Liver Health Checks Nurse

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust; Guildford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Guildford is seeking an experienced healthcare professional to deliver liver health assessments across various clinical settings. The successful candidate will coordinate care for patients engaged in cancer surveillance and provide education on liver health. This role requires a Registered Nurse with advanced communication skills and knowledge of liver disease management. A competitive salary is offered, reflecting the importance of the role in a well-respected healthcare environment.

Benefits

Comprehensive health and wellbeing program

Commitment to professional development

Outstanding CQC rating

Qualifications

• Experience assessing patients in clinical settings.
• Knowledge of cancer pathways relevant to liver disease.
• Evidence of post-qualifying professional development.

Responsibilities

• Deliver liver health assessments in various clinical settings.
• Coordinate care for patients in cancer surveillance pathways.
• Educate and promote health to patients enrolled in the program.

Skills

Advanced communication skills

Independent patient assessment

Multi-disciplinary team collaboration

Knowledge of liver disease management

Education

Registered nurse with current NMC PIN

Qualification in advanced communication skills

Tools

Clinical Governance knowledge

Job description

The Royal Surrey County Hospital is a leading general hospital and specialist Centre for cancer services and treatment, based in Guildford. The RSCH serves a population of 320,000 for emergency and general hospital services and 1.2 million people for cancer services. The hospital has an annual income of £257 million. Every year the RSCH sees around 280,000 outpatients, admits 61,000 patients for treatment and 70,000 patients attend our A&E department. The Trust is also a Centre of excellence and training for minimal access surgery.

We employ over 3000 staff, making us the second largest employer in Guildford. The results of the 2012 CQC staff survey have placed the Royal Surrey in the top 20% of Trusts in the country for many key indicators including recommendation of the Trust as a place of work or to receive treatment

Main duties of the job

The Primary purpose of the role is to deliver liver health assessments in primary and secondary care including GP surgeries, hospital clinics, the mobile outreach van, and static clinics within drug services. Additional responsibilities will include co-ordination of care for patients engaged in hepatocellular cancer surveillance pathways and work to improve access to care for Hepatitis C positive patients.

A background in clinical hepatology oncology or research would be an advantage but induction and training will be available for the successful appointee. Whilst this post may appeal to a nurse seeking a CNS role candidates with research and case management experience with appropriate skills will be eligible for appointment.

About us

Royal Surrey is a compassionate and collaborative acute and community Trust. Recognising that our 5000 colleagues are our greatest strength, we offer a comprehensive health and wellbeing program along with a commitment to developing and advancing your career. Our diverse and welcoming Royal Surrey family will ensure you that you feel valued from your initial interview through your entire tenure.

We are clinically led and provide joined up care by bridging the gap between hospital and community services alongside regional specialist cancer care. Our main acute hospital site is in Guildford with community hospital sites at Milford, Haslemere and Cranleigh. We provide adult community health services in homesaverley.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have given us an overall rating of Outstanding.

Royal Surrey has a strong reputation and history to build on. We are proud of our achievements and we are investing in our colleagues through our commitment to supporting professional development as well as investing more than £45 million in our physical environment and new equipment in the next few years. There has never been a better time to join us.

Although it isn't the Trusts normal practice, adverts may close early, so you are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.

A video about the Royal Surrey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96pMboIYdo

Job responsibilities

This post is required to expand Hepatology services for the effective delivery of a program of work in the Liver Health Checks pilot. Working with existing team members the post holder will deliver clinics designed to identify people with undiagnosed cirrhosis within target populations at risk for metabolic liver disease, alcohol related liver disease or people at risk of viral hepatitis.

This post has strategic and operational components and the post holder will be required to work with key stakeholders and patients across the network, to proactively support timely and rapid progression from diagnosis to cancer surveillance pathways for those identified on fibro scan assessment to have liver cirrhosis.

The successful candidate will be trained to undertake fibro scans a non-invasive diagnostic test to identify patients with advanced liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Community based liver health checks clinics will recruit patients for assessment working closely with GPs, the HCV ODN van team, and other stakeholders. The post holder will have a key role in delivering education and health promotion advice to all patients enrolled in the program, including those with normal diagnostic investigations.

The liver health checks practitioner will co-ordinate onward referral to secondary care liver clinics and Hepatocellular cancer surveillance pathways and will work closely with the lead clinician peer support workers and pathway navigators to retain patients in cancer surveillance pathways. There will be significant overlap with the existing HCV ODN, and the post holder will also collaborate with the existing clinical nurse specialists (HCV and HBV), hepatologists and HCV ODN MDT coordinator to ensure any patient with liver disease caused by viral hepatitis can access additional diagnostics e.g., HCV diagnostics and treatment.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Experienced healthcare professional e.g. Registered nurse with current NMC PIN Qualifications or current research practitioner with extended scope of practice including patient facing activities
• Qualification in advanced communication skills

Knowledge

• Knowledge of specialist areas relevant to this post acquired through experience in clinical settings e.g., Hepatology inpatients or outpatients, drug or alcohol services, cancer care or research. State the specific knowledge
• Experience of independent practice assessing patients in a clinical area.
• CPD - Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
• Must understand the background to and aims of current healthcare policy/national guidance/CQC/ and appreciate the implications of this on engagement for this project
• Understanding of the importance of informed consent
• Clinical Governance and risk management
• Working in a multi-disciplinary team environment
• Ability to manage own caseload in accordance with Screening targets, NHS cancer targets and working across multiple sites
• Knowledge of Liver disease management including relevant diagnostic investigations
• Understanding of Cancer Pathways relevant to liver disease surveillance and management
• Research and or audit experience

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.

£40,617 to £48,778 a year per annum pro rata - includes high cost area supplements (HCAS)