The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust



The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Critical Care

Job Description

Role: Critical Care Outreach Nurse

Grade: F grade (Subject to Agenda for Change)

Hours of Work: 150 hours per 28-day rota

Annual Leave: 27 days per annum ( extra days according to

length in service) + 8 bank holidays.

Superannuation: 6% of Salary (optional)

Terms & This post is in accordance with the trust Terms

Conditions: and Conditions of employment as laid down in the relevant Trust Handbooks

Managerially

Accountable to: Lead Nurse for Critical Care Outreach

Professionally

Accountable to: Critical Care Matron

Role

To improve the experience of critically ill patients throughout the trust, establishing optimal levels of care and improved outcomes

Job Summary

• Act as a nurse member of the critical care outreach team and participate in the nursing care of critically ill patients throughout the trust.

• Work with ward nursing staff to identify and manage critically ill patients to ensure optimal nursing care is provided to patients requiring critical care outreach

• Provide extensive clinical advice, support and education to clinical staff caring for critically ill patients

• Educate all members of clinical staff about the outreach critical care service

• Work with members of staff in ITU/HDU ensuring smooth and effective transfer of patients from ward to the ITU environment

• Work with all disciplines to develop guidelines, pathways and standards for the care of critically ill patients outside ITU

• Carry out data collection allowing audit and research on the effect of the critical care outreach service.

• Work in according to the UKCC code of Professional Conduct and relevant professional guidelines in the delivery of the critical care outreach service

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Clinical Practice

• Receive referrals from the wards directly for assistance and to provide an expert initial assessment of any patient meeting the calling criteria for the outreach critical care team.

• On the basis of the assessment, initiate the level of support required, including airway management, oxygen therapy.

• Participate in the multi-professional review of patients on general wards and emergency department working with the ward staff to support and participate in the delivery of care to critically ill patients requiring level 1 care or above.

• Act as an excellent clinical nursing role model in the management of patients requiring outreach critical care.

• Carry out nursing care that is based on the latest research findings, and constitutes best practice.

• Alert other members of medical/ surgical staff from the patient’s own team to organise admission of patients to ITU/HDU. Where necessary, liase directly with ITU SHO/ Consultant to fast track patient into ITU/HDU

• Refer the patient where necessary to the physiotherapist for treatment

• Provide follow-up care to patients transferred from ITU/HDU to ward areas.

• Liase with the pre-clerking nurses regarding patients who will require postoperative critical care and to carry out the pre-operative visits.

• Be involved with the tracheostomy team in the absence of the lead nurse to review patients on weekly multi disciplinary team round.

• Work with members of the ward and cardiac arrest team in response to the “cardiac arrest” to provide expert nursing intervention and support of ward nurses.

• To act within patient group direction in administration of the following drugs

i.e potassium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium sulphate and salbutamol nebuliser

Educational

• Work with lead nurse in developing and delivering a skills-based education programme aimed at improving identification and management of patients requiring outreach critical care.

• Inform and educate Trust personnel about the purpose of the outreach critical care team.

• Work with the lead nurse to develop guidelines, care guides pathways and standards in the care of patients requiring outreach critical care.

• Maintain own professional, personal development and maintain expertise including intensive care of all types of patients, rehabilitation of patient’s post ITU.

• Mentor new staff to the Trust who shadow the Critical Care Outreach team for a day. Mentor staff who have personal development plans to improve their skills caring for the critically ill patient.

• Carry out informal teaching at the bedside on care of the critically ill patient.

• Provide formal teaching on wards for ward staff on caring for the critically ill patients and on hospital induction on the role of Outreach.

• Assist in the organisation of the HELP course( How to treat and evaluate life threatening problems) i.e organise trainers, book rooms, plan teaching, send out letters to team disciplines informing them about the course, set up on the day and carry out formal teaching during it once a month.

• Orientate, educate, support new members to the Critical Care Outreach Team

Professional Practice

• Be accountable for the expanded role requirements and to work according to the requirements of the UKCC code of professional conduct.

• Ensure that own level of education and skill will meet the requirements of the role by participating in clinical supervision once a month, reflective practice mandatory study days, physical assessment course, doing continuous learning needs analysis working towards professional development plans.

• Ensure that patient care is delivered in accordance with the established policies and protocols and to the agreed standard.

• Be responsible for developing and sustaining own knowledge, clinical skills and professional awareness in accordance with PREP requirements and to maintain a professional profile.

• Participate in individual performance review with my line manager

• Audit and Research

• Participate in the audit and evaluation of the outreach critical care team i.e cardiac arrest audit, cpap audit, outreach service audit. Assist in disseminating the results of such work throughout the trust..

• Work in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team to support and develop research projects.

• Work with the lead nurse, ward managers, clinical facilitators in identifying areas of risk for patients and staff taking appropriate action i.e identify training needs for staff caring for critically ill patients and feeding this back to ward managers

Clinical Governance

All staff with clinical responsibilities are expected to work within the clinical governance arrangements agreed by the Trust. This is through an established framework through which clinical staff are continuously accountable for improving the quality of services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellent care will flourish. All clinical staff are expected to maintain appropriate knowledge about, and involvement in, agreed strategies and programmes to continually improve their standards of clinical care through:

Patient and user involvement

Risk and complaints management

Clinical effectiveness and audit programmes

Continuous Professional Development.

Clinical research in accordance with DoH Governance requirements

Personal Conduct

All staff are expected to treat other members of hospital staff with courtesy and respect. The trusts rules and policies including the disciplinary procedure, grievance procedures and equal opportunities policy applies to all staff without exception.

Data Protection

This post has a confidential aspect. If you are required to obtain, process and/or use information held on a computer or word processor you should do it in a fair and lawful way. You should hold data only for specific registered purpose and not use or disclose it in any way incompatible with such a purpose. To disclose data only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed. Breaches of confidence in relation to data will result in disciplinary action, which may involve dismissal.

Equal Opportunities

It is the aim of the Trust to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, colour, nationality or ethnic origin, or is placed at the disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justified. To this end the Trust has an Equal Opportunity Policy and it is for each employee to contribute to its success.

No Smoking Policy

The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust has a smoke – free policy. Smoking is not permitted in or any of the trust’s grounds or premises or in any trust-owned vehicle. Applicants should be aware that it will not possible to smoke throughout working hours.

UKCC Registration

The maintenance of registration with the UKCC is a requirement of this post. Post-holders are expected to comply with the UKCC Code of Professional Conduct and other guidelines issued by the Council governing professional practice.

Security

It is the responsibility of all employees to work within the security policies and procedures of the Whittington Hospital NHS Trust to protect the patients, staff and visitors and the property of the trust. This duty applies both to the specific work area of the individual and to the hospital in general.

Health and Safety

The postholder will ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out and will be aware of the responsibilities placed on employees under the Health and safety at work act. The postholder will maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors.

Be conversant with the Trust Fire policy

Confidentiality

All information concerning patients/clients and staff must be treated as strictly confidential at all times.

Method of Payment

Payment of salary/wage is made into a Bank account or Building Society account by direct bank credit system. Details of a Bank account or Building Society account will be required on the first day of work. There is no facility for any other form of payment.

This job description is intended as a general guide to the role and responsibilities expected of the post holder, and it is not exhaustive. As such, it will be subject to periodic review and change to meet the emerging needs of the service

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