Key Duties Professional To act in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors. To be aware of, and work within, the Trust policies, with particular attention to Clinical Governance issues, and to attend the Trusts mandatory training/update sessions. To be aware of, and comply with, the Data Protection Act, Caldicott requirements and the Health & Safety at Work Act. To participate pro-actively in your professional development reviews, the Trusts Cancer Nurses/AHP Team meetings and departmental Clinical Supervision. To continually assess your own educational needs in relation to the clinical nurse specialist role, identifying and utilising appropriate resources. To carry out such duties as may be required and are consistent with the responsibilities of the grade, providing and enabling the highest standard of care. Clinical You will be continually available during working hours via your bleep/telephone, to patients, carers and medical staff, this can mean you may be interrupted at unpredictable intervals, when an immediate need for your intervention occurs. To act as a specialist key worker for those with malignant gynaecological disease, from diagnosis, acting as patient/carer advocate, particularly in the context of MDT meetings, assisting patients and carers in the making of informed decisions by conveying, in an understandable format, highly complex information regarding current treatment options, particularly where barriers to understanding exist, thus enabling them to become partners in care. To attend and participate in the weekly Gynae Oncology multi-disciplinary team meeting and the West Midlands Expert Advisory Group meetings. To communicate effectively, with patients and their families/carers, over a range of highly sensitive and emotional issues, including endorsing of bad news; identifying and responding to the unpredictable psychological, physical and social needs of this patient group, and their concerns regarding such areas as altered body image, sexuality and bereavement; providing guidance, support, information, education and counselling; and, initiating referral on to other agencies if appropriate. To remain the point of contact for patients and carers post-treatment and into the extended follow-up period and patient initiated follow up, whether face to face or via the telephone, assessing and analysing clinical/disease recurrence concerns and taking responsibility for urgent onward referral or appropriate re-assurance Provide mainstream genetic counselling for patients with ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer Provide a mainstream counselling service for Lynch syndrome. Promotes self-management, undertaking risk stratification to determine those who can self-manage, following education, those who will need guided support to self-manage and those who will require on-going, face to face support Provide a telephone Patient Centred Follow up Clinic (PCFU) for low-risk patients that do not require standard follow up. Provide a telephone helpline for PCFU patients with new red flag symptoms. To communicate effectively with other Outpatient departments across the Trust, the Oncology multi-disciplinary teams and the Chemotherapy Service, the Cancer Centre, primary healthcare providers, Social Services, local hospices and relevant voluntary agencies, in order to ensure continuity and equity of patient of care. To offer an individualised service, respecting diverse cultural backgrounds and identifying the spiritual needs of the patient and his family/carers and enabling involvement of appropriate religious/pastoral care professionals. Leadership Lead a small team of Clinical Nurse Specialists and a Cancer Pathway Navigator The team will provide specialist nursing advice and support for patients and their family/ carers and will help them negotiate the patient journey. He/she will support and develop the CNS team providing expertise through training, advice, guidance and by acting as a role model. He/she will manage the roster, appraisals, job planning, sickness and absence, objective setting and personal development plans for the team. To demonstrate expert knowledge and high standards of clinical practice to healthcare professionals both within the Trust and externally To take full responsibility for own workload and manage own caseload efficiently and effectively and with flexibility to meet the demands of the service. To identify and maintain supportive networks for self and relevant staff/team members To be fully aware of the targets set out in the NHS Cancer Plan, Cancer Reform Strategy and Improving Outcomes Guidance as well as the Trusts corporate and directorate objectives, and in conjunction with the multi-professional team use the available resources to meet these targets To develop the interface with primary care and local cancer units by challenging existing boundaries and working in partnership. To provide expert nursing advice and influence the work of the local Cancer Networks through attendance at relevant specialist nursing groups and Tumour Working Groups To take an active role in local, network and national specialist nursing groups. Education and Development To educate patients and their families at an appropriate level regarding their cancer, treatment plan and associated side-effects to enable their safe self-care when receiving outpatient/day care treatment To provide support, education and training to other healthcare professionals to develop their skills to deliver appropriate specialist care to patients with cancer To present research/audit or service development projects and represent the Trust at formal education forums/conferences To contribute to the development of resource and teaching packs for use by patients and/or staff in both clinical and educational settings To assess own educational needs and take steps to keep up to date with clinical and nursing developments in line with the requirements of the Nursing and Midwifery Council To formulate a personal development plan and undergo regular appraisals with the Matron. To undertake appropriate training to provide the necessary advance skills in the specialist nursing care of patients with cancer To utilise research findings to develop strategies, protocols and guidelines for the delivery of a specialist nursing service and to disseminate relevant information to staff To identify areas of specialist nursing practice that need to be researched, and advise the Divisional Clinical Nurse Manager. To undertake a nursing research study when possible and to publish the outcome To inform the other Advanced Practice/Specialist Nurses and Divisional Clinical Nurse Manager of the implications of any research study underway or to be established, providing advice on nursing and other resource implications To liaise with the Clinical Trial Nurses to participate in and be aware of clinical research trials for patients with cancer, including specific protocols and treatment plans Strategy and Service The role also requires you to develop, set and monitor specialised standards of care, together with planning and delivering educational programmes to all areas and all levels of healthcare professionals, in both group and one to one settings. You will also be expected to help develop and implement policies for gynae Oncology nursing and to make proposals for service development in other areas, where such a need is identified by you and, which impacts in the broadest terms on gynae Oncology patient care, across the Trust. In addition, you will be asked to represent this area of specialist nursing on behalf of the department/Trust, in a variety of situations/ meetings, both within and externally to the Trust. Maintain awareness of emerging national and regional policy / strategy and ensure that the service develops in line with the West Midlands Cancer Alliance strategy. Work with gynae and oncology colleagues at SaTH and tertiary centres to deliver best practice in line with NICE and other national guidance. Develop new practice / policies as required to deliver best practice. Ensure that the service is run efficiently, minimising waste whilst maintaining a compassionate high quality service. Develop and deliver short / medium / long term plans in line with the above. Work with Cancer Services and other cancer site teams to meet Trust values, strategy and objectives. Promote a culture of evidence-based practice using critical appraisal skills within the multidisciplinary forum to analyse current research, implications for practice and apply when appropriate. Participate in clinical audit and research to promote excellent care. Clinical Governance, Quality and Audit To facilitate a high quality specialist service through regular audit and monitoring of standards against national guidelines and through the maintenance of customer care and other quality initiatives agreed by the Trust To utilise information systems to aid regular audit of the clinical role In collaboration with the other clinical Nurse specialist formulate and revise policies and regularly review these following change/implementation. To work in accordance with the procedures and policies of the Trust To contribute to the National QST (Cancer Peer Review) process as a key member of the multi-disciplinary team.