Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services)
Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services)
Job Specification Template, Terms & Conditions
Job Title and Grade / Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services)(Grade Code: 2632)
Campaign Reference / NRS03220
Closing Date / Thursday 21st January 2016 at 12 Noon.
Proposed Interview date(s) / Week Commencing 8th February 2016
Taking up Appointment / A start date will be indicated at job offer stage
Location of Post / Sligo University Hospital, Saolta University Health Care Group
Initial assignment will be to Sligo University Hospital
The successful candidate may be required to work in any service area within the vicinity as the need arises.
A panel will be formed for Sligo University Hospital
Informal Enquires:
NualaGinnelly
Unit Nursing Officer / Service Manager , Oncology, Haematology, Breast Service
Sligo University Hospital
Mobile: 087 418 7443
Email:
Details of Service / Saolta University Health Care Group is one of six new hospital groups announced by the then Minister for Health, Dr. James Reilly TD in May, 2013, as part of a
re-organisation of public hospitals into more efficient and accountable hospital groups that will deliver improved outcomes for patient. The Saolta University Health Care Group comprises of 7 hospitals:
- LetterkennyUniversity Hospital
- Sligo University Hospital
- Mayo University Hospital
- Roscommon University Hospital
- PortiunculaUniversity Hospital, Ballinasloe
- Merlin Park University Hospital Galway
- University Hospital Galway
The objectives of the groups are to:
- Achieve the highest standard of quality and uniformity in care across the group
- Deliver cost effective hospital care in a timely and sustainable manner
- Encourage and support clinical and managerial leaders
- Ensure high standards of governance, both clinical and corporate and recruit and retain high quality nurses, NCHDs, consultants, allied health professionals and administrators in all our hospitals.
- Medicine
- Perioperative
- Diagnostics
- Women and Children’s
The Group provides a range of high quality services for the catchment areas it serves and GUH is a designated supra-regional cancer service provider meeting the needs of all the counties along Western seaboard and towards the midlands from Donegal to North Tipperary.
Saolta University Health Care Group aims to meet its service plan targets. Its priority is to implement the national clinical care programmes across the Group and establish a performance management culture with the development of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).
Vision
The formation of the hospitals groups, which will transition to independent hospital trusts, will change how hospitals relate to each other and integrate with the academic sector. Over time, the Group will deliver:
- Higher quality service
- More consistent standards of care
- More consistent access to care
- Stronger leadership
- Greater integration between the healthcare agenda and the teaching, training, research and innovation agenda
Sligo University Hospital Oncology Service was established following the appointment of a Consultant Oncologist in 2000.
The current service is led by 2 Consultant Oncologists with the 2nd Consultant taking up post in 2013. There are approximately 500Oncology not specific to Breast cancer patients) inpatients treated per year in a dedicated 16 bedded Haematology/Oncology Ward. In addition, a dedicated Day Oncology Unit treats approximately 2000 day cases per year. This service is supported by a full multidisciplinary team including 3 Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialists.
The service in August 2009, with the establishment of designated cancer centres and transfer of Breast cancer surgery to GUH went through a period of change. It required stronger links with GUH establishing designated MDT weekly meetings. This involved revising the CNS in Breast care role where the role expanded to include the Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialist role. The CNS follows the adjuvant patient from diagnosis of breast cancer to the final treatment plan cycle This work is ongoing and envisage will strengthen with the appointment of this post.
Mission Statement / Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is to provide high quality and equitable services for all by delivering care based on excellence in clinical practice, teaching, and research, grounded in kindness, compassion and respect, whilst developing our staff and becoming a model employer.
OUR VISION STATEMENT
Our Vision is to build on excellent foundations already laid, further developing and integrating our Group, fulfilling our role as an exemplar, and becoming the first Trust in Ireland.
OUR GUIDING VALUES
Respect - We aim to be an organisation where privacy, dignity, and individual needs are respected, where staff are valued, supported and involved in decision-making, and where diversity is celebrated, recognising that working in a respectful environment will enable us to achieve more.
Compassion - we will treat patients and family members with dignity, sensitivity and empathy.
Kindness - whilst we develop our organisation as a business, we will remember it is a service, and treat our patients and each other with kindness and humanity.
