Specialist Spinal Injuries Practitoner

St. Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Sefton; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Spinal Acute Outreach Practitioner to provide information, advice, support, assessment, and follow-up for patients with spinal cord injury. You will link NWRSIC with regional teams, lead patient pathways, and contribute to education and research across the organisation.

The role includes strategic overview of patient need and bed capacity, with lead responsibilities in each pathway and a commitment to ongoing professional

Qualifications

• Clinical experience in spinal cord injury or related area.
• Ongoing continuing professional development.
• Ability to communicate sensitive information to patients.
• Ability to work across multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Provide information, advice and support to in-patients and out-patients and their relatives and carers.
• Lead in patient pathways and bed capacity planning with NWRSIC and partners across the region.
• Develop and monitor teaching programmes for NWRSIC staff, carers and external agencies.
• Coordinate liaison between services and ensure timely pre-admission care, intervention and discharge planning.
• Support nursing/AHP staff with education, supervision and mentoring.

Skills

Communication skills

Data analysis

IT skills

Clinical assessment and care planning

Research and audit

Education

Nurse registration / HCPC registration

Degree in health related area

Job description

Job overview

The purpose of the job is to provide information, advice, support, assessment, interventions, and
follow-up for patients with spinal cord injury.
The post holder will be required to continually develop and monitor the effectiveness of the spinal cord
injury services provided by the Trust.
The post holder will be required to liaise and communicate effectively across multi-disciplinary teams
to ensure seamless and effective care for patients with spinal cord injury.

Main duties of the job

The Spinal Acute Outreach Practitioner will link the Northwest Regional Spinal Injuries Centre
(NWRSIC) with patients and Multi professional teams in the three Northwest Major Trauma Centres
(MTC), Intermediate Care Services, Primary, and Secondary Care. They will provide expert advice
on spinal cord injury management, education, and research at every level within the organisation as
well as having a strategic overview of patient need and bed capacity in all parts of the system.
To take a lead role in each individual patient pathway for those referred to the NWRSIC.
To assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of programmes of speciality-based
teaching ensuring learning objectives are achieved for all staff of the NWRSIC, carers, family, and
external agencies.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

Our services

Our services:

Acute Care

Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care

Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services

Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services

We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL

1. Ensure nursing care is delivered in an expert and professional manner compatible with current
   research-based protocols and be responsible for maintaining accurate, effective and
   comprehensive written nursing records by regularly evaluating nursing documentation in
   accordance with the NMC / HCPC guidelines.
2. Provide support and assessment for in-patients/day case/acute outreach patients.
3. Provision of information, advice and support to in-patients and out-patients and their relatives and
   carers.
4. Provide support to ward staff, liaison between services.
5. Develop and manage nurse-led services in assessment, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of
   patients.
6. Act as Key Worker to patients undergoing investigations and diagnosis of spinal cord injury.
7. Provide support to services to ensure timely and appropriate pre-admission care, in-patient
   interventions, and discharge planning.
8. In conjunction with the Multi-Disciplinary Team, provide support to patients undergoing spinal cord
   injury surgery and treatment.
9. Ensure effective liaison and referral processes with other specialities for example the three
   Northwest Major Trauma Centres, Intermediate Care Services, Primary, and Secondary Care.
10. Act on concerns raised by team members or service users taking appropriate action according to
    Trust Policies and Guidelines.
11. Demonstrate and monitor competency in clinical skills including clinical examination required for
    the post and work to define protocols and guidelines for example clinical examination, non-medical
    prescribing.

LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT

1. Maintain professional competence, authority and credibility through clinical practice, acting as a
   role model and leader, providing supervision, support and mentorship to nursing staff.
2. Contribute to the service development of Spinal Cord Injury services within the Trust.
3. Promote and disseminate best practice within the Trust and external networks.
4. Assist in the development, implementation and monitoring of evidence‑based nursing practice
   standards, guidelines, protocols, policies, and care pathways.
5. Support Trust managers and NWRSIC leads to achieve appropriate targets for Spinal Cord Injury
   Service.
6. Actively participate in peer review, clinical and managerial supervision.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

1. Identify and provide support, advice, and teaching to nursing/AHPs and junior medical staff in the
   care and management of patients with spinal cord injury.
2. Contribute to in‑house clinical skills programmes.
3. Act as a mentor/supervisor for nurses/AHPs undertaking higher educational awards within the
   speciality.
4. Contribute to the pre‑registration nurse's educational experience, acting as a mentor for practice
   placements.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE

1. To develop and implement clinical audit of own practice, protocols and procedures to demonstrate
   clinical effectiveness.
2. Act on concerns raised by team members or service users taking appropriate action according to
   Trust Policies and Guidelines.
3. Record and report incidents, accidents, or complaints to the Head of Nursing and act in
   accordance with Trust Policy.
4. Participate and lead in clinical research.
5. To introduce and apply research findings to nursing practice where relevant.
6. Act in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Code of Conduct/Professional Body at all times.
7. Undertake appropriate mandatory training in infection control and comply with all Trust Infection
   Control policies relevant to the post, particularly with regard to the Hand Hygiene Policy.
8. Ensure compliance to all Trust Risk Management, Research Governance and Infection Control
   Policies and Procedures and abide by the Standards for Better Health.
9. Responsible for ensuring own continuing professional development and identifying development
   needs within the Trust knowledge and skills development review process.
10. Contribute to the Trust's programmes for monitoring and ensuring adherence to Clinical
    Standards, for example NICE Guidelines, Quality Surveillance Programme and National Service
    Frameworks

Person specification

Our Values

• We are Kind
• We are Open
• We are Inclusive

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• First level registered nurse / HCPC Registered Allied Health Professional
• Degree in health related area
• Post registration qualification in specialist area
• Teaching and mentor qualification eg. Level 6: Mentoring in Practice
• Advanced communications skills

Desirable criteria

• Recognised counselling qualification eg Level 3: Diploma in Counselling Skills

Experience

Essential criteria

• Clinical experience in specialty or Spinal Cord Injury related area
• Experience of ongoing continuing professional development
• Understanding of professional priorities and issues

Desirable criteria

• Participation in service development and implement of change

Skills

Essential criteria

• Ability to communicate unpleasant/sensitive information to patients in a variety of settings
• Able to influence and overcome resistance through application of communication skills
• Able to analyse data and provide written reports
• Intermediate IT skills in word processing and spreadsheets
• Able to prioritise, meet deadlines, use initiative and make decisions
• Knowledge of professional and NHS issues and policy relating to specialist areas
• Able to present information to professional groups
• Able to perform assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of nursing care
• Able to participate/undertake clinical audit and research

Other

Essential criteria

• Frequent sitting or standing in a restricted position, occasional moderate effort for short periods
• Walks, stands most of shift, occasionally maneuvers patients
• Ability to drive to all areas within the Northwest Region daily (Lancashire, Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Cumbria)
• Frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable. Concentration for patient clinical work
• Occasional distressing/highly distressing or emotional circumstances. Deals with patient complaints, conveys unwelcome news, complaints, concerns arising from incident communicated to patients and relatives
• Occasional/frequent unpleasant conditions. Conditions relating to carrying out clinical/technical duties
• Extensive travel required across the Northwest
• Lone Worker

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification.