Community Continence & Urology Assistant Practitioner
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
We are seeking an enthusiastic Assistant Practitioner to join our Continence & Urology Team in North East Essex Community. In this role, you will play a vital part in delivering high-quality healthcare to patients within their own homes as part of a multidisciplinary team. The aim is to promote self-management and independence in daily activities, ensuring patients receive the support they need.
Main duties of the job
Under the supervision of a Registered Practitioner you will be expected to:
* Carry out continence assessments for housebound patients, including 24hr wet pad saves and the implementation of appropriate level 1 continence plan of care.
* Provide basic advice regarding fluid intake, bladder-friendly drinks, and pelvic floor exercises.
* Explain and identify the basic types of incontinence, including stress, urge, functional, and passive.
* Understand symptoms that may indicate an enlarged prostate and refer to the specialist nurse for further assessment.
* Advise patients on basic bladder drills.
* Be competent in bladder scanning, interpreting results, and referring to a specialist nurse as needed.
* Perform Male/Female/Supra-pubic catheterisation and run catheter clinics in the community.
* Be competent to TWOC patients, understanding circumstances when TWOC may not be appropriate without consulting a specialist nurse.
* Conduct bladder washouts and closed system washouts.
* Provide catheter care and advice.
* Assess patients for the most appropriate continence products.
* Assess for urinary sheaths.
* Perform urinalysis and basic interpretation.
* Refer patients confidently to a specialist nurse for further assessments.
* Provide basic care for stoma, urostomy, and nephrostomy.
* Access continence/LUTS clinics.
About us
We are ESNEFT, providing hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics, and in patients' own homes. We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.
We pride ourselves on supporting our staff with a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals, we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata), and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offers a variety of services.
Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving our processes and removing those that cause time delays for our staff and patients. We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic, which will transform life in the hospital for staff and patients.
If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.
Job responsibilities
For full details of the duties & responsibilities of this role, please see the attached job description.
Person Specification
Experience
* Experience of working with professionals from other disciplines.
* Experience of working as a member of a team and autonomously.
* Experience in a health or social care setting.
* Community experience.
* Knowledge/interest in Continence & Urology.
Qualifications
* Evidence of a good standard of Literacy/English language skills.
* Evidence of recent CPD.
* Care Certificate.
* NVQ in Health & Social Care.
* Level 2 English and Maths (equivalent to GCSE grade C or above).
Knowledge
* The concept of patient-centred care.
* Importance of promoting self-care and independence.
* Understanding the role of the community nurse and its purpose.
* Knowledge of key NHS national policies & strategies.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service will be necessary to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer name
East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
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