Respiratory Nurse Specialist

NHS; Wolverhampton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare provider in Wolverhampton seeks a Respiratory Nurse Specialist to provide expert care for patients with respiratory diseases. This role involves autonomous practice, working alongside a team to implement evidence-based care, and engaging in patient consultations both in-clinic and at home. The ideal candidate will have relevant qualifications and a strong commitment to patient-centered health improvements.

Qualifications

• Experience managing a caseload of patients with respiratory conditions.
• Competency in spirometry and FeNO testing.
• Experience delivering virtual clinics and/or group consultations.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert care and management for patients with respiratory diseases.
• Initiate investigations for patients on respiratory pathways.
• Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately.
• Deliver care according to local and national guidelines.
• Manage health screening programmes and health improvement efforts.

Skills

Strong leadership and mentoring skills

Ability to work independently and within a multidisciplinary team

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Proficiency in using clinical systems (e.g., EMIS)

Commitment to continuing professional development

Education

Registered Nurse with valid NMC Pin

Independent prescribing qualification

ARTP accreditation in spirometry

Job description

Role Description: This is a 37.5 hour Mon - Fri full time role.

To provide expert care and management for patients with respiratory diseases within a primary care setting. The postholder will work alongside the Senior Respiratory Nurse Specialist and will be involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of evidence‑based care for individuals with acute and chronic respiratory conditions, fostering high standards of practice and promoting patient‑centred care.

The Respiratory Nurse Specialist will act autonomously within their professional scope of practice. They will provide care to patients face to face, by telephone consultation and also in the patients own homes. They will need to triage and prioritise the needs of patients accordingly, making any necessary referrals for investigations in the appropriate manner.

They will support the wider General Practice Nursing team including Nurse Associates, General Practice Assistants and Health Care Assistants, providing advice and guidance where applicable.

The postholder will use the skills, knowledge and competencies they have as a qualified Respiratory Nurse Specialist to be responsible and accountable for managing patient caseloads including assessment, treatment, referral and admission/discharge of patients as appropriate.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Nursing Practice

• Assess, plan, develop, implement and evaluate care that promotes health and well‑being, and prevents adverse effects that are detrimental to health
• Carry out holistic and thorough reviews of patients with Asthma and COPD
• Initiate investigations for patients on respiratory pathways
• Carry out spirometry if indicated, and interpret the results (where qualified)
• Implement and evaluate individual care plans for patients with Asthma and COPD, ensuring patients understand how to manage any exacerbations or changes in symptoms
• Identify and manage patients at risk of developing respiratory disease
• Recommend and prescribe inhaled or other treatment therapies in line with local and national guidance, aiming for good symptom control (where qualified)
• Provide patients with teaching to ensure good inhaler technique
• Prioritise health problems and intervene appropriately to assist the patient in complex, urgent or emergency situations, including the initiation of effective emergency care
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that encourage good health, deliver opportunistic health promotion at all times and support the principles of self‑care
• Provide information and advice on prescribed or over‑the‑counter medication regimes, side effects and interactions
• Advise, support and, if required, administer vaccinations recommended for respiratory patients, including influenza and pneumonia vaccines
• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultations, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
• Prioritise, organise and manage own workload that maintains and promotes quality
• Deliver care according to the BTS/SIGN, GINA and NICE guidelines and evidence‑based care following the Black Country ICB Respiratory Guidelines for Asthma/COPD
• Understand and apply the legal policy that supports the identification of vulnerable and abused adults and children, being aware of local policies, guidelines and procedures
• Actively involve in reaching QOF targets related to the specialty
• Be aware and work towards any current enhanced services
• Keep up to date with changes in guidance and feed learning back to the wider team
• Carry out home visits for respiratory patients who are not able to attend the surgery
• Offer expert advice in the management of the patient’s long‑term condition
• Undertake other Clinical Nursing at an advanced level as directed by the Lead Nurse
• Participate in regular review of prescribing practice with prescribing mentor
• Request diagnostic investigations and interpret within agreed protocols (e.g. spirometry, X‑ray, blood tests, scans, etc.)
• Assess, diagnose and treat patients in practice premises or their own home who require medical attention and/or refer to appropriate agency
• Refer patients to other members of the multidisciplinary practice team, secondary care organisations and other organisations as necessary

Care Management

• Communicate confidential and sensitive information to patients, relatives and carers in relation to their condition
• Work closely with colleagues in specialist community/secondary care health services to ensure smooth transitions between teams and services and facilitate improved access to evidence‑based interventions
• Provide day‑to‑day support and guidance to Care Coordinators and Health Coaches to connect patients to appropriate community and voluntary sector support
• Facilitate respiratory health assessments in practice and support the practice team in accessing appropriate level of services
• Provide highly specialised care advice beyond the scope of normal nursing practice (e.g. care treatment plans, making referrals as appropriate, including fast‑track referrals)
• Contribute to local and national practice targets such as QOF, prescribing incentive scheme and national benchmarking
• Monitor and meet care outcomes against standards and recommend or initiate changes as necessary

