The Heart Failure Nurse Specialist team at Portsmouth Hospitals University Trust are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic heart failure nurse specialist to undertake a fixed-term pilot study into an alternate treatment pathway.
The role will involve physically assessing patients within the Cardiology ward areas to identify patients whose discharge could be safely expedited with quick post-discharge follow up, for the continuation of their treatment in the outpatient environment (including medication optimisation and diuretic adjustment). The applicant would be involved in both the identification of suitable patients, and their follow-up management in an outpatient clinic.
You will have experience of working independently and managing your own caseload of physically assessing patients with a diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) or preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and have confidence optimising medications and adjusting diuretics as a non-medical prescriber.
The position is funded for 3 days a week (22.5 hours) and will finish at the end of March 2025. The role will be used to collect the necessary data to show the benefits to the patient journey and experience, with a view to longer term implementation.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities:
As a nursing expert the post holder will demonstrate a high level of specialist knowledge and experience within the field of heart failure, working independently to manage a varied caseload of patients, delivering high quality individualised, evidence based personalised patient care. As a non-medical prescriber, you will effectively initiate guideline directed medications and establish appropriate levels of monitoring to match the patients clinical circumstances. Working as a nurse specialist you will provide advice, education and support to patients (and their families) with a diagnosis of heart failure, to promote self-care and autonomy.
The successful applicant will be an experienced heart failure nurse specialist with the appropriate physical assessment and history taking qualifications, alongside non-medical prescribing rights. The individual will need to be organised and have a history of managing a caseload and organising follow up appointments in a safe and timely fashion. Although there will be a team supporting the heart failure nurse specialist with this pilot study, there will be independent working involved in the position.
About us
Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we are proud to provide expert, compassionate care for our local population. We are ranked as the third in the country for research, embedding education and training across the organisation. Our main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals on the south coast employing over 8,700 staff.
Our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for getting it right for patients, colleagues, and our community, you will find a home at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The heart failure service at Queen Alexandra Hospital supports patients with a confirmed diagnosis of heart failure in both the inpatient and outpatient setting, including the running of an ambulatory clinic and management duties for the cardiac rhythm management (CRM) team. The primary aim of the heart failure service is to improve patients quality of life and promote positive outcomes through effective and timely medication initiation/up-titration. Symptom management is a priority at all points of the patient journey.
The successful applicant will be undertaking a pilot study looking into reducing the length of stay for patients with a diagnosis of heart failure on the cardiology wards. This will be a quality improvement exercise, using safe expedited discharges with quick follow up in the outpatient environment that will be run by the successful heart failure nurse specialist.
Key Responsibilities:
As a nursing expert you will demonstrate a high level of specialist knowledge and experience within the field of heart failure, working independently to manage a varied caseload of patients, delivering high quality individualised, evidence based personalised patient care. As a non-medical prescriber, you will effectively initiate guideline directed medications and establish appropriate levels of monitoring to match the patients clinical circumstances. Working as a nurse specialist you will provide advice, education and support to patients (and their families) with a diagnosis of heart failure, to promote self-care and autonomy.
The successful applicant will be an experienced heart failure nurse specialist with the appropriate physical assessment and history taking qualifications, alongside non-medical prescribing rights. The individual will need to be organised and have a history of managing a caseload and organising follow up appointments in a safe and timely fashion. Although there will be a team supporting the heart failure nurse specialist with this pilot study, there will be independent working involved in the position.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
* Must be an experienced heart failure nurse specialist due to the short-term nature of the role
Skills & Knowledge
Essential
* History taking and physical assessment skills.
* Clinical knowledge pertaining to speciality.
* Clinical decision making skills.
* Effective leadership and communication skills.
* Organisational skills and forward planning.
* Flexibility.
* Able to support development of others.
* Critical appraisal skills.
* IT and computer skills. Strong customer service skills.
Desirable
* Coaching and mentoring skills.
* Peripheral cannulation and venesection.
* Knowledge of effective budgetary management.
* Advanced communication skills.
Qualifications
Essential
* Current RN, registration with NMC and any other relevant post registration qualifications.
* BSc Degree in relevant field or evidence of ability to study at degree level.
* Evidence of working towards the BSH Heart Failure Competency Framework.
* Post Reg qualifications for the specialist area of heart failure.
* Accredited Independent Non-Medical Prescribing course at level 6 or 7.
* Accredited history taking and physical examination module at level 6 or 7.
* Foundation level understanding of research.
* Intermediate Life Support qualification.
* Experience within specialty of heart failure with evidence of professional development.
* Experience of appraising and developing others.
* Experience of change and practice improvement.
* Experience of developing a service including writing of policies, guidelines and managing resources.
* Experience of clinical audit.
Desirable
* Masters degree or evidence of working towards completion.
* Completion of the BSH Heart Failure Competency Framework.
* Accredited leadership/managerial development program or evidence of working towards completion.
* Teaching qualification/experience with an accredited NMC mentorship course.
* Counselling qualification and or experience in counselling patients both newly diagnosed and in advanced or end stage heart failure.
* Completion of a level 6 or 7 research and evidence based module.
* Completion of a level 6 or 7 clinical assessment, diagnostic and decision-making module.
* Experience of remote clinical assessment.
Employer details
Employer name
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust
Address
Queen Alexandra Hospital
Southwick Hill Road, Cosham
PO6 3LY
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