibility for any arising problems and tensions, using these to inform future practice

Planning and Organisational Duties

Prioritise workload of themselves and others, assess performance and provide clear constructive feedback to team members Monitor progress of work recognising changing priorities and implement corrective actions within own limits and informing the relevant people. Plan staff off duty rota where appropriate Plan, manage and organise the daily function of the Virtual Hub adjusting plans/rosters to cover emergencies (i.e., rostering short term cover) in the absence of their Digital & Discharge Clinical Lead or Team Leader

Communications and Key Working Relationships

Contribute to the development of a learning environment Communicate with a wide range of people to explore complex issues and to make complex decisions Effectively communicate complex and sensitive information. Agree the arrangements for communication with the patient/family/carer, and to document these in accordance with Trust policy and the patients right to confidentiality To competently receive sensitive information concerning patients’ medical condition and provide information using persuasive, reassuring skills as required e.g., Breaking bad news/special needs/dealing with anxious relatives. Ensure that essential information on the patients’ condition and progress is recorded by self and team members appropriately according to NMC/HCPC guidelines.

Responsibility for Finance

Ensure efficient and effective use of material resources/supplies within the provision of remote monitoring and Virtual Hub Service Act as authorised signatory for financial payments to authorise overtime for nursing and support staff Monitor, control and store resources/supplies according to the requirements and specifications of the remote clinical environment Identify any problems with resource use/availability and make recommendations for corrective action Maintain accurate records of resource use

Responsibility for Human Resources

a) Personal and people development Assess, identify, and evaluate own knowledge and practice needs in relation to knowledge and skills required to meet the demands of the job Understand their own role and scope, identify own development needs and take responsibility for their continuing professional development and performance whilst maintaining a personal development plan Make effective use of appropriate learning opportunities for themselves and others and apply learning to practice Undertake annual mandatory training updates and other relevant courses in line with Trust and local policies Act as a role model and support professional development of all students and junior staff Act as a mentor and assessor to assigned learners and to teach and support them through their competency assessments as required. b) Management of people Responsible for day-to-day supervision, allocation and co-ordination of remote clinically based teams making the best use of their abilities To lead a team whilst assuming responsibility and control of the Virtual Hub management in the absence of the Digital Team Leader Participate in the appraisal process for themselves and others Identify, report and address poor performance issues Diffuse challenging behaviour, ensuring that the situation is managed in a sensitive way. Participate in the recruitment and selection process Participate in the identification of future workforce requirements Implement disciplinary and grievance procedures if required.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Responsibility for Teaching

Assess the needs of the patient relatives and carers, providing them with information as identified and requested Assist in the teaching and development of team members i.e., junior staff, Nursing Associates and students; helping them to achieve their learning outcomes

Work Circumstances & on-call

No requirement to participate in an on-call rota

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Registered Nurse or Registered AHP Teaching Qualification or equivalent experience Relevant specialist course or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential criteria

Substantial experience in acute Nursing/AHP NHS experience

Desirable criteria

Previous experience of speciality

Skills

Essential criteria

Good written and verbal communication skills Teaching Ability to organise ward activities and to use initiative Ability to solve problems and contribute new ideas Skills required to undertake clinical activity related to speciality Excellent IT skills

Desirable criteria

Evidence of change management skills

Knowledge

Essential criteria

Knowledge of quality, standard setting, and audit Awareness of current developments in nursing or relevant area of AHP practice Knowledge of the NMC Code of Conduct or equivalent for HCPC

Desirable criteria

Knowledge of speciality

Additional

Essential criteria

Demonstrate ability to meet Trust values Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation

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