Acting within the Trust's Plastic clinical nurse specialist outreach service you will provide expert tailored wound care treatment, advice, consultation, support, training and guidance to patients, carers and referring trusts. You will work as a highly skilled autonomous practitioner liaising and supporting multi-professional teams, both within QVH, across all NHS trusts in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and within GP services. You will need a high level of wound care knowledge and the ability to be flexible in your approach to the work as this department working closely with patients and other trusts providing education for acute inpatient teams and community nursing teams.

Main duties of the job

You will be expected to visit patients in all environments offering specialist wound care advice to other healthcare professionals, carry out wound care checks and treatments for QVH patients.

A large part of this role is collaboration with other healthcare professionals, clinicians and nurses, imparting your knowledge and experience to provide the best care for the patient and their wound. Providing other professionals and service users with education and learning is essential.

Other duties include to develop the service for the future ensuring sustainable growth whilst maintaining standards of specialist care. Innovate and change current practice through the delivery of appropriate education and training to meet service needs.

At times it is necessary to work closely with the Burns Outreach specialist nurse to manage patients appropriately, gain support and advice and to ensure continuity of care for all patients accessing both plastics and burns outreach services.

About us

Rated GOOD overall with outstanding care by the CQC. A specialist NHS hospital providing life-changing reconstructive surgery, burns care and rehabilitation services across the South of England and beyond.

We specialise in conditions of the eyes (corneoplastics), hands, head and neck cancer and skin cancer, reconstructive breast surgery, maxillofacial surgery and prosthetics, providing regional and national services in these areas of clinical expertise.Our world-leading clinical teams also treat more common conditions of the eyes, hands, skin, and teeth for the people of East Grinstead and the surrounding areas. In addition, QVH provides a minor injuries unit, expert therapies, a sleep service, and a growing portfolio of community-based services.Patients consistently rate QVH amongst the top hospitals in the country for quality of care.

Our success is underpinned by the skills and enthusiasm of our staff and a strong culture of partnership. We are fully committed to training and development of the workforce with support for continuing education and learning.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The successful candidate will be part of a small team intent on driving the implementation of national best practice guidance for lower limb care. We hold a unique position in the south east cost where lower limb traumas are referred within a day of injury which with a prompt assessment and implementation of a robust care plan can reduce the risk of the development of leg ulcers.

They will be responsible for assessing, diagnosing, implementing, planning and reviewing care needs for the lower limb patient. It is desirable that they are experienced in performing complex Doppler assessments, interpreting ABPI and implementing treatment according to findings.

Patients are assessed initially from a photo on referral after which a plan is formulated, putting the patient at the centre of the assessment process. You will need to use clinical expertise and work autonomously, although a weekly MDT discusses more complex patients when needed.

You will be expected to attend patients in all environments they may be in, and offering specialist advice to nursing homes, district nurses, practice nurses and acute nurses in their care of their patients. Therefore you must be a confident car driver with UK licence experience, a car is provided during working hours.

A candidate must have excellent interpersonal skills,using communication of all forms, and skilled in the use of information technology.

Undertake wound therapies, such as negative pressure wound therapy, larval therapy, ABPI assessment and application of compression therapies as required.

In cases of larger lower limb wound where good conservative management will still lead to a lengthy healing time, pre-assess patient for skin grafting and provide the initial postoperative care, handing over to community or acute teams when appropriate.

The job role also involves visiting patients at home for the QVH, if there is significant reasons the patient can not attend to have a dressing change, so a working knowledge of a variety of plastics procedures is of benefit, but not essential as a period of supernumerary time can be spent with the dressings clinic or wards.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• NMC registered nurse
• Working towards or masters degree to demonstrate specialist knowledge
• Facilitating learning in practice (mentorship)

Desirable

• Plastic surgery qualification
• Wound care qualification

Experience

Essential

• Specialist wound care knowledge not limited to compression therapies, ABPI assessment, negative pressure therapy & larvae therapy
• Current experience at an acute clinical setting as a band 6 or above
• Working within an MDT

Desirable

• Experience of developing clinical protocols and procedures
• Experience of working with a quality improvement framework and completing projects

Knowledge and skills

Essential

• Knowledge of the latest wound care management
• Ability to work autonomously

Desirable

• Ability to carry out sharp debridement on patients wounds
• Excellent teaching and presentation skills to a varied audience

Additional skills

Essential

• A full UK driving licence

Employer details

Employer name

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Holtye Road

East Grinstead

RH19 3DZ

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

276-6777681-AC