Health Improvement

• Manage health screening programmes and ensure other team members are aware of health priorities, screening objectives and programmes
• Drive innovation in practice to meet ongoing demands on the practice’s delivery of care
• Improve health outcomes for patients by introducing new developments and demonstrating them in reports and presentations where appropriate
• Support practitioners in reporting the practice population to promote health improvement and disease prevention
• Make referrals to appropriate agencies (statutory and voluntary) where necessary

Administration and Professional Responsibilities

• Produce accurate, contemporaneous and complete records of patient consultations, consistent with legislation, policies and procedures
• Participate in the administrative and professional responsibilities of the practice team
• Record accurate and legible notes of all consultations and treatments in the patient’s notes
• Ensure clinical systems are kept up to date, recording and/or amending accurate details
• Ensure appropriate items of service claims are made accurately and report any problems to the practice administrator
• Ensure accurate completion of all necessary documentation associated with patient health care and registration with the practice
• Attend and participate in practice meetings as required
• Restock and maintain clinical areas and consulting rooms

Training and Personal Development

• Maintain up‑to‑date skills and knowledge, and be aware of professional issues at an advanced level
• Receive training needs monitoring through yearly appraisal in accordance with practice requirements; personal development is encouraged and supported by the practice
• Assess effectiveness of care delivery through self‑reflection and peer review, benchmarking and formal evaluation; contribute to the identification and assessment of learning needs of staff and other professionals and assist in planning effective education programmes; participate in the education and training of students of all disciplines
• Maintain revalidation with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Act as a mentor for junior staff, assessing competence against set standards
• Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance, demonstrating skills and activities to others undertaking similar work and ensuring own educational commitment is sufficient to maintain revalidation requirements
• Develop and maintain a Personal Learning Plan
• Regularly participate in clinical supervision

Leadership, Personal and People Development

• Act as a clinical leader in the delivery of practice nursing services, ensuring patient needs are a priority
• Recognise and work within own competence and the professional code of conduct regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
• Delegate clearly and appropriately, adopting the principles of safe practice and assessment of competence of those taking on delegated duties
• Support staff development to maximise potential
• Actively promote the workplace as a learning environment, encouraging everyone to learn from each other and from external good practice
• Critically evaluate and review innovations and developments relevant to the area of work
• Work with practice management/Lead Nurse to ensure sufficient staffing to provide a safe service and that staff have the appropriate ability, quality and skill‑mix to meet current and future service delivery
• Take part in recruitment processes where appropriate
• Maintain effective communication and active involvement in the planning and processes of practice‑based commissioning or similar initiatives
• Promote the role of the Respiratory Specialist Nurse in General practice

Management Duties

• Develop and maintain practice policies and protocols for Specialist Respiratory Health
• Work closely with Lead Nurse and Senior Respiratory Specialist Nurse and deputise at senior level as required
• Ensure agreed practice audits are carried out
• Ensure Lead Nurse/Hub Managers are aware of any matters arising or potential problems
• Ensure all surgery‑produced nursing respiratory leaflets are kept up to date

About us

Our vision is to develop a partnership between patients and our clinicians that allows us together to deliver high quality health and social care services, and meet the needs of the population of Wolverhampton and beyond.

As Health and Beyond we are committed to working together to ensure our communities receive the best evidence‑based care possible, and will strive to ensure patients views are heard and that their journey through Health and Beyond health system is seamless through integration and strong partnership working with our stakeholders.

Delivering excellence in innovation that benefits patients, employees and commissioners with strong inter‑professional programmes and bespoke care.

Including South East Primary Care Network which is within our geographical area.

Person Specification

Professional and Governance Expectations

• Adhere to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and other relevant regulations
• Maintain confidentiality and uphold the highest standards of care and integrity
• Participate in regular appraisal, supervision, and mandatory training programmes

Experience

• Experience in managing a caseload of patients with respiratory conditions
• Competency in spirometry and FeNO testing
• Experience in delivering virtual clinics and/or group consultations

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with valid NMC Pin
• Experience in managing a caseload of patients with respiratory conditions
• Competency in spirometry and FeNO testing
• Independent prescribing qualification or commitment to completing this training
• ARTP accreditation in spirometry or willingness to achieve this certification
• Experience in delivering virtual clinics and/or group consultations
• Familiarity with home oxygen therapy and nebuliser assessments

Skills & Knowledge

• Strong leadership and mentoring skills
• Ability to work independently and within a multidisciplinary team
• Proficiency in using clinical systems (e.g. EMIS) for patient documentation
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to continuing professional development

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.

Depending on experienceDepends on competency & experience £24.45-£27.98ph