JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title: Surgical First Assistant/Orthopaedic Team Leader Reports to: Theatre Manager Department: Theatre Location: Spire Bushey Hospital To provide exemplary planned care for patients requiring perioperative intervention supporting the management and organisation of care provision in the operating theatre, taking on the roles of a surgical first assistant and dual role. To assist the perioperative managers to deliver effective patient care by providing appropriate clinical support assisting the theatre manager to effectively maximise theatre utilisation. Accountabilities Develop practice in the assessment of health and well-being needs. Develop practice in addressing individual’s health and well-being needs. Provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information. Develop knowledge and practice in an area of work. Develops a working environment and culture that actively improves health, safety and security. Develop and improve services. Improve quality through the provision of safe and competent assistance with surgical procedures and a high standard of theatre practice is achieved Support and enable equality, diversity and rights. Plan, monitor and quality assure the application of technology for measurement, monitoring and treatment. Acknowledge the risk of Healthcare Associated Infections (HCAI) and understand own responsibility as agreed with line manager in the prevention and control of HCAI. Specific Responsibilities Develop practice in the assessment of health and well-being needs. Discuss, and agree with colleagues capabilities and competencies in general and perioperative care practice, across the team. Compare current perioperative practices, trends and developments against appropriate benchmarks. Explain clearly to patients whose needs are being assessed own and others’ responsibilities and how they inter-relate. Identify peoples health needs through observation discussion and the use of technical assessment methods, obtain informed consent prior to the commencement of the assessment. Obtain information on patient’s perioperative needs within the overall context of their personal and care requirements, follow processes of reasoning which allows optimum outcomes to be achieved.. Collect, collate and organise data, interpret all of the information and make a justifiable assessment relating to patient’s perioperative needs, promote their wellbeing and reducing risks in the short and long term. Identify and discuss with colleagues the implication of assessment against the perioperative intervention, enable them to think through the risks and their effective management and the need for referral to others. Provide advice and support on assessment approaches and conclusions to colleagues and others, proactively and on request, with particular focus on perioperative interventions. Develop practice in addressing individual’s health and well-being needs Identify patient’s goals that are appropriate to their needs, wishes and circumstances, compare current perioperative practices against appropriate benchmarks. Develop plans of perioperative care that are appropriate to the patients needs that compare current perioperative practices against appropriate benchmarks. Develop evidence based perioperative practice and be an exemplary role model. Obtain informed consent prior to implementing patient’s perioperative care. Check patients identity against all supporting documentation. Confirm with the patient the operative area and correct site, ensuring this has been marked by the surgeon. Promote patient’s rights and wishes explaining to colleagues particular aspects which may be prejudiced during the process. Enable colleagues to develop their own competence in using different perioperative interventions designed to address and promote patient’s health and wellbeing. Transfer and apply perioperative skills and knowledge to meet arising needs and issues explaining clearly to colleagues rationale and reasoning processes. Discuss outcomes with colleagues to enable them to think through the risks and their effective management and the need for referral to others. Identify and discuss with colleagues outcomes and their implication for further action. Provide advice and support on approaches to care and outcomes of care proactively and on request, with a particular focus on perioperative care. Transfer and apply skills and knowledge to meet arising needs and issues explaining clearly to colleagues rationale and reasoning processes. Demonstrate the application of skin preparation and discuss best practice showing and awareness of risk management Perform draping and discuss best practice in relation to maintenance of the sterile field Demonstrate the skilled ability and safe practice of Skin preparation prior to surgery Draping the patient Assisting with haemostasis in order to maintain a clear operating field, this excludes actions such as applying haemostasis, ligation and active application of diathermy to tissues Retracting tissues or organs once the instrument has been placed by the surgeon Handling tissues Assistance of cutting sutures and ligatures both superficial and deep under direct supervision of the surgeon Handling instruments and medical devices as instructed by the surgeon Assist with positioning patients Assist with the draping of patients Camera manipulation for minimal access surgery Male and female catheterisation Partake in the 5 Steps to Safer Surgery Identify surgical anatomy and establish physiological factors and operative techniques that relate to specific operations in which the SFA assist Provide and receive complex, sensitive or contentious information. Identify potential