Quality – we seek continuous quality improvement in all we do, through creativity, innovation, education and research.
Learning - we will nurture and encourage lifelong learning and continuous improvement, attracting, developing and retaining high quality staff, enabling them to fulfill their potential.
Integrity - through our governance arrangements and our value system, we will ensure all of our services are transparent, trustworthy and reliable and delivered to the highest ethical standards, taking responsibility and accountability for our actions.
Teamworking – we will engage and empower our staff, sharing best practice and strengthening relationships with our partners and patients to achieve our Mission.
Communication - we aim to communicate with patients, the public, our staff and stakeholders, empowering them to actively participate in all aspects of the service, encouraging inclusiveness, openness, and accountability.
These Values shape our strategy to create an organisational culture and ethos to deliver high quality and safe services for all we serve and that staff are rightly proud of.
Reporting Relationship / Reports to Unit Nursing Officer/Service manager for Haematology / Oncology / Breast Care Service.
Accountable to Director of Nursing /Midwifery
Purpose of the Post / This is a combined post of Breast Care and OncologyClinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). The Breast Care and Oncology CNS is to be the local link for Sligo/Leitrim patients diagnosed either through the symptomatic or screening service and are then referred to Sligo University Hospital from the designated cancer centre. The post holder will be required to co-ordinateand manage this specific patient case load throughout their treatment cycle
Overall, the Breast care and Oncology CNSprovides specialist coordination and nursing advice and support as a member of the interdisciplinary Oncology care team within the hospital.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities / Clinical Focus
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Be available to patients requiring review pre and post operatively and assess patients who develop postoperative complications i.eseromas.
- Provide essential education and information for patients as required based on their treatment plan.
- Organise and co ordinate their Oncology +/- radiotherapy treatment.
- Be the contact locally for patients and their families providing psychological support.
- Articulate and demonstrate the concept of nursing and midwifery specialist practice within the framework of relevant legislation, the Scope of Nursing & Midwifery Practice Framework (ABS 2000), The Code of Professional Conduct (ABA 2000) and Guidelines for Midwives (ABA 2001).
- Perform nursing / midwifery assessments and plan and initiate care and treatment modalities within agreed interdisciplinary protocols to achieve patient / client centred outcomes; evaluates their effectiveness.
- Identify health promotion priorities in the area of specialist practice
- Implement health promotion strategies for patient / client groups in accordance with the public health agenda.
- Have a working knowledge of HIQA Standards as they apply to the role, for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etcand comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Enable patients / clients, families and communities to participate in decisions about their health needs.
- Articulate and represent patient / client interests in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
- Implement changes in healthcare service in response to patient / client need and service demand.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Provide mentorship, preceptorship, teaching, facilitation and professional supervisory skills for nurses and midwives and other healthcare workers.
- Educate patients / clients, families and communities in relation to their healthcare needs in the specialist area of practice.
- Identify own continuing professional development needs and engage accordingly.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Identify, critically analyse, disseminate and integrate nursing / midwifery and other evidence into the area of specialist practice.
- Initiate and participate in evaluations and audits
- Use the outcomes of audit to improve service provision
- Contribute to service planning and budgetary processes through use of audit data and specialist knowledge.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Provide leadership in clinical practice and act as a resource and role model for specialist practice.
- Generate and contribute to the development of clinical standards of practice and guidelines.
- Use specialist knowledge to support and enhance generalist nursing / midwifery practice.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards
- Have a working knowledge of HIQA Standards as they apply to the role / care setting, for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene Standards etc and comply with associated HSE protocols for implementing and maintaining these standards as appropriate to the role.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Breast Care & Oncology Services) will:
- Provide an efficient, effective, and high quality service, respecting the needs of each patient / client.
- Effectively manage time and caseload in order to meet the needs of a changing and developing service.
- Continually monitor the service to ensure it reflects current needs
- Implement and manage identified changes
- Ensure that confidentiality in relation to patient /client records is maintained
- Maintain accurate and up to date statistics of the service provided, including audit of patient / client contacts.
- Represent the specialist service at local, national and international meetings as required.
- Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records/data on all matters pertaining to the planning, management, delivery and evaluation of this service in line with HSE requirements.
- The identification and development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are congruent with the Hospital’s service plan targets.
- The development of Action Plans to address KPI targets.
- Driving and promoting a Performance Management culture.
- In conjunction with line manager assist in the development of a Performance Management system for your profession.
- The management and delivery of KPIs as a routine and core business objective.
- Employees must attend fire lectures periodically and must observe fire orders.
- All accidents within the Department must be reported immediately.
- Infection Control Policies must be adhered to.
- In line with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 all staff must comply with all safety regulations and audits.
- In line with the Public Health (Tobacco) (Amendment) Act 2004, smoking within the HospitalBuilding is not permitted.
- Hospital uniform code must be adhered to.
- Provide information that meets the need of Senior Management.
- The management of Risk, Infection Control, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety is the responsibility of everyone and will be achieved within a progressive, honest and open environment.
- The post holder must be familiar with the necessary education, training and support to enable them to meet this responsibility.
- The post holder has a duty to familiarise themselves with the relevant Organisational Policies, Procedures & Standards and attend training as appropriate in the following areas:
- Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives
- Document Control Information Management Systems
- Risk Management Strategy and Policies
- Hygiene Related Policies, Procedures and Standards
- Decontamination Code of Practice
- Infection Control Policies
- Safety Statement, Health & Safety Policies and Fire Procedure
- Data Protection and confidentiality Policies
- The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they become familiar with the requirements stated within the Risk Management Strategy and that they comply with the Hospitals Risk Management Incident/Near miss reporting Policies and Procedures.
- The post holder is responsible for ensuring that they comply with hygiene services requirements in your area of responsibility. Hygiene Services incorporates environment and facilities, hand hygiene, catering, cleaning, the management of laundry, waste, sharps and equipment.
- The post holder must foster and support a quality improvement culture through-out your area of responsibility in relation to hygiene services.
- It is the post holders’ specific responsibility for Quality & Risk Management, Hygiene Services and Health & Safety will be clarified to you in the induction process and by your line manager.
- The post holder must take reasonable care for his or her own actions and the effect that these may have upon the safety of others.
- The post holder must cooperate with management, attend Health & Safety related training and not undertake any task for which they have not been authorised and adequately trained.
- The post holder is required to bring to the attention of a responsible person any perceived shortcoming in our safety arrangements or any defects in work equipment.
- It is the responsibility of the post holder to be aware of and comply with the HSE Health Care Records Management / Integrated Discharge Planning (HCRM / IDP) Code of Practice.
Quality, Risk and Safety Responsibilities
- Participate and cooperate with legislative and regulatory requirements with regard to quality, risk and safety.
- Participate and cooperate with local quality, risk and safety initiatives as required.
- Participate and cooperate with internal and external evaluations of the organisation’s structures, services and processes as required, including but not limited to, The National Hygiene Audit, National Decontamination Audit, Health and Safety Audits and other audits specified by the HSE or other regulatory authorities.
- To initiate, support and implement quality improvement initiatives in their area which are in keeping with local organisational quality, risk and safety requirements.
- Contribute to the development of PPPGs and safe professional practice and adhere to relevant legislation, regulations and standards.
- Ensure completion of incident/near miss forms and clinical risk reporting.
- Adhere to department policies in relation to the care and safety of any equipment supplied and used to carry out the responsibilities of the role of CNS. incare of patients with an immunology/allergic condition.
Hygiene in healthcare is defined as “the practice that serves to keep people and the environment clean and prevent infection. It involves preserving ones health, preventing the spread of disease and recognising, evaluating and controlling health hazards”(HSE 2006)3.
It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure compliance with local organisational hygiene standards, guidelines and practices.
The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
Eligibility Criteria
Qualifications and/ or experience / Candidates must, on the latest date for receiving application forms for the office:
- Be registered in the General Division and Midwives Division of the Register of Nurses & Midwives maintained by BordAltranaisagusCnáimhseachaisnahÉireann (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland) or be entitled to be so registered
- Have at least 5 years post registration experience in the division of the register in which the applicant is currently practising