Breast Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Employer Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Employer type NHS

Site Royal Liverpool Hospital

Town Liverpool

Salary £53,755 - £60,504 per annum

Salary period Yearly

Closing 17/04/2025 23:59

Breast Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Band 8a

Job overview

Liverpool University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Breast & Endocrine Surgery Service is recruiting two Advanced Nurse Practitioners to work within the Specialist Nursing Team and alongside the Surgical Team in the diagnosis and management of patients with breast disease.

You will be joining a well-established nursing team which currently includes seven experienced Advanced Breast Nurse Practitioners and twelve Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists. The successful applicant will be instrumental in the provision of diagnostic, surveillance and follow-up services, working both independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Ideally, the successful candidate will possess advanced clinical and communication skills and will be able to demonstrate a sound understanding of the issues related to breast disease. While those who already have the requisite skills will be welcome to apply, further postgraduate and in-house training will be available, and the successful candidate will be provided with any educational support needed. There are several Nurse Led services provided by the nursing team. The ANPs are a vital member of the MDT and are pivotal in both the diagnostic services and follow-up clinics.

These are permanent full-time positions, 37.5 hours per week, across the Breast Units in both Aintree and Royal Liverpool Hospitals.

Main duties of the job

Assist the development of Breast Care Services in collaboration with members of the multi-disciplinary team in line with local and national initiatives.

Promote and assist the development of clinical practice, education and research through collaborative partnerships with higher educational institutions.

Improve patient care and nursing practice based on evidence-based practice in Breast Care Nursing.

Act as a resource for patients referred to the Trust and their families.

Actively participate in delivery of education for nurses and other professions allied to medicine.

Take a key role in the initiation of nursing research programmes, in partnership with the University Departments.

Establish and develop liaison with clinical services involved in patient care.

Provide the initiative to establish advanced nursing practice and empower team members to adopt new skills to continue to advance the role of nursing within the Breast Unit and to offer a range of skilled interventions.

Act as a catalyst for change.

Working for our organisation

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust comprises Aintree University Hospital, Broadgreen Hospital & Royal Liverpool University Hospital.

We are part of NHS University Hospitals of Liverpool Group, formed on 1 Nov 2024 from the coming together of LUHFT and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. The Group was born from a shared aim to improve the care we provide our patients.

UHLG is one of the largest employers in the region, with over 16,800 colleagues dedicated to caring for our communities - from birth and beyond.

For the 630,000 people across Merseyside, we are their local NHS. We provide general and emergency hospital care, alongside highly specialised regional services for more than two million people in the North West.

Aintree University Hospital is the single receiving site for adult major trauma patients in Cheshire and Merseyside and hosts a number of regional services including an award-winning stroke facility. Broadgreen Hospital is home to elective surgical, diagnostic and treatment services, together with specialist patient rehabilitation. Liverpool Women’s Hospital specialises in the health of women and babies, delivering over 7,200 babies in the UK’s largest single site maternity hospital each year. The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is the largest hospital in the country to provide inpatients with 100% single bedrooms and focuses on complex planned care and specialist services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Work as an autonomous and independent practitioner only seeking advice from senior medical colleagues where necessary.

Develop and promote advanced nursing practices to improve access to care, clinical care and patient experiences of care.

Act as an information resource for patients and family.

Participate in the development of Care Pathways and Guidelines written for use within the Breast unit.

Write new protocols developed for breast nurse practitioner practice.

Be expert in knowledge and understanding of Breast Cancer and benign breast disorders, diagnoses and treatments.

Provide service for vetting of >100 new patient referrals per week which entails decisions around urgency and appropriateness of referrals for breast services, clinical need of patient and planned radiological investigations.

Establish and maintain nurse led clinics within hospital and nurse led follow up care in the community ie family history clinic and breast cancer home visits.

Possess excellent interviewing and communication/counselling skills. This may include counselling in situations of bereavement or breaking bad news.

Enhance effective partnerships with a range of services in primary care and the voluntary sector to ensure continuity of care and optimum access to support services.

Be expert in assessment of genetic risk associated with Breast Cancer. Collect familial information by questionnaire from patients. Use relevant knowledge of cancer inheritance theory and devise and analyse pedigree for all new patients to family history clinic.

Liaise with the Clinical Genetics department and attend joint clinics.

Record patients’ clinical history. Carry out clinical examination and patient assessment in order to establish a breast diagnosis. Arrange appropriate follow-up or discharge.

Assess the need for patients to undergo clinical investigations and order same in line with Trust protocols (and Nurse Practitioner protocols as above).

Be responsible for the recording and interpretation of patients’ investigation results and discuss the results and their implications with the patient.

Perform complex invasive procedures ie core biopsies, FNA and punch biopsies according to nurse practitioner written protocols.

Be competent in seroma assessment and drainage.

Provide a nurse practitioner service in the following areas of breast disease:

Rapid diagnostic services to assess, diagnose, plan treatment and discharge patients, providing written resources where applicable.

Breast Follow-up services for benign and malignant conditions, discharging patients as per agreed breast unit protocols.

Person specification

Qualifications

• First-level Registered Nurse
• Evidence of continuing study
• Masters Study
• Counselling Certificate or relevant post registration Cancer Nursing qualification
• A recognised qualification in cancer or Breast Care nursing e.g. ENB A11 or ENB N09 or equivalent

Experience

• Substantial post-registration experience with demonstrable experience within Breast Cancer Care
• Experience in Audit
• Multi-disciplinary team working
• Clinical Management experience at Band 6 or above
• Team Player - experience of working in a multidisciplinary team.
• Non-medical prescribing/experience with patient group directives

Knowledge

• Ability to assess genetic risk associated with breast cancer
• Good knowledge of breast cancer and benign breast disorders
• Ability to carry out breast clinical examination
• An understanding of contemporary issues in the clinical care of patients with Breast Cancer.
• Knowledge of research methodology
• A clear understanding of current national cancer policy and the implications for practice and the development of Breast Cancer services.
• An understanding of professional nursing issues in Breast nursing and the wider nursing agenda

Skills

• Enhanced communication/counselling skills
• The ability to motivate, inspire and support a multi-professional team.
• The ability to communicate effectively in clinical and professional settings
• Basic IT /Computer Skills
• Competence in complex invasive procedures in line with protocols.
• Clinical Skills course/ training

Other

• Ability to initiate, develop and maintain professional networks.
• The ability to work effectively under pressure and meet targets and goals
• Exemplary ethical and professional standards, resilience, enthusiasm, resourcefulness

Please ensure you check the email account (including junk/spam boxes) from which you apply regularly as we will use this to contact you regarding your application.

Posts advertised to ‘internal staff’ are open to employees of hospitals within University Hospitals of Liverpool Group and you should confirm your employment within your application form.

Only those applicants who demonstrate clearly how they meet our person specification will be shortlisted for interview.

We reserve the right to close any vacancies from further applications when we have received a minimum number of applications from which to make a shortlist. Please ensure you apply without delay if you wish to be considered for this role.