communication differences, relevant contextual factors and the risk of communicating or not communicating information at that time. Communicate information in a manner that is consistent with the level of culture, background, understanding using patients preferred method. Recognise and manage differences of opinion and the longer term importance of communication enabling a constructive outcome to be achieved. Proactively use a range of skills and styles of communication with others to improve long terms goals. Promote and model good practice consistent with legislation and Spire Healthcare policies (Clinical 25) and own professional body’s code of conduct, [NMC, HCPC]. Demonstrate how these documents apply to the role of the SFA Develop knowledge and practice in own area of work. Evaluate own knowledge and practice plans and make effective use of appropriate learning opportunities. Prepare for and actively take part in Spire Healthcare’s enabling excellence programme and set personal development objective. Maintain personal development portfolio, applying own new learning to the future development of area of work. Encourage others to make realistic self assessments and their application of knowledge and skills, challenge complacency and actions which are not in the patients’ or the public’s interest. Contribute to the development of a learning culture within Spire Healthcare Alert managers to resource issues which affect learning, development and performance. Develop a working environment and culture that actively improves health, safety and security. Regularly assesses risk to health, safety and security using the results to promote and improve practice. Demonstrate the need for comprehensive checking of the patient against medical records and hospital documentation (e.g. care pathway) before undertaking the role of SFA Ensure that the working environment is as safe as possible and complies with organisational, professional and legal requirements and guidelines. Take appropriate action when problems arise, using appropriate local and national incident reporting procedures Ensure individuals and team are aware of their rights and responsibilities and know the factors that may adversely affect health, safety and security. Ensure individuals and team are able to access suitable learning opportunity to enable them to work in a healthy, safe and productive way, and are able to voice their concerns without fear of reproach. Secure appropriate resources fir education and training in health and safety. Support others in managing risk to, and improving, health, safety and security. Act as a role model in promoting health, safety and security and infection control. Engage in appropriate exercises and training and investigations to update and extend knowledge. Encourage these characteristics within the team. Develop and improve services. Ensure that legislation, policies and procedures are correctly applied within the perioperative team. Review the information available on perioperative services and identify areas for improvement. Discuss and debate with relevant people the effectiveness, efficiency and appropriateness of the perioperative services that are being provided. Pay particular attention to risks and priorities, service issues and impact of strategies on service development and delivery. Agree with others the specification for the perioperative service. This must be timely ensuring resource availability and use of appropriate benchmarks. Work with others to identify the effectiveness of the perioperative service against agreed criteria. Actively support service development initiatives. Contribute to policy and practice changes arising from audits, complaints, requests or new evidence. Propose policies concerning treatment of patients within the surgical service. Improve quality. Act as a role model in quality improvement offering advice and support to others. Maintain continual professional development in quality improvement, make recommendations on how quality in own area of work can be improved. Alert others to new developments and the implications of this to their practice. Enable others to understand their contribution to quality against expected standards and evidence while assessing and manage risks to quality and offering ideas and suggestions for improvement. Enable and energise others to take an active role in auditing, meeting within formal and informal networks allowing pertinent issues to be addressed and resolved. Continuously monitor activities against quality standards, anticipate factors that may reduce quality and take effective action to address them. Begin the investigation of incidents and complaints immediately. Review changes in practice and the extent to which quality has been improved. Enable people to exercise their rights and promote their equality and diversity. Interpret the rights and responsibilities of people in ways that are consistent with legislation and policies. Plan care for vulnerable people and those who may lack capacity to make decisions for themselves; whilst ensuring the patient remains at the centre of decision making and is fully safeguarded. Actively promote equality, diversity, rights and responsibilities. Provide clear, up to date information and support to people on exercising their rights and making a complaint. Develop solutions that are capable of wider application when rights have been compromised. Monitor the effectiveness of equality, diversity and rights policies and procedures, regularly review how they are being implemented and provide support to improve effectiveness. Plan, monitor and quality assure the application of technology for measurement, monitoring and treatment. Setup perioperative equipment