Urology Specialist Nurse

Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

This new role will provide an expert Band 6 Urology Specialist Nurse in Urology that positively impacts on the experience of patients with urinary tract symptoms by providing high standards of clinical practice and care.

It will support the faster diagnosis and improved outcomes for patients with urinary tract symptoms.

The role will also support patients undergoing urodynamic studies (UDS).

It will require working in close collaboration with the clinical team and community team to provide nursing support across secondary and primary care.

The role will require a confident proactive practitioner who can work autonomously in the field of urology with excellent skills in communication and patient-centred care.

Main duties of the job

• Conducting nurse-led clinics to assess and ultimately treat patients with urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).
• Request routine tests such as bloods and imaging in order to make ongoing management plans for this patient group.
• Manage own caseload of patients providing effective communication with the clinical team to ensure faster diagnosis and treatment of patients with LUTS as appropriate.
• Coordinate patients awaiting to undergo diagnostic investigations for their symptoms.
• Monitor referral waitlists ensuring patients are treated in a timely fashion.
• Provide effective communication with community partners for patients' ongoing treatment.
• Ensure patients requiring emergency treatment are tracked and listed for their procedures without delay.
• Make an effective contribution to reaching the Trust's vision, strategic objectives, and key work programmes.
• Ensure and evidence self-development to meet the patients' needs in the specialty of urology.
• Provide support/mentorship and education to the urology nursing team in the field of urological symptoms.
• As a specialist nurse, contribute to practice development and improving fundamentals of care within the trust.
• With the Senior Specialist Urology Nurses and Head of Nursing, contribute to clinical governance within the Trust in Urology via best practice development initiatives to reduce harm to patients.

About us

Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow and beyond.

Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.

We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at ASPH. We are committed to providing continuous professional development, staff benefits, and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.

This is an exciting time to join our Trust, as we work on the expansion of our theatres at Ashford Hospital and move towards this becoming our dedicated elective centre. We want to create a state-of-the-art centre for excellence for planned surgical procedures; with care delivered by dedicated, specialist teams in a modern and well-equipped environment.

We hope to use this centre to create an environment of learning and to facilitate training of the next generation of our skilled NHS workforce. Our plans are ambitious - why not, come and be a part of our journey.

Adverts may close early, so applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.

Job responsibilities

Overview of Responsibilities:

• To improve standards of specialised care by contributing to the development of practice to ensure that Urology patients and carers have a quality experience, and to reduce risk and increase safety for staff and patients.
• To establish working relationships throughout the urology team and hospital services, particularly in relation to patients entering the emergency pathway.
• With the Senior Specialist Urology Nurses and other members of the team, contribute to practice development and improving the fundamentals of care within the Trust in Urology.
• To deliver care in line with local and National guidance and requirements.

Clinical Function:

• In liaison with Clinical Practitioner Educators, Practice Development Team, Senior Specialist Urology Nurses and Head of Nursing to support the professional development of staff caring for patients and relevant complications.
• Provide advice to support ward staff when caring for patients with LUTS undergoing surgery or other intervention ensuring all aspects of the plan of care understood and carried out in accordance with present standards and protocols.
• Provide specialist nursing care through the provision of patient-focused service, working autonomously and in close liaison with Urology Consultant colleagues.
• Deliver clinical care and management in line with local and national guidance and best practice.
• Put quality at the heart of practice by delivering evidence-based individualised and personalised care through assessment, planning and evaluation of all care interventions.
• Facilitate and support patients management, diagnosis, and referral for investigations. Discuss investigations in depth with sensitivity, knowledge, and expertise.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills with both patients and clinical teams to coordinate care pathway effectively and efficiently.
• Act as patient advocate when appropriate and respect patient confidentiality and privacy with respect for diverse cultural backgrounds and requirements.
• Assess people's information needs and provide relevant information to meet those needs. Enable people to access, identify, appraise, and interpret information to determine their own future.
• Initiate and promote collaborative working relationships and effective communication between all members of the MDT to improve the management and outcomes of patients within these specialist areas.
• To provide specialist and advanced/expert advice and support to multi-professional teams to improve care and support for patients with LUTS.
• Demonstrate advanced nursing practice in assessment planning, implementation and evaluation of care and management of patients with LUTS.
• To plan, deliver and evaluate programmes to address patients' complex health needs.
• To be responsible for leading and managing a clinical caseload for patients.
• Act as a role model and clinical expert within the trust and externally through the demonstration of advanced knowledge, skills, and evidence-based practice.
• Maintain accurate records of all referred patients, ensuring relevant information and outcomes are documented in the patients' notes in accordance with the trust policy and professional standards.
• Provide ongoing care and support for patients with multi-faceted/complex problems through one-to-one consultation as a designated nurse.
• Using the principles of health promotion and preventative strategies to provide education about healthy lifestyles for patients with LUTS and their respective management and treatment.
• Ensure user involvement by surveys, audit, and attendance at relevant meetings.

