Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
This is a development opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated, NMC registered nurse preferably with knowledge, skills, and expertise in TB nursing to join our team. The TB specialist nurse will support the team leader and clinical lead for TB community nursing providing a comprehensive Pan Mersey TB service encompassing disease control, care, and prevention. The team adopts a multi-disciplinary approach, maintaining close links to all relevant hospitals, community agencies, and Public Health England.
The successful applicants will be required to assess adults and children for TB, screen with Mantoux or IGRA, administer BCG vaccine, promote and undertake HIV testing, undertake holistic assessments applying national and local guidelines, caseload manage, identify close contacts of index cases, and facilitate appropriate screening. There is a requirement to visit adults, children, and families with active TB at home across the pan Mersey region during their treatment, including those with MDR/XDR TB, HIV, and other comorbidities. There is a requirement to teach, undertake service audit, and maintain IT literacy. Applicants should have good interpersonal and communication skills, having an ability to communicate sensitive information to patients and relatives where there may be barriers to communication or reassurance is required. Applicants should be able to travel in a timely manner across Merseyside to undertake home visits and deliver clinics.
Main duties of the job
The TB team provides specialist advice, leadership, and clinical service in relation to TB. The goals of the service are to identify and reduce the risk of people being newly infected with TB and provide high-quality treatment and care for all people with TB. The TB team will achieve these goals by making all relevant groups of people aware of the facts of TB, strengthening more active case finding amongst high-risk groups including contact tracing, and ensuring everyone suspected of having the disease has rapid access to TB services. These services are needed by a range of groups with differing needs and are delivered in a variety of settings including community settings, clinics, patients' homes, and in the acute sector. This is a flexible role to provide care to individuals, families, and communities in response to changing local need.
The post will be based in a Liverpool community clinic with close links to all relevant hospitals, community agencies, and the health protection agency. The TB specialist nurse will act as a positive role model for all nurses through demonstration of expert clinical practice in the area of TB. The post holder will provide specialist knowledge and advice to all healthcare professionals, patients, and carers.
Job responsibilities
* To maintain a TB Database detailing TB patients' treatment, disease pattern, location, and outcome. Also, identifying numbers of contacts and New Entrants screened and numbers of BCGs given, to assist with management follow-up and clinical audit; and to monitor the effectiveness of service.
* To follow cases out of hospital and ensure they are taking their medication as directed and monitor for any side effects, liaising with the TB specialist nurse team leader and treating physicians should problems occur. To undertake a holistic assessment of patient needs and ensure appropriate agencies locally and nationally are involved to resolve any problems.
* To identify those patients who may be at risk of non-concordance with medication and initiate and monitor strategies that will assist the client to adhere to an appropriate regimen, involving the most appropriate agencies.
* To identify close contacts of Index cases through careful questioning and ensure that they are invited to clinic for screening for symptoms. Also, to provide those identified with appropriate information about TB and answer questions.
* To visit all TB cases throughout their treatment, including those with multi-drug resistance and those infected with HIV.
* Promote HIV testing and be prepared to develop knowledge and skills in HIV testing.
* To perform Tuberculin tests at home, hospital, and clinic as part of the TB testing programme and to interpret the results and take the appropriate action. To administer the BCG vaccine to individuals.
* Nurse prescribing.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Registered Nurse (Adult) Level 1
* Evidence of recent CPD
* Registered nurse with a thorough knowledge and demonstrable achievements within chest medicine
* Level 3 study
* Degree
* Management and clinical leadership experience.
* Relevant TB qualification or adequate knowledge of TB prevention, care & control
Experience
* Experience of working with vulnerable groups
* Community nursing/primary care experience
Knowledge
* Knowledge of primary and secondary care interface
* Basic knowledge of computer literacy
Skills
* Evidence of being able to communicate complex information and advice on healthcare to patients/carers/colleagues
* Self-management and motivation skills
* Ability to identify care needs independently and/or accept referrals from other agencies
* Able to work autonomously and as part of a team
* Vaccination and immunisation skills (or willingness to train)
Other
* Commitment
* Flexible working approach
* Innovative and enthusiastic
* Trustworthy and reliable
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.
Salary: £37,338 to £44,962 a year, pro Rata
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