Tissue Viability Nurse Specialist

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 The Tissue Viability Service looks after patients with acute and chronic wound issues covering both the acute and community settings. The Tissue Viability service is divided into acute (hospital inpatient) and community (Southwark & Lambeth community settings) teams. We work closely together to improve communication across the organisation to ensure continuity of care. We aim to not only to care for patients but to provide expert education and support to Health Care Professionals.

2.    Job Summary

 To provide specialist advice, care, education, support and knowledge to clients with lower limb conditions and wounds, their carers and healthcare professionals across the healthcare community. 

The post holder will ensure that a high standard of leg ulcer care is achieved and maintained. The role incorporates teaching and training responsibilities.

To provide day-to-day supervision of staff, allocation and monitoring of workload and deputising for the Band 7 Nurse Specialist where appropriate.

The post holder will also be required to work within the TV team to support with housebound patient care for a variety of wounds as service requires and for own future development as a specialist TVN.

To assist with training to wider MDT as appropriate.

  Clinical:

•  Delivering evidence based expert nursing care exercising a high degree of professional autonomy, demonstrating ability to make sound decisions based on knowledge and experience.
• Assessing individuals holistically using a range of different assessment methods (including doppler ABPI) and reach valid, reliable and comprehensive patient and client centred conclusions, which manage risk and are appropriate to need context and culture within the community setting.
• Advising the multi-disciplinary team on nursing practice, and the nursing contribution to client care.

• Communicating with patients and clients in ways, which empowers them to make informed choices about their health and health care, and actively promote their health and well-being.
• Determining therapeutic programmes, which are based on evidence, in the interests of
• patients and clients, and which involve other practitioners where this will improve health outcomes.
• Managing complex programmes of care effectively, through working in partnership with clinical teams across acute and community settings.
• Making specific interventions based on evidence and which are appropriate to assessed needs, context and culture, in partnership with patients, clients and other professions.
• In partnership with patients, clients and other professions, make sound decisions, which are ethically based in the interests of patients and clients in the absence of precedents and protocols.

·         To assist the Band 7 Nurse Specialist to develop and advance the Specialist Lower limb service in order to provide an equitable service across Southwark and Lambeth, implementing best practice and policies.

• Receiving referrals from other professionals for consultation.
• Acting as a source of specialist advice to other health professionals.
• Managing constantly changing scenarios in the interest of patients and clients.
• Deliver training with support of senior staff to wider MDT virtually, face to face, groups, 1:1, as appropriate on all aspects of tissue viability including pressure ulcer prevention and management, dehisced wounds, leg ulcers and complex wounds.

• Professional development:

• To keep self and team updated on clinical and professional developments in line with research and evidence-based practice.

• To maintain a high professional profile for all service stakeholders and be an effective member of the team

• To act as a positive role model at all times

Managerial:

•  Provide Input into the setting and monitoring clinical standards of excellence, to improve quality.
• Establishing relationships with other Nurse Specialists to develop a support network both within GSTT and south London.
• Seize opportunities to apply new knowledge to enhance patient care and develop the TVN service
• As part of the TVN team actively monitor the effectiveness of current therapeutic

programmes and support the integration different aspects of practice to improve outcomes

• for patients and clients.
• To manage resources effectively, maintaining stock control alongside fellow colleagues.
•  Regularly update Tissue viability lead and HoN for Integrated local services of developments with the service highlighting issues in a timely manner.

 Strategic Management:

 · Participate in identifying the health needs of patients with actual or potential leg ulcers in the local population, assisting in developing strategies for prevention, treatment and aftercare, having regard for local and national targets.

· Support the service in the promotion of links with secondary care to maintain a collaborative approach with specialities such as tissue viability, lymphoedema, podiatry, vascular and dermatology.

· Work with the service clinical leads as necessary to develop innovative programmes to promote good health and participate in Public Health initiatives within the community, working collaboratively with other agencies as appropriate.

  Education, Training and Development:

• Participate in undertaking a training needs analysis of those involved in the delivery of a comprehensive tissue viability service across GSTT and plan educational and professional development programmes to enable these needs to be met.
• Deliver training on 1:1 basis as well as formal training sessions. As part of the tissue viability team assist to create formal links with educational institutions health professionals from a variety of disciplines e.g. nursing, medicine and therapy.

Research, Practice and Service Development:

·         Support the service clinical leads in the development and transformation of the service, participating in monitoring standards, developing/updating, implementing and evaluating evidence-based service guidelines, protocols and policies.

·         Contributing to research/audit within the post and the speciality.

• To assist the Band 7 Nurse Specialist on the collection of activity data/ minimum dataset and patient feedback which measures the specific outcomes of the service and provide evidence of specific patient outcomes.

• Developing professional practice, by ensuring it is evidence based, appropriate and meets the needs of the client group and their carers.
• Working with the health community advising on the implementation of the tissue viability services policy.
• Evaluating practice, ensuring that interventions are effective, efficient and make a difference.
• Embracing the current awareness of local regional, national and international perspectives on tissue viability care.
• Promote the improvement of quality and clinical effectiveness within resource constraints.
• Continuously assess and monitor risk in their own and teams practice and challenge others about wider risk factors.
• Participate in projects as agreed with line manager, in line with GSTT and national strategies, and personal skills and interests.

 Car Driver preferred but not essential

 This job description is not intended to be exhaustive.

The content may be subject to change in light of service of individual development.

The following statement forms part of all job descriptions:-

 The post holder is required to follow Trust policies and procedures which are regularly updated including:

Confidentiality / Data Protection / Freedom of Information

Information Governance

 Equal Opportunities

Post holders must at all times fulfil their responsibilities with regard to the Trust’s Equal Opportunities Policy and equality laws.

Health and Safety

Infection Control

 Flexible Working

Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults

Sustainability

Smoking Policy

Review of this Job Description

This job description is intended as an outline of the general areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing needs of the organisation.   To be reviewed in conjunction with the post holder.