An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Band 5 or existing Band 6 to join the Frailty Interface Team as an Older Persons Specialist within OPM.

As part of a highly skilled and well-established team you will complete comprehensive assessments with patients attending the Emergency Department, Acute Medical Unit and Older Persons Medicine Same Day Emergency Care Unit on QAH site.

The role provides an opportunity to strengthen knowledge and build specialist skills in comprehensive frailty assessments, functional assessments, treatment planning and discharge planning.

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential for this role and paramount when consulting with patients and relatives, as well as liaising with both internal and external healthcare providers.

You will require confident and clear decision making skills to ensure patients needs and wishes are listened to and considered alongside preventing unnecessary hospital admissions and reducing length of stay.

You will work in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams leading on the improvement, expansion and development of the frailty pathway.

We would welcome full time and part time applicants.

Any queries please contact Frailty Interface Team Lead Debbie Cartmell Debbie.Cartmell@porthosp.nhs.uk Bleep 1103.

Main duties of the job

• As part of a multi-disciplinary team, complete accurate assessments, liaise with community teams and implement and deliver specialist plans of care for patients with frailty.
• Provide specialist information and guidance to patients, family and carers, with frailty.
• Assist the nursing team with the provision of clinical care.
• Ensure patient safety is maintained and patient experience is positive by treating all patients, relatives and colleagues with respect, dignity and courtesy in accordance with Trust values.
• Act as a highly skilled clinical expert with specialised knowledge in caring for patients and their careers.

About us

The Trust is committed to driving excellence in care for our patients and communities and was rated good by the Care Quality Commission report published 2020 and became a University Hospital. We are ranked as the third in the country for research embedding education and training across the organisation and we continuously strive to achieve our core values which are at the heart of everything we do. The Trusts main hub is the Queen Alexandra Hospital, starting life as a military hospital over a century ago and now one of the largest hospitals on the south coast and you may have seen us on the TV series Nurses on the Ward. The Trust provides comprehensive secondary care and specialist services to a local population of 675,000 people across South East Hampshire. The Trust employs over 8,000 staff and are #ProudtobePHU our patients come from all walks of life and so do we. We hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because its the right thing to do, but because it makes our hospital stronger. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for providing outstanding care and support for patients, colleagues and our community you will find a home at PHU. In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring in terms of your education, opinions, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, languages spoken, veterans status, colour, religion, disability, sexual orientation and beliefs.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical and patient care

• Acting as an autonomous and professional role model, demonstrate advanced clinical skills, promote clinical excellence and ensure that an optimum standard of nursing care is delivered from admission through to discharge.
• Plan, monitor and evaluate programs of care for patients in order that the best possible care is delivered, referring to community partners as appropriate to optimise health outcomes and promote admission avoidance.
• Work collaboratively with consultants to take responsibility for a defined group of patients working at a specialist level and drawing on your diverse range of knowledge and complex decision-making skills to determine clinical interventions required.
• Using nursing judgement ensure patients are appropriately assessed, management plans are in place and the care received is effective, compassionate and of the best quality.
• Act in the best interests of patients at all times and take personal accountability for your actions and decisions.
• Work in partnership with the Urgent Care areas to undertake physical, functional and cognitive assessments as required.
• Support Urgent Care areas to triage, assess, plan, implement and evaluate individualised care.
• Assist the OPM SDEC team with the nurse-led service, continuously supporting the frailty pathway.
• Support the co-ordination of timely and appropriate transfers and discharges of frailty patients.
• Handle and administer medication according to the professional and organisational guidelines to ensure patient safety and efficiency.
• Develop and maintain constructive working relationships and liaise effectively with all members of the multidisciplinary team so that patients needs are met.
• Act as a role model in the promotion of person-centred practice and challenge practice which is not, so that person-centred care is maintained.
• Provide adequate and appropriate information and education to patients and relatives, ensuring that they understand the highly complex information that has been explained to them.
• Act as a change agent continually evaluating practice in the clinical area and implementing change effectively.
• Manage available resources to maximise care, identifying potential areas for cost improvement and greater efficiency.
• Deliver on government targets, ensuring patients are seen in a timely manner.

Team working, education and mentoring

• As part of multi-disciplinary team, work alongside other professionals to contribute in the delivery of individualised care, upholding the vision of Older Persons Medicine.
• Develop good communication networks with community partners at both Trust and national level.
• Assist other clinical areas within the Trust as operational pressures and staffing levels require.
• Provide active education and health promotion to patients and relatives as appropriate.
• Participate in the training, support and supervision of Health Care Support Workers and students to ensure that learning occurs, and standards are met.
• Participate in the induction of new staff so that they understand acceptable practice and standards.
• Promote an open and reflective learning culture.
• Act as an expert resource for the teaching of specialty care
• In partnership with ward and team leaders take an active role in identifying and organising provisions for educational needs of staff.
• Highlight the need for specific protocols, guidelines and competencies and assist in developing these, collaborating with other specialties as required.
• Participate in innovation and quality of frailty working by attending department meetings and participating in projects, including audits and quality initiatives pertinent to the role.
• Treat all colleagues with respect in accordance with Trust values and Equality and Diversity Policy.

Leadership, management and professional development

• Participate in ongoing personal development by attending essential training.
• Complete the Trust competency framework for Registered Nurses and achieve the minimum skill set (list of competencies as defined in generic competency framework).
• Take part in reflective practice in order to develop and ensure a robust process for revalidation in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
• Participate in own appraisal and development reviews.
• Develop skills relevant to role in clinical speciality as identified by Frailty Interface Team Manager, in accordance with Trust Policies.
• Recognise the need to participate in ongoing personal and professional development by attending essential training for the role.
• Undertake appraisal and development reviews of junior colleagues within the team.
• Provide support and guidance to the Frailty Interface Team as required
• Take an active role in Care Group initiatives, promoting the interests and philosophy of OPM.
• Co-ordinate the shift when necessary, ensuring that the needs of patients and colleagues are met.
• Work in close partnership with the Urgent Care setting to ensure that the Trust values and standards are upheld at all times.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Motivation to meet the patients needs for self and others.
• Ability to demonstrate confidentiality and trustworthiness.
• A willingness to be flexible and part of a team.
• Ability to juggle many priorities at one time, whilst remaining calm.

Skills and Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to work autonomously.
• Clinically competent.
• Strong clinical decision-making skills.
• Effective collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Effective leadership and team building skills.
• Organisational and forward planning skills.
• Comprehensive understanding of care assessment and planning.
• Ability to gather data, write assessments and articulate complex plans of care.
• Knowledge of clinical governance and its relevance in practice
• Effective time management skills.
• IT skills and competent in Trust patient systems.

Desirable

• Passport to manage training.
• Critical appraisal skills.
• Coaching and mentoring skills.
• Understanding of community and multi-organisational resources.
• Competency in history taking and assessment.

Qualifications

Essential

• Current Registered Nurse, registration with NMC and any other relevant post registration qualifications.
• BSc Degree in relevant field.
• Significant demonstrable experience within specialty with evidence of professional development.

Desirable

• Masters degree or evidence of working towards.
• Post Reg. qualifications for specialty area.
• Teaching qualification/experience and accredited NMC before mentorship course.
• Evidence of team leadership or management development training
• Experience of managing resources and contributing to departmental budget.
• Evidence of developing policies and guidelines.

Employer details

Employer name

Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust

Address

Queen Alexandra Hospital

Southwick Hill Road

Cosham

Portsmouth

PO6 3LY

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

C8192-MD-23-0921