COPD Clinical Nurse Specialist

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust; Stoke-on-Trent; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in the UK is seeking a professional to manage COPD patients in the Emergency Department. The role involves assessing patients, making treatment decisions, educating families, and ensuring proper follow-up care. The ideal candidate should have experience in acute settings and excellent collaboration skills. This position requires flexibility for a 7-day service and offers opportunities for staff development.

Qualifications

• Experience in managing COPD patients in acute settings (ED/acute medicine).
• Willingness to participate in a 7-day service and flexible working arrangements as required.

Responsibilities

• Perform a full physical health assessment on patients in ED having an exacerbation of their COPD.
• Discuss potential treatment changes and prescribe appropriately.
• Educate patients and carers around self-management.
• Ensure appropriate follow up is in place to facilitate discharge from ED.

Skills

Communication skills

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Ability to work autonomously

Job description

Overview

This post is part of the new COPD pathway with the aim of reducing hospital admissions in patients having an acute exacerbation of their COPD. The post holder will be responsible for reviewing patients in ED, optimising inhaled therapy and prescribing acutely to manage COPD exacerbations. The post holder will be a key decision maker in the admission or discharge from ED and ensuring the patient has appropriate follow up in place. The post holder will also support the development of new team members, upskill the band 6s and the wider respiratory team and liaise with primary care colleagues as the service develops on best care for complex COPD patients.

Responsibilities

• Perform a full physical health assessment on patients in ED having an exacerbation of their COPD.
• Assess suitability for discharge home vs admission and safeguard accordingly.
• Discuss potential treatment changes, including inhaled therapy, mucolytics, antibiotics, steroids & nebuliser treatment with the patient/carers and make a shared decision with the patient on treatment changes and prescribe appropriately.
• Educate patients and carers around self-management.
• Ensure appropriate follow up is in place to facilitate discharge from ED.
• Ensure appropriate patients are considered for medical follow-up, pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking cessation, long-term oxygen therapy assessments and hyperinflation interventions and complete onward referral to these services.
• Work with the Virtual Ward team to highlight patients appropriate for referral.
• Ensure that iPortal entries are up to date, accurate and saved on to the patient’s record.
• Work autonomously but with support from Senior Colleagues and the Lead Clinician.
• Hold multi-disciplinary team meetings with key professionals (primary and secondary care) to ensure robust plans to prevent future admissions.
• Provide advice and support for practice nurses and community matrons in the management of complex patients.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills with patients, medical staffing and the wider health economy.
• Assist in mapping change in the Trust and wider health economy in managing COPD patients.
• Be flexible and prepared to provide a 7‑day service as service needs change.
• Attend daily briefings/huddles with the team lead and wider COPD team to ensure good communication and handover.

Qualifications and requirements

• Experience in managing COPD patients in acute settings (ED/acute medicine).
• Excellent communication and multidisciplinary collaboration skills.
• Ability to work autonomously with appropriate support.
• Willingness to participate in a 7-day service and flexible working arrangements as required.

Other information

• All correspondence will be sent via the email address you applied from. Please check email regularly.
• References: provide email addresses for referees for the last three years of employment.
• Equality, diversity and inclusion: UHNM is committed to equality of opportunity and welcomes applications from everyone regardless of ethnicity, disability, gender, age, faith or sexual orientation. Appointment will be based on merit alone.
• Flexible working considered in line with Trust policies.
• New recruits may be required to pay for a DBS check if the role requires it.
• We work with 'trac.jobs' to support recruitment. If you have queries, read the privacy notice.
• UHNM is based at Royal Stoke and County Hospital, serving around three million people; we are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.
• We support AI in preparing supporting statements but reserve the right to reject applications where AI is used misleadingly. If AI is used, declare it in your submission.
• We reserve the right to close adverts early due to high volume of applications.
• Overseas qualifications require an official government translation through ECCTIS; this is in addition to professional registration requirements.
• If you are on a visa, you must have at least six months remaining on your visa at start date; Skilled Worker Visa exception noted.
• UHNM is committed to investing in staff development and delivering high-quality care.