Cardiology Nurse Specialist

NHS; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated nurse to join a dedicated cardiology team. In this role, you will provide high-quality care to patients with heart failure, working independently and within a multidisciplinary team. You'll have the chance to lead educational programs, manage complex cases, and develop your skills in a supportive environment. This forward-thinking organization is committed to delivering exceptional patient care and offers opportunities for professional growth and development. If you are passionate about making a difference in patients' lives and advancing your career, this role is perfect for you.

Qualifications

• First level registered nurse with a degree and cardiac course.
• Experience in team management and complex assessments.

Responsibilities

• Assess and manage patients with heart failure independently.
• Lead education programs for patients and their families.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Teamwork

Critical Thinking

Clinical Decision Making

Communication Skills

Education

Registered Nurse

Degree Level Education

Heart Failure/Cardiac Course

Job description

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

An exciting and challenging opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, imaginative and motivated nurse to work with the cardiology team. The Nurse will function independently and work within a team of doctors and other medical practitioners. The ideal candidate will currently be working within cardiology and have coronary care experience.Following a period of induction training you will be expected to work independently within the Emergency Department and Acute Admissions Units assessing patients. Assess and manage patients with heart failure both in the inpatient and outpatient setting offering education and support to patients, carers and families.The post holder must exhibit excellent communication and organizational skills.There is scope to develop within the team and acquire the necessary skills for career progression.The successful candidate would work across all areas of the nursing team. The ideal candidate would be a non-medical prescriber or a desire to pursue this quickly upon appointment.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will have responsibility for the delivery of the clinical service in the defined area. The post holder will be required to provide team leadership and management to a team.
• The primary function of the role is to provide leadership, management and communication to and for the team, ensuring the delivery of efficient, effective, co-ordinated and responsive high-quality care to patients and their families/carers.)
• The Team Manager role is a first level nurse with advanced heart failure skills in the care of the individual with heart failure.
• The nurse will be attached to and work closely with a group of General Practices as a specialist support for specialist heart failure in the community and /or will work with hospital colleagues to provide a specialist heart failure service within the hospital environment.
• The service is provided over 5 days. The post-holder/team will work to a 5-day rota and will also support an on call rota for weekends and bank holidays. The post holder will be expected to attend the partnership working, building professional relationships with GPs, acute physicians, public and voluntary sector colleagues
• Principally the post holder will be available to advise and support staff in all aspects of the care of the person with heart failure. The post holder's key roles will include influencing the quality of patient care via formal and informal educational and development processes

About us

The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley Teaching Hospitals and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.

From 1st July we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.

The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.

Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:

CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate

SAFETY that is of the highest standards

COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful

SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable

PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients

Our achievements include:

• Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)

Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Job responsibilities

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate care delivery according to individual changing health care needs using informed clinical reasoning and professional judgements when organising, implementing and monitoring programmes of care for individual patients.
• Work independently when monitoring and managing a caseload of patients with NYHA Class 111-1V Heart Failure.
• Lead education programmes, supporting patients to achieve independence to the patients maximum potential whilst working as part of a multidisciplinary team, for this cohort of patients and their carers.
• Actively up-titrate evidence based medication as per guidelines and when necessary, adjust dose of diuretics to improve patients condition and prognosis, (in conjunction with both acute physicians, General Practitioners)
• Lead on the development, implementation and running of the heart failure clinics held within the community.
• Actively manage problematic patients NYHA Class III and IV, monitoring their on -going management.
• Facilitate patients to make lifestyle and behaviour changes in order to improve their quality of life and avoid admission/readmission to hospital.
• As part of a patients assessment take blood samples, , weight, height, BMI and blood pressure checks including performing renal profile and routine blood monitoring
• In conjunction with patient and carer, identify other healthcare needs and refer to appropriate professional to deal with those needs.
• Maintain a flexible schedule to meet the needs of individual patients referred to the Community Heart Failure Team by primary and secondary agencies according to agreed referral criteria and care pathway.
• Act as a resource and advisor for specialist heart failure advice and liaise with GP/Practice Nurses in providing continuous education, support and advice in the care of people with CHD/Heart Failure.
• Actively contribute to service improvement within the Specialist Heart Failure Team, supporting quality improvement approaches to maximise the patients experience.
• Implement the delivery of Infection Control practice within area of responsibility, ensuring compliance to mandatory training requirements.
• Act as an advocate for self-care strategies, including the use of Telehealth and Telecare as appropriate.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Keep accurate records as per Trust policy and NMC guidance. Maintain cotemporaneous record keeping.
• Prioritise workload to meet the needs of patients and the CDT.
• Attend meetings as required.
• Provide data on performance indicators monthly to line manager e.g. number of contacts with patients etc.
• Develop professional links nationally and locally acting as the advocate for the Specialist Heart Failure Service, attending appropriate professional meetings e.g. North West Heart Failure Forums
• Maintain effective communication both within and outside of the clinical team to ensure that patient needs are met by the most appropriate agency.
• To communicate with patients and carers to maximise their involvement and understanding of their condition, care and treatment.
• Provide effective skilled communication of sensitive issues, counselling and reassurance to maximise patient and carer wellbeing.
• Maintain competence in IT skills and make best use of IT systems to enhance patient care.
• Maintain contemporaneous clinical records in line with Trust Clinical Records Policy.