Education, Training and Development Function:

• To act as professional supervisor and utilise clinical supervision and reflective practice skills to enhance development of self and colleagues in the inter-professional team to optimise care.
• To act as a mentor for students and other junior staff ensuring learning that is commensurate with education needs.
• To participate in nursing training and updates.
• To participate in clinical supervision.
• To provide patients and their carers with information and advice, ensuring the best level of understanding as appropriate e.g., lifestyle advice, care for indwelling catheters or nephrostomy tubes.
• In liaison with the Patient Advice and Liaison Manager, develop written and other health information for patients with regards to stone disease, treatment, management and ongoing care, specific to urology patients.
• In liaison with the Clinical Practice Educators and the Practice Development team to develop, evaluate and manage education and training programmes relevant to patients.
• To participate in education programmes within the trust and local higher education providers as appropriate.
• To contribute to an annual training needs analysis to identify education and training needs of staff to improve patient care.
• To keep informed and update staff on developments in expert practice.
• To seek opportunities to develop advanced/specialist nurse expertise to develop service and other skills.
• To act as a resource for training for hospital and community staff.
• Be actively involved in the health promotion, education, and identification of patients' needs, taking into consideration biological, behavioural, sociological, and environmental factors.
• Continually update and maintain own professional development in urology care through attendance at meetings/study days and through the utilisation of appropriate educational and study resources.
• Disseminate findings from own professional development with written reports, presentations and the implementation of educational initiatives.

Practice and Service Development, Research and Evaluation Function:

• To have a working knowledge of local and national standards of care and be able to contribute to the development of evaluation strategies.
• To facilitate the development of mechanisms to involve users in practice and service development.
• To facilitate the development of specialist guidelines and protocols in collaboration with staff to optimise the care of urology patients.
• To manage a regular system of audit activities within the specialist area and in collaboration with colleagues, including across the network to improve the quality of patient experience.
• To function as part of an inter-professional team, assessing, evaluating and developing the service as appropriate.
• To guide and monitor the practice of nurses in the clinical areas in relation to urology/stone care and including setting standards.
• To work in the clinical areas alongside staff to develop their understanding of the fundamentals of patient care with LUTS.
• In extraordinary circumstances as defined by the Chief Nurse in conjunction with the Divisional Chief nurse, work as a member of the ward/unit team to provide fundamental and safe levels of care.
• Critically evaluate research findings and regularly promote the use of evidence-based practice in this specialist area.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the research process and current clinical trials relevant clinical management.
• Develop and maintain relationships with the research nurses to support local and national research programmes.
• Promote patient and public experience feedback through local initiatives to drive innovation and change.
• To contribute to and take part in Service reviews.

Leadership & Consultancy Function:

• Manage resources in collaboration with Head of Nursing and Senior Specialist Urology Nurses.
• Contribute to initiatives designed to recruit and retain staff.
• Manage specific projects related to Urology Service as agreed with the Head of Nursing or Senior Specialist Urology Nurses.
• Appraisal and performance management of band 5, 4, 3 and 2 urology nursing team.
• To provide effective clinical leadership to support and inspire nursing colleagues.
• Establish and develop clinical proformas and triage process with clinical colleagues.
• To act as a clinical expert to colleagues internal and external to the service.
• Act as a role model for excellent advanced communication skills and expertise.
• Initiate and implement strategies for delivering effective care within a changing environment that improves quality of care and health outcomes.
• Develop and implement multi-professional documentation systems, care pathways, standards and evidence-based clinical protocols.
• Attend and proactively contribute to the MDT meetings, supporting and delivering patient-focused care.
• Attend pathway meetings to provide clinical input and facilitate clinical outcomes and actions.
• Ensure and promote service user involvement in service developments and undertake, in conjunction with others in the team/service, a regular survey of the patients' experiences of the service offered.

Role specific to post:

• Deliver expert direct patient care for patients undergoing treatment for LUTS and coordinate their ongoing care pathway to ensure efficient utilisation of resources.
• Working autonomously - using an advanced level of specialized clinical expertise and judgment in assessment, planning, and evaluating care.
• Ensure all patients have access to written and verbal information.
• Attend relevant network meetings.
• Collaborate with and refer to other relevant allied health professionals and medical colleagues as required.
• Request appropriate investigations such as x-rays, blood tests, and act on results appropriately.
• Initiate admission to secondary care as appropriate and support discharge planning.
• Offer expert opinion to colleagues and patients in secondary and primary care.
• Where appropriate, establish/maintain nurse-led clinics whereby the problems and needs of patients and their carers are appropriately channelled (Telephone follow-up and arrange face-to-face appointments as required).
• Attend and proactively participate in relevant specialist nurse forums at trust and national level.

Person Specification

Experience

• Relevant post-registration experience at Band 5 level or above.
• Experience of multi-professional working.
• Ability to lead and influence change.
• Urological experience.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse.
• First level degree in related subject or equivalent knowledge, skills, and competency gained through clinical experience working at a senior level.
• Post-basic qualification / experience in urology care.
• Evidence of Masters level learning or prepared to work towards.

Skills

• Advanced clinical management and nursing knowledge / skills.
• Information management skills including data collection and analysis, report writing and critical appraisal.
• Ability to hold a clear strategic vision and develop implementation plans to contribute to the development of the service.
• Sound knowledge and skillset in urological nursing.
• Management of nursing teams.

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.

Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust