Deputy Clinical Nurse in Rheumatology and Metabolic Bone Disease

Deputy Clinical Nurse in Rheumatology and Metabolic Bone Disease

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

This is an exciting opportunity to work within the Rheumatology / Metabolic Bone Department. The Deputy Clinical Nurse Specialist will be providing evidence-based clinical advice to healthcare professionals, patients, and their carers. The post holder will help to deliver a patient-focused service through the delivery of integrated care and contribute to the visions and values of our specialty and the Trust.

The Rheumatology/Metabolic Department operates a medical day suite, outpatient clinics, and a dedicated patient helpline. The team includes 6 Consultants and other medical staff, Clinical Nurse Specialists, and clerical staff.

Key attributes that need to be demonstrated include:

• Ability to work as part of the multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to communicate confidently and have established organisational skills
• Cannulation skills and intravenous administration of drug competencies
• Aspiration to continue to learn and develop, particularly around metabolic disease.

The post would give the following opportunities:

• Development of expertise in the management of patients with inflammatory arthritis and osteoporosis
• Experience in the management of patients with other rheumatological diseases such as hypermobility, chronic pain, and rare metabolic bone disease
• Increasing skills in cannulation and IV drug administration, with the opportunity to visit other departments and hospitals

Main duties of the job

Provide specialist advice, education, and support to patients and their relatives attending the nurse-led rheumatology clinics. This includes counselling patients for new therapies and review of patients on existing therapies.

Responsible for assessing patients' physical, psychological, and social needs, planning, implementing, and evaluating patient care, recommending the most appropriate course of action.

Help develop and work within protocols for the management of patients with rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis.

For patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic, and bone therapies: use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools, and clinical skills to evaluate patient progress. Request appropriate investigations for monitoring of patients. Analyse and interpret these results.

Responsible for the care of patients receiving intravenous biologic or bone therapies, and cannulate these patients.

Provide high-quality written, verbal, and telephone advice service.

Liaise with GPs to maintain continuity of care and patient compliance with medications/supplements prescribed. Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team making appropriate referrals when necessary.

Work closely with pathway coordinators to assist with triaging into appropriate nurse-led clinics and awareness of nurse clinic waiting lists.

About us

RNOH Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (RNOH) is the largest orthopaedic hospital in the UK and a global leader in our field. We provide a dynamic working environment where we support frontline staff to implement improvements so that we can realise our vision of being a world-leading neuro-musculoskeletal hospital providing the best patient care and staff experience in the NHS, delivering world-leading research, and offering a strong foundation of education, training, and career progression. Our dedicated staff come from diverse backgrounds, and our patients benefit from the wide range of experience they bring to the trust. RNOH brings unrivalled expertise together in one place allowing us to deliver some of the world's most complex and innovative care to our patients. RNOH is rated good by the CQC and covers two sites, one in central London and one in Stanmore - which has recently opened The Stanmore Building, a new, state-of-the-art inpatient facility. For more information, please access the following link: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose

To assess and manage patients with Rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis care. To develop and work within agreed protocols. To provide support both for patients and medical/nursing colleagues, to support and take charge of the intravenous medications day suite. Help support telephone helplines and generic email accounts.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Rotation between Bolsover Street and Stanmore sites when applicable to your banding

Clinical

• Provide specialist advice, education, and support to patients and their relatives attending the nurse-led rheumatology clinics. This includes counselling patients for new therapies and review of patients on existing therapies.
• Work with patients and provide follow up in order to support compliance and adherence with prescribed treatment.
• Responsible for assessing patients' physical, psychological, and social needs.
• Responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating patient care, recommending the most appropriate course of action.
• Support patients to adopt health promotion strategies that promote healthy lifestyles, and apply principles of self-care.
• Utilise and demonstrate sensitive communication styles, to ensure patients are fully informed and consent to treatment.
• To help develop and work within protocols for the management of patients with rheumatology conditions including osteoporosis.
• For patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic and bone therapies: use recognised outcome measures, assessment tools, and clinical skills to evaluate patient progress.
• Request appropriate investigations for monitoring of patients. Analyse and interpret results.
• Responsible for the care of patients receiving intravenous biologic or bone therapies, supporting and working closely with the Day Unit who administer the infusions.
• Provide high-quality written, verbal, and telephone advice for patients and their families.
• Produce accurate and complete documentation both electronically and written correspondence consistent with legislation, policies, and procedures.
• Ensure that written information for health professionals in primary and secondary care is clear, concise, and of a high standard.
• Liaise with GPs to maintain continuity of care and patient compliance with medications/supplements prescribed.
• Work closely with the multi-disciplinary team making appropriate referrals when necessary.
• Work closely with pathway coordinators to assist with triaging into appropriate nurse-led clinics and awareness of nurse clinic waiting lists.
• Cannulate and administer medications in an intravenous medications day suite setting.

Management and Leadership

• To manage systems and maintain accurate records to ensure patients' care is appropriate and audit can be undertaken.
• To maintain appropriate databases for patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic, and bone therapies.
• To organise own work and practice, taking a flexible approach to ensure support for patients and colleagues.
• To provide support to nursing staff working within clinic and ward areas.
• Participate in the development of Trust policies, protocols, and guidance for patients on disease-modifying drugs, biologic, and bone therapies.
• Discuss, highlight, and work with the team to create opportunities to improve patient care.

Professional

• Recognise and work within own competence and professional code of conduct as regulated by the NMC.
• Adhere to nurse revalidation requirements as set out by the NMC.
• Take responsibility for one's own development, undertaking appropriate activities to update clinical knowledge and skills.
• Attend regular mandatory and statutory training as specified by the Trust.
• Promote awareness and compliance amongst colleagues regarding Trust policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards.

Education, Training and Development

• Provide support and specialist advice to colleagues in the Trust and in the Community.
• Attend and actively contribute to relevant meetings within and outside the Trust.
• Provide patients and relatives with information about their condition and treatment.
• Take responsibility for one's own development, undertaking appropriate activities to update clinical knowledge and skills.
• Attend regular mandatory and statutory training as specified by the Trust.
• Promote awareness and compliance amongst colleagues regarding Trust policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards.

Audit

• Participate in the auditing of your specialty to evaluate the efficiency of treatment in all sectors of your specialty. With your Line Manager produce action plans from evaluation and share these findings with the wider team.
• Undertake audits in relation to your specialty in order to assess and monitor the quality of nursing practice in the clinical setting. Assist other team members to do the same. Ensure feedback to other interested parties is given so that lessons learnt and changes in practice made can be shared.
• Participate in a regular system of audit and research activities within the specialty and in collaboration with colleagues. Assist your Line Manager to develop professional practice, review, and develop policies depending on results.
• Participate in research-based, innovative practice in the delivery of your specialty which will improve care.
• Ensure that you complete incident reports when required which occur within the RNOHT, encouraging transparency and a culture of no blame to encourage high levels of no harm reporting while reporting all levels of harm.
• Be aware of the direction provided by specialist commissioners, National Service Frameworks, NICE, and DoH guidelines to ensure high quality, evidence-based best practice is carried out.
• Assist in the development of local, standard policies and practices which further the philosophy of patient-centred, individual, research-based care for all patients within your specialty.
• To actively seek to improve practice through the application of research and participate in the clinical audit activities with the Speciality and Trust. Will where required contribute to data entry regarding your specialist patients and their care e.g., National Joint registry, SCI database, etc.
• To participate in and support the research nurse and the research projects undertaken in the clinical area.

Special Requirements:

Any other duties commensurate with the banding and in line with the requirement of this post.

This job description gives a general outline of the post and is not intended to be inflexible or a final list of duties. It may therefore be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

• NMC Pin Number on Application
• Band 6 experience for at least 2 years
• Practice assessor or equivalent
• Previous Rheumatology Experience.

Experience and Knowledge

• Band 6 Experience (2 years +)
• Understanding of clinical nurse work
• Knowledge on Bisphosphonates and biologic drugs
• Experience in a medical day unit

Skills and Abilities

• Manage own workload
• Good oral and written communication
• Cannulation
• Ability to lead and conduct MDT meetings
• Cytotoxic Drug trained

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

£42,939 to £50,697 a year Per Annum inclusive of HCAs