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the service manager in ensuring the team provides care which is evidence-based and in line with local and national Clinical Guidelines and Policy
• Support the monitoring of quality and practice standards within the team, supporting Care Quality Commission (CQC) outcomes. Identify and report any issues relating to poor clinical standards/clinical risk within the Heart Failure team.
• To be aware of, and adhere to, policies and procedures relating to safeguarding children, and vulnerable adults.
• To have in-depth knowledge of NMC standards and guidance, understand implications for, and be able to, apply to practice for example:

Code of Professional Conduct, standards for conduct, performance and ethics

Records of Record keeping

Standards of proficiency for nurse and midwife prescribers

Standards to support learning and assessment in practice

• Participate in quality initiatives, to promote the development of community nursing.
• To monitor outcomes and propose changes to working practice, supporting clinical audit and evidence gathering for CQC, service checklists, patient feedback including information from patient surveys
• Develop educational programmes to meet the needs of patients with heart failure and their carers in the community setting.
• Contribute to the development, provision and delivery of educational programmes and resources for patients, carers, care home staff and all health care professionals to improve patient care.
• Participate in the development of health promotion and health education activities, including awareness raising sessions.
• Participate in teaching of registered and non-registered staff involved in cardiac care.
• Participate in clinical placement of students/staff undertaking nurse training.
• Support clinical supervision, providing opportunities for staff participation in the service.

LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the effective use of staff within the team, promoting flexible deployment of staff across the service.
• Maintain minimal clinical stock levels and the effective use of clinical stock.
• To complete timely returns on an individual level relating to activity and performance.
• Manage time and resources effectively, having an ability to prioritise workload and to be flexible in response to changing or urgent needs when required.
• Act as the designated signatory for time claims and mileage for staff working within the team.
• Participate in the PDR process ensuring compliance for staff working within the service.
• Ensure compliance for own mandatory training and for staff working in the service.
• Participate in recruitment and retention of staff.

RESEARCH & AUDIT

• To contribute to new ways of working and the modernisation of nursing / public health agenda.
• To support the formulation of policies/protocols/guidelines within sphere of work.
• Develop areas of special interest, participate in the development of projects and assist the service manager in the implementation of projects, facilitating a quality improvement approach.
• Contribute to the workforce plan ensuring a climate is created where individuals and the team are supported and empowered to achieve individual and collective development in order to be effective in their role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• First level registered nurse
• Recognised post registration Heart Failure/Cardiac course e.g. HEA 765
• Educated to Degree Level
• Clinical Examination course
• Willingness to undertake further relevant qualifications
• Non-medical prescriber
• Support service improvement
• Community Nursing Qualification

Knowledge & Experience

• Multi-disciplinary / multi-agency working
• Undertaking complex assessments and the planning and evaluation of care relating to cardiac and heart failure patients
• Experience in team management
• Demonstrated Specialist interest in cardiac nursing
• An experience of working/dealing with patients with heart failure
• Primary care experience

Skills

• Evidence of effective interpersonal skills
• Team worker and ability to work autonomously
• Ability to problem solve and make clinical decisions using advanced critical thinking and reasoning within informed professional judgement
• Understanding of NMC standards and implications to practice
• Motivated and enthusiastic
• High clinical standards
• Awareness of current NHS policy and organisational change.
• Commitment to service and quality improvement
• Motivated to self-develop
• Knowledge of lone working risks and associated risk management
• Understanding of clinical governance framework and implications for practice
• Ability to work independently in community setting
• Knowledge of current community issues and up to date clinical and leadership skills

Other

• Requires frequent periods of concentration on a daily basis
• Exposure on a daily basis to a variety of complex situations requiring robust emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills

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.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust