Tissue Viability Specialist Nurse

Northampton General Hospital Nhs Trust; Northampton, Kettering; Sur place; GBP 45 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

The Tissue Viability Clinical Nurse Specialist provides expert leadership and specialist clinical support across University Hospitals Northamptonshire to improve skin integrity, prevent pressure ulcers and enhance outcomes for patients with complex wounds. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, develop care pathways, and promote evidence‑based practice.

Responsibilities include education and training, audits of pressure ulcer data, service development, and collaboration across Kettering General

Qualifications

• Expert leadership in tissue viability and wound care.
• Ability to educate and train staff across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience leading audits and service improvement initiatives.

Responsabilités

• Provide expert clinical and professional leadership to the Tissue Viability service.
• Lead prevention of pressure ulcers and skin damage across sites.
• Develop policies, guidelines and care pathways for tissue viability.
• Educate and support staff, supervise junior specialist nurses, and drive professional development.
• Undertake audits and analyse data to support patient safety and service improvement.
• Represent the Trust in tissue viability matters and support strategic objectives.

Connaissances

Clinical leadership

Wound care

Education & training

Audit & data analysis

Staff supervision

Description du poste

Job summary

The Tissue Viability Clinical Nurse Specialist is responsible for providing expert leadership and specialist clinical support across University Hospitals Northamptonshire to improve skin integrity, prevent pressure ulcers, and enhance outcomes for patients with complex wounds.

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing specialist assessment, treatment advice, and care planning for patients with complex wounds and tissue viability needs.
• Leading initiatives to prevent pressure ulcers, skin damage, and other avoidable tissue viability complications across the organisation.
• Acting as an expert clinical resource for nursing, medical, and multidisciplinary teams, offering guidance on wound management and dressing selection.
• Delivering education and training programmes to develop staff knowledge and competence in tissue viability and wound care.
• Providing visible clinical leadership, supporting best practice, quality improvement, and service development initiatives.
• Managing and supporting junior specialist nurses, including supervision, appraisal, coaching, and professional development.
• Undertaking audits, monitoring pressure ulcer prevalence and incidence, analysing data, and presenting findings to support service improvement and patient safety.
• Leading the development and implementation of policies, guidelines, care pathways, and evidence-based practice related to tissue viability.
• Participating in research, evaluation, and innovation projects to improve clinical outcomes and strengthen the evidence base for tissue viability care.
• Representing the Trust locally and nationally, promoting excellence in tissue viability services and supporting strategic organisational objectives.

About us

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) brings together Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust. As a group, we are committed to improving services for our communities through collaboration, modernising care delivery and striving for excellence. Working together enables us to share expertise, strengthen services and create greater opportunities, and there may be a requirement to work across sites depending on service needs.

Our Excellence Values are Compassion, Accountability, Respect, Integrity and Courage. UHN welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to an inclusive working environment. We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and hold the Gold Award under the Employer Recognition Scheme. Candidates who identify as members of the Armed Forces community and meet the essential criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Job responsibilities

Leadership

Provide expert clinical and professional advice and support to the multi-disciplinary team within the Trust and as appropriate within Primary care and other partner agencies. Provide clinical and professional leadership to support and inspire colleagues with regard to improving patient/client services in Tissue Viability and to support strategic planning of Tissue Viability service and the development of professional practice.

Monitor and record prevalence and incidence of patient pressure ulcers. Proactively lead the reduction of all types of skin damage (Category 4, 3, 2 & Unstageable pressure ulcers), Deep Tissue Injuries and Moisture-Associated Skin Damage. Provide visible leadership and clinical expertise on the wards and departments 60% of the time. Proactively develop innovative ways to promote skincare and reduce skin damage (recognising the need to utilise external opportunities to enhance knowledge & care). Educate and support staff to manage complex wounds.

Patient and Client Care Developments

Provide and support an expert level of care to patients presenting with, or at risk of, compromised Tissue Viability. To include the assessment of patients, initiation of treatment, assessment of care delivered and the interpretation of investigations relating to wound care management.

Ensure that referrals to the Tissue Viability Team are managed and prioritised within the service and, where appropriate, exercise referral rights to other specialties.

Work in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team and involve users of the service to gain their input to service development to ensure continuous improvement in patient care.

Advise and support on service developments/improvements that will be of benefit to patients, whilst assisting the Trust to meet objectives.

Support the multi-disciplinary team in delivering patient care ensuring sound clinical and ethical decision-making in relation to Tissue Viability.

Ensure that appropriate, consistent and realistic information is provided to patients and relatives.

Actively participate in the delivery of clinical care for patients with compromised Tissue Viability, maintain clinical credibility and professional expertise.

Assess, monitor and report clinical risks associated with Tissue Viability. Challenge own and others practice. Support the development and delivery of action plans to eliminate associated risks, evaluate outcomes of the same.

At all times adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery (NMC), Code of Professional Conduct and local Trust policies, protocols and guidelines. Be actively involved in clinical supervision and peer review.

Maintain clinical and professional credibility through personal and professional development as identified by the post holders annual appraisal.

Education and Training and Research

Support on the development of integration of education, research and practice development Trustwide. Develop effective links with other individuals and teams and to support these initiatives.

Share professional knowledge and expertise through formal and informal teaching using flexible methods of delivery.

Support in the identification of an respond to any appropriate education needs within the Trust, enabling practitioners to develop clinically based competencies, thus ensuring that they are effective in providing quality service provision.

Promote a reflective, enquiring approach to clinical practice and support the use of clinical supervision to enhance the quality of patient care.

Maintain an extensive knowledge of Tissue Viability care by continuing self development, including regular review of performance and a high level of critical self-awareness.

Develop and provide face to face, on-line and workbooks to provide and enhance education and specialist knowledge on tissue viability, including wound care.

Management Responsibilities

Contribute to the review of annual Tissue Viability objectives in collaboration with other TVN staff and professional groups.

Promote effective communication to all members of the multi-disciplinary team, patients and carers to ensure swift dissemination of Tissue Viability information and advice.

Manage and support the development of the Tissue Viability service.

Provide feedback to ward/departmental managers for performance management and annual appraisal purposes.

Version January 2025

To assess the current treatments and make recommendations for the provision of appropriate resources to improve clinical outcomes whilst monitoring cost effectiveness in care provision.

Monitor the contracts and use of specialist Tissue Viability equipment to ensure clinical objectives are met.

Take appropriate measures to ensure the health and safety of patients, visitors and staff, reporting incidences, accidents and hazards to appropriate managers.

Ensure accurate documentation is maintained for any advice and information given within the Trust and to outside agencies.

Represent the Trust locally and nationally through appropriate agreed Tissue Viability organisations and groups.

Support the Tissue Viability team in the production of a quarterly and annual report for the service and disseminate accordingly.

Develop and maintain audit schedule for SSKIN skin damage training compliance, audit compliance.

Develop and maintain processes within the service that monitor and record pressure damage RCA, SI, Coroners reports and other data/information and reports are maintained and prepared in a timely manner.

Travel between the Kettering and Northampton Hospital sites and other sites where required

Travel between the Kettering and Northampton Hospital sites and other sites where required.

Communication

Be an active member of relevant forums within the Trust and its partner organisations.

Effectively communicate with all levels of staff within the Trust and externally.

Service Development

In conjunction with the other members of the Tissue Viability team the post holder will develop and assist in the implementation of appropriate policies, protocols, and guidelines and care pathways to ensure safe, equitable and consistent practice.

Participate in service reviews. Supporting a programmed data collection and audit to determine the efficacy of the service.

Demonstrate leadership in the implementation of national recommendations and other guidelines e.g. NICE