Job overview

Year on year DSAA contributes to the life journeys of thousands of Dorset and Somerset people. Many of these patients are so severely injured or ill that they do not recall the events or clinical care provided on scene. Many patients suffer life changing injuries and effects from their experiences.  As a result of their injuries or illness our patients have to endure enormous physical and mental challenges and require highly specialised support to bridge the gap between pre-hospital critical illness, rehabilitation and recovery. We attend a large number of patients who die and their families previously did not understand the Critical Care that was provided to their loved one in the pre-hospital domain.

The DSAA Patient and Family Liaison Specialist Nurses (PFLSN) will support patients and their families to understand their complex critical illness or injuries, including their pathway of pre-hospital critical care and anaesthesia. They will facilitate communication links with other similarly injured patients to enable peer support from individuals who have experienced similar life events.

Main duties of the job

A detailed working knowledge and experience in advanced Critical Care practice is required for this role.  Specifically, the ability to analyse and interpret complex clinical and non-clinical facts in a range of settings in order to meet the ongoing needs of patients and families is crucial.

The PFLSN will provide complex emotional support and guidance