for routine & emergency or non-routine, surgical procedures. State the principles and mechanics of how electro-surgery works and demonstrate knowledge of use of related equipment and suggest how complications/accidents can occur and could be prevented Distinguish between all types of suture material/wound closure devices (to include adhesive glues/clips) and their specific uses Demonstrate proficiency in the safe use of the camera and telescope during Minimal Access Surgery (MAS) in the clinical setting. Obtain relevant information to plan the work and confirm the process has been requested and is consistent with the available clinical information. Use the most appropriate, effective and available equipment according to the patient’s needs, taking action when equipment not producing the required result quality. Obtain informed consent. Prepare patient, equipment, environment and materials appropriately t o reduce the risk of the procedure. Quality assure equipment and technology is functioning and compare outcomes and overall performance is benchmarked against appropriate standards. Co-ordinate training for equipment and prosthesis PERSON PROFILE Essential Qualifications and Training Operating Departmental Practitioner or Registered Nurse (Adult). Holds Advanced scrub practitioner qualification in perioperative practice or corporate competencies. Extensive experience in orthopaedics, at least 5 years’ experience working in major elective orthopaedics and experience of working in a senior position within orthopaedics. Desirable A variety of expertise in a number of surgical specialisms Experience Essential Working as an advanced perioperative practitioner in and across surgical teams Critically applying the knowledge and skills gained through qualification or experience in advanced surgical practice. Experience of applying clinical reasoning skills to a range of complex and varied surgical procedures Challenging consultants to influence evidence based practice Share evidence based practices with colleagues to enhance service and standards Desirable Support the commercial development of the specialism locally Experience of working in partnership with consultants and participating in creating innovative solution for new services Knowledge and Technical Ability E Competence across a range of perioperative skills supported by professional and clinical knowledge E Possess the mandatory training requirements for role including infection control and health and safety competencies. E Possess Equipment and Medical Devices Competences E Trained on MS Office and other relevant packages E Demonstrate principles of accountable practice E Teaching skills and Professional assessment skills E Keeps abreast of developments in own specialisms E Business Development skills e.g. creation of business cases E Provide lead expertise in clinical specialism E English language to IELTS 7.0 E Root cause analysis DEvidence of substantial post registration continual professional development in management and clinically related and relevant subjects. D Auditing skills across clinical standards and departments. Essential Competence across a range of perioperative skills supported by professional and clinical knowledge Possess the mandatory training requirements for role including infection control and health and safety competencies. Possess Equipment and Medical Devices Competences Trained on MS Office and other relevant packages Demonstrate principles of accountable practice Teaching skills and Professional assessment skills Keeps abreast of developments in own specialisms Business Development skills e.g. creation of business cases Provide lead expertise in clinical specialism English language to IELTS 7.0 Root cause analysis Caring is our passion Succeeding together Driving excellence Doing the right thing Delivering on our promises Keeping it simple Desirable Evidence of substantial post registration continual professional development in management and clinically related and relevant subjects. Auditing skills across clinical standards and departments. Skills and Behaviours Essential Passion for Customers Planning and Organisation Problem Solving and Continuous Improvement Communication and Influencing Working Collaboratively Concern for Standards Business Focus Demonstrate your scope of practice underpins the six fundamental values of the 6 C’s (Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment) and the care they deliver to the patient at the point of contact treats them with respect and dignity. Demonstrate the Spire Values: HPC registration and regulation Willing to participate in flexible working pattern Empathy for vulnerable and sick patients Empathy for principles and importance of EO and dignity at work Flexible work processes Willing to participate in on call duties Lives within 20 minutes travelling of hospital Judgement Skills Freedom of Action Use initiative while working within established procedures, and practice to acceptable standards for team results. Work within a wide range of nursing procedures and professional guidelines. Responsible for day to day management of self and more junior members of the team. Act as an accountable practitioner guided by the precedent and clearly defined occupational policies and procedures, including the Nursing and Midwifery Council/hpc Code of Conduct. Organise own day to day work tasks or activities at own discretion under the delegation of the perioperative team leader. Environment The post holder will function within an unpredictable work pattern which requires moderate physical skills which are normally obtained through practice over a period of time. Flexible working using a shift pattern required, with on call duties