Clinical Nurse Specialist(Renal Anaemia)
Job Specification Template, Terms & Conditions
Job Title and Grade / Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia)(Grade Code: 2632)
Campaign Reference / NRS1310
Closing Date / Thursday 3rd December 2015 @ 2:00 PM
Proposed Interview date(s) / Week commencing 11th January 2016
Taking up Appointment / A start date will be indicated at job offer stage
Location of Post / Letterkenny General Hospital, Saolta University Health Care Group
Initial assignment will be to Letterkenny General Hospital.
The successful candidate may be required to work in any service area within the vicinity as the need arises.
A panel may be formed for Letterkenny General Hospital
Informal enquiries to:
Dr Anne Drake, Director of Nursing & Midwifery
Tel: 074 9123525
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:
- Letterkenny General Hospital
- Sligo Regional Hospital
- Mayo General Hospital
- Roscommon Hospital
- Portiuncula 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
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 / Accountable to the Director of Nursing & Midwifery
Reporting Relationship to the Assistant Director of Nursing / Service Manager
Background of the post / The position of Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) has evolved with the expanding treatment of anaemia with erythropoietin (EPO) in the last twenty years.
Anaemia associated with renal disease is a symptom impacting on a patient’s quality of life and general lifestyle. Prior to the development of injectable Epo, renal dialysis patients were dependent on blood transfusions with all its attendant risks. Often the maintenance haemoglobin was 9-10g/dl, well below normal. Now patients aim for a target haemoglobin of 11-13g/dl. The use of Epo is now common in the pre-dialysis patients with cardiovascular benefits, improved quality of life and possible preservation of kidney function. The use of I.V. iron to make the most efficient use of expensive Epo injections is also an important role for the anaemia nurse.
Monitoring and administering I.V. iron can decrease the cost of anaemia care. The increasing use of Epo in other treatments e.g. cardiac failure allows room for role expansion and job development in the future. The role of a Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) in Letterkenny General Hospital has enhanced patient care and provides a valuable service for the population of Donegal
The Regional Kidney Centre at Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH) is the coordinating centre for renal service delivery in the HSE North-West Area. The current service at Letterkenny General provides treatment for 69 Haemodialysis patients, 1000 Chronic Kidney Disease Patients, 63 Renal Transplant Recipients and provides an Acute Renal Failure Service. The provision of a Renal Anaemia Nurse Specialist will complement the existing service by improving anaemia management for all patients with advanced kidney disease.
Purpose of the Post / This position will involve caring for renal and pre-dialysis patients with anaemia. This Clinical Nurse Specialist role is a vital link in the interdisciplinary care of patients in the hospital and in the community. Support of patients and staff in the community is also vital and the on-going education and training of all staff on renal anaemia and anaemia in general.
The enhancement of good working relationships with General Practitioners, Public Health Nurses and Practice Nurses, Consultants and nursing staff are pivotal to the best and most efficient delivery of patient care. Audit and cost-effective use of a very expensive drug are also important aspects of the position. The attainment of national and international standards is an important benchmarking tool. Professional Development of the post holder and of others will be an important aspect of this role in Letterkenny General Hospital.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities / Clinical Focus
The CNSp. will have a strong patient focus whereby the specialty defines itself as nursing and subscribes to the overall purpose, functions and ethical standards of nursing. The clinical practice role may be divided into direct and indirect care. Direct care comprises of the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of care to patients, their families and/or carer. Indirect care relates to activities that influence others in their provision of direct care.
- The person holding this post is required to support the principle that the care of the patient comes first at all times and will approach their work with the flexibility and enthusiasm necessary to make this principle a reality for every patient to the greatest possible degree.
- Maintain throughout the Hospital awareness of the primacy of the patient in relation to all hospital activities.
- Performance management systems are part of role and you will be required to participate in the Group’s performance management programme
- Monitoring of sickness/absence and implementation of local and national control measures at Department Level. Proactively manage persistent poor staff attendance.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) will:
- Provide and further develop a monitoring system to assess, plan, deliver and evaluate care for the treatment of renal anaemia to patients and their families.
- Support and educate patients on use of injections, frequency of blood sampling, side effects of treatment and emergency contacts, demonstrating specialist knowledge and clinical expertise.
- Manage autonomously, a patient caseload with referral to appropriate consultant for dosage changes and prescription of I.V. iron. This includes nurse led clinics.
- Effectively manage time and the patient caseload in order to meet patient and organisation need taking into account changing and developing service needs.
- Provide advice and health education to patients and their families with the aim being to achieve self management as appropriate.
- Monitor iron status and organise iron treatment and administer as prescribed and necessary according to agreed policies and protocols.
- Ensure responsiveness to patient requests efficiently and promptly and maintain clear and effective patient records.
- Monitor effectiveness of prescribed treatments in partnership with the patient, the clinical staff, nursing staff and the multidisciplinary team ultimately fostering patient independence and safety.
- Develop and maintain interdisciplinary integrated care pathways in line with local, national and international best practice for treatment of anaemia and ensure these are successfully implemented.
- Respect confidentiality and privacy of all patients at all times.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) will:
- Develop and co-ordinate an interdisciplinary team approach to the detection and treatment of renal anaemia, including both the pre-dialysis patients and those on dialysis.
- Establish referral systems and links from consultants/nurses/other health care professionals within the hospital and community to follow up patients discharged on EPO and all aspects of their disease to ensure continuity of care.
- Develop and maintain links with voluntary organisations such as Irish Kidney Association.
- Liaise with Pre-dialysis nurse specialist for referrals and to refer back patients with deteriorating renal function.
- To be aware of and practice within the Scope of Practice for Nurses and Midwives (An Bord Altranais 2000).
- Be aware of all hospital policies and procedures and collaborate with other health care professionals to ensure these are observed.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) will:
- Provide an efficient, effective and high quality responsive service to patients with renal anaemia, actively participating in interdisciplinary team discussions.
- Communicates, and represents patient values and decisions in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. Provides patients and families with information on their treatment.
- Listens and supports patients in difficulties they may experience with appropriate referrals as necessary.
- To be aware of availability and accessibility of supports/resources for patients in the community and hospital, providing written information as necessary.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) will:
- Maintain and develop skills in a number of educational situations-groups, one-to-one. Using a variety of tools written, audio-visual, role-play, case histories meeting patient’s individual needs.
- Provide educational information to hospital staff and pre registration students and community health professionals on caring for patients with renal anaemia, treatment with Epo and use of I.V. iron.
- Liaise with drug companies for the latest treatment regimes and products on the market.
- Maintain post-holder knowledge and standards to enable the provision of the most relevant evidence based practice.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) will:
- Ensure practice is in line with current “best practice”, and is accordance with current research and developments in treatment of renal anaemia and the use of I.V. iron. Develop up-to-date, research based agreed guidelines and policies and standards for treatment of renal anaemia and the use of I.V. iron.
- Participates and present audit of role and clinical practice in line with local, national and international standards.
- Identify, initiate and conduct nursing and MDTaudit and research relevant to the area of practice.
- Analyse, disseminate and integrate best evidence (research, audit and EVP) relating to the specialist area of practice into care delivery.
- Evaluate audit results and research findings to identify areas for quality improvement in collaboration with nursing management and MDT colleagues considering national and international dissemination of data as appropriate.
- Maintain a record of clinically relevant data aligned to National/local KPI’s as directed and advised by nursing management, National Clinical Programme and senior management as appropriate.
The CNS Renal Anaemia role will involve in collaboration with key stakeholders:
- Identification and development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which are congruent with the Hospital’s service plan targets.
- 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.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Renal Anaemia) will:
- Act as an expert resource to all members of the interdisciplinary renal team both in the hospital and community, actively reviewing and developing the service.
- In conjunction with the renal management and clinical team develop service plan needs for renal anaemia patients and identify role expansion to cover anaemia within the hospital.
- Accept responsibility for professional development and to keep up-dated with current nursing trends and strategies and implement them in practice as necessary.
- Share best practice and knowledge gained from educational opportunities.
- Use specialist knowledge to support and enhance generalist nursing/midwifery practice.
- Liaise with other health service providers in the development and on-going delivery of the National Clinical Programme model of care.
- 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.
- Support, promote and actively participate in sustainable energy, water and waste initiatives to create a more sustainable, low carbon and efficient health service.
- 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.
- Support the principle that the care of the patient comes first at all times and will approach their work with the flexibility and enthusiasm necessary to make this principle a reality for every patient to the greatest possible degree.
- Maintain throughout the Hospital awareness of the primacy of the patient in relation to all hospital activities.
- Be required to participate in the Group’s performance management programme
- 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 Hospital Building is not permitted.
- Hospital uniform code must be adhered to
- Provide information that meets the need of Senior Management.