Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
Beech Ward is a 24 bedded, stroke specific rehabilitation ward. We are part of the stroke pathway where patients are transferred from the acute setting for a period of rehabilitation. Patients and those close to them are supported with goal setting, timely review meetings, and complex discharge planning. Our patients encounter a range of complexities including aphasia, dysphagia, tone, cognitive, mood, and mobility difficulties.
We are looking for full-time dynamic and innovative Staff Nurses to join Beech Ward, at Norwich Community Hospital. You will have the opportunity to train and develop your stroke rehabilitation skills in a specialist rehabilitation environment alongside a dedicated inter-disciplinary team.
Main duties of the job
You will work as an integral part of the ward nursing team and be responsible for ensuring high standards of rehabilitation, care planning, and assessment from admission to discharge of patients with complex needs. We encourage our staff nurses to train in skills such as venepuncture, male and female catheterisation, ECG recording, 24-hour tape cardiac monitoring, and complete stroke specific competences.
Effective communication within the team, our patients, and relatives is vital to ensure clear outcomes, teamwork, and support.
This post involves rotation between day and night duties, including early, long days, and night shifts covering weekdays, weekends, and bank holidays. After a period of induction and probation, you will be supported to undertake the shift coordinator role which is being introduced within the band 5 staff nurses.
Job responsibilities
* To provide a nursing service within the interdisciplinary rehabilitation unit consisting of liaison, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of patients following stroke.
* Independently manage a defined, delegated caseload with support from senior staff members.
* To participate in the patients' multi-disciplinary rehabilitation goals which may include aspects of personal care, ensuring a functional approach to rehabilitation.
* To provide clinical interventions to meet the holistic needs of patients to include issues relating to personal care and wound management, medicines management, and catheter/enteral care.
* To make appropriate clinical decisions following assessment, using evidence-based practice and outcome measures to provide the most effective treatment to patients, their families, and carers within clearly defined inter-disciplinary care plans. To seek advice and support as appropriate.
* To work within defined specialist, department, and national protocols/policies for stroke care such as the NICE clinical guidelines and National Stroke Strategy, and to work within the professional code of conduct as outlined by the NMC.
* To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work and to ensure that work is within professional standards and clinical guidelines.
* To adapt practice to meet individual patient and families' circumstances, including due regard for specific clinical conditions related to communication, cognitive, emotional, and physical impairments resulting from a stroke.
* To monitor the patients' general medical condition and respond appropriately.
* To ensure that patients, families, and carers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their stroke rehabilitation care plans.
* To work collaboratively with other services that may be involved in the care of the patients for instance, social services, and the volunteer sector.
* To attend and contribute to relevant multidisciplinary meetings and client reviews as appropriate.
* To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures relevant to stroke, in particular in regards to nursing intervention.
* To provide supervision, advice, and support to others regarding management and care of the individual nursing needs of patients (e.g. maintaining skin integrity and continence issues) in particular rehabilitation assistants.
* To conduct multi-disciplinary initial contact assessments as a member of the ward team/stroke early supported discharge team with a senior colleague.
* To provide emotional support to patients and families including those with complex needs, with support from clinical psychologist and senior colleagues.
* To participate in the planning and discharging of patients receiving nursing interventions when agreed objectives have been reached or treatment is no longer appropriate. This will involve discharge planning as part of the inter-disciplinary team, and will require planned referral onto other appropriate agencies/services.
* To be able to work over a seven-day period, covering 24hrs a day in an Inpatient setting.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Diploma/degree
Experience
* Varied clinical experience
* Clinical assessment
* Previous experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
* General rehabilitation
* Previous experience of working within a stroke rehabilitation environment
* Community Nurse experience
Skills
* Knowledge of current nursing practice and issues
* Ability to work independently and as part of a team
* IT knowledge
* Ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, other disciplines, patients, relatives, and carers
* Ability to deal with distressing and emotionally difficult situations
* Knowledge of the role of other members of the multidisciplinary team
* Ability to prioritise workload, organising and delegating effectively
* Observation and reporting skills
* Evidence of own development through PDP
* Able to support junior members of staff
* Knowledge of current stroke-specific nursing issues
* Understanding of clinical governance
* Knowledge of standardized assessment and outcome measures used in stroke rehabilitation
Communication
* Good communication and organisational skills
* Able to communicate and document highly effectively in English Language
* Good numeracy and literacy skills
Personal and People Development
* Ability to deal with distressing and emotionally difficult situations
* Demonstrates sensitivity and patience
* Conducts self and behaves in a professional manner at all times
* Work flexibly to accommodate patient/service needs and able to work under pressure
Personal Attributes / Behaviours (linked to the Trust's Behaviour Framework)
* Able to identify with the Trust's commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people
* Able to work collaboratively as part of a team
* Committed to team and personal development
* Reliable and accountable for self and others
* Flexible and adaptable
* Excellent interpersonal skills
* Ability to empathise, use tact and diplomacy
* Able to maintain high professional and personal standards
* Confident in approach to patients, colleagues, and other health professionals
Other
* Able to make own travelling arrangements to meet the needs of the service
* Flexible and adaptable
* Able to work over a 7-day rota
* Able to work a rotation of shifts
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust
Address
Beech Ward
Norwich Community Hospital, Bowthorpe Road
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