Bariatric Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Bariatric Service at UHNM. With the expansion plans and growth of this pioneering service we are now looking to appoint a further Nurse Specialist post into the service. This will be an excellent opportunity for any individuals striving to become a Clinical Nurse Specialist and provide an opportunity to develop the necessary skills.

You will be key in providing a comprehensive highly specialist service to patients undergoing weight management. via bariatric surgery.

We are looking for autonomous, dynamic individuals who have a passion for patient care and an empathetic approach for caring for this group of patients. The ideal candidate should be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills, managerial skills and work well as part of a team. The aim of the post is to provide expert care, highly specialist advice and support to patients undergoing bariatric surgery and their carer's.

Some knowledge of the speciality ideally possesses the Mentorship course or equivalent, and be working at degree level practice, although degree level study is not essential and above all Proud to Care.

It is important that applicants recognize the essential MDT working related to this post, travel requirements are essential to attend outreach Clinics at the Countess of Chester hospital

Main duties of the job

o This post will provide a comprehensive highly specialist service to patients undergoing weight management via bariatric surgery.

The post holder will be expected to attend and lead the outreach Clinics at The Countess of Chester Hospital.

o The aim of the post is to provide expert care, highly specialist advice and support to patients undergoing bariatric surgery and their carers, which will include patient assessment, planning and implementing specialist care. In addition the post-holder is expected to provide clinical expertise within this area of care and to lead and develop education, training, research and audit relevant to the specialty.

o This includes the Primary Health Care Team in order to provide the best possible specialist care for their patient ensuring co-ordination and continuity of care from referral throughout the whole surgical pathway and through 24 months of follow-up appointments.

The post-holder will provide highly specialist nursing knowledge and expertise on all aspects of bariatric surgery.

o The post-holder will have a major role in the development of the UHNS bariatric surgical services ensuring this relates to the needs of the patients and are in line with the NHS Plan and the 10 Key Roles for Nurses and Midwives. They will also be responsible for the development of their own role as led by the lead Bariatric Clinician.

About us

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we are proud to serve around three million people and we're highly regarded for our facilities, teaching and research. We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.

All of our employees make a valuable contribution regardless of role here at UHNM and we are proud of our wide range of development packages aimed at ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to fulfil their true potential.

UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. In return we ask all of our employees to make a commitment to the values, co-created by or staff, patients and carers, and that unite us as a Trust.

At University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust we know that investing in, supporting and developing our staff has a direct impact on the quality of care that we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population that we serve.

Job description

Job responsibilities

1. Clinical

To act as a Specialist Nurse for patients undergoing bariatric surgery and to have direct clinical involvement in complex patient care in the outpatient and in-patient setting.

To provide a nurse led service for those patients requiring follow-up care after surgical intervention.

To facilitate all investigations for those patients suspected of post-surgical complications.

To facilitate the bariatric surgery telephone support service. To be available for patients and their carers in order to assess and manage day to day problems and anxieties and to refer on where appropriate.

To co-ordinate the bariatric surgery journey, acting as the key worker for those patients under your Care on the Bariatric pathway.

To assess patients and their complex needs and those of their families and plan, implement and evaluate specialist programs of care, communicating with those responsible for the care, and documenting the appropriate details whilst at all times maintaining confidentiality.

To refer patients for diagnostic investigations with suspected or proven, endocrinal diseases.

To ensure that specialist bariatric surgery care information is available. Provide highly specialist advice and support to patients with obesity problems which will often include communicating highly sensitive information about diagnosis, treatment options, and entry into clinical trials, prognosis and outcome of illness including future care.

To offer highly specialist emotional, psychological and practical support and symptom control to the patient and their family/carer throughout their bariatric surgery pathway.

To ensure that all practice conforms to current written protocols and policies of UHNS and be involved in development of new policies.

To ensure consumer views are sought by facilitating patient involvement in the development of services.

To have phlebotomy skills.

2. Educational and Development

To lead on specific areas of bariatric surgery and identify areas where current practice needs to be reviewed and to make proposals for new initiatives.

Provide the education of pre and post registration health professionals in formal and informal settings.

To be available as an expert resource for UHNS staff.

To be involved in specialist internal teaching for non-professionals, patients/carers.

To be involved in the development of specialist information booklets and leaflets.

To help maintain and further develop a UHNS multi-professional bariatric surgery team.

To identify areas of care that could be researched to lead to improvements in care.

To regularly participate in nursing and multi-professional research projects and lead clinical audit within the specialty of bariatric surgery nursing within the Trusts clinical governance and research programme framework.

To disseminate current research findings to professional colleagues through publication and presentations.

To receive regular clinical supervision, if post holder wishes, and provide clinical supervision for other staff and students.

Take every reasonable opportunity to maintain and improve professional knowledge and competence.

To partake in a 6-12 month period of ongoing training and development of the individuals specialist knowledge of bariatric surgery.

To participate in personal objective setting and review, including the creation of a personal development plan at annual appraisal.

In the context of the individual's own knowledge, experience and sphere of authority, assist peers and subordinates to develop professional competence in accordance with their needs and the Divisional objectives.

3. Professional

To be a key member of the bariatric surgery team contributing to patient assessment and facilitating a collaborative approach to care planning at weekly bariatric surgery Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings and contribute to all other MDT meetings, MDT away days, Network Site Specific Group.

Ensure that nursing practice is in keeping with NMC Code of Professional Conduct and standards and reflects policies and procedures of UHNS.

To ensure that bariatric surgery care nursing interventions are evidence based, or best practice and that a uniform high standard of patient care is provided.

Ensure that plans for the service link to the goals and priorities of the Trust/Directorate and to the bariatric surgery Action Plan, following Peer Review.

Develop care pathways for bariatric surgery patients.

Keep up to date with professional issues and ensure they are reflected in practice.

4. Management

To assist in development of specialist bariatric care policies, procedures, protocols, standards, guidelines and pathways within UNHS.

To collect and present statistical information and reports as requested, to the Trust.

To maintain adequate confidential records of all patients and ensure that all relevant information is documented on the patient's medical records/pathway.

To contribute to the Divisions Clinical Governance framework ensuring that all aspects of the service provided is to the highest clinical standard.

To monitor practice in relation to Bariatric surgery and assist in the management of complaints.

To manage time effectively to meet service objectives.

7 To manage a system of data entry on to the National Bariatric Surgical Register under the supervision of the lead bariatric Clinical Nurse Specialist.

5. Health and Safety:

To take reasonable care for their own Health and Safety and that of any other person who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.

To co-operate with University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust in ensuring that statutory regulations, codes of practice, local policies and departmental health and safety rules are adhered to.

6. Confidentiality:

To ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times, in conjunction with the Trust's Confidentiality Policy. Any matters of a confidential nature relating to the identity, diagnosis and treatment of patients, individual staff records or details or contract prices and terms must, under no circumstances, be divulged to any unauthorized person(s). Breaches of confidentiality will result in disciplinary action, which may result in dismissal.

This post-holder is employed by the Surgical Division and although allocated to a base ward, may be asked to relocate depending upon service needs.

This job description is not exhaustive and is intended to be a guide to the principle duties and responsibilities of the post only. It may be amended at any time with the agreement of the post-holder and the line manager.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Current NMC Nurse Adult Evidence of practice development Knowledge of bariatric speciality Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skill, Able to prioritise and use initiative

Desirable

1 year experience in relevant speciality nursing Evidence of educational skills Presentation Skills

Knowledge

Essential

Experience of supporting learning/mentoring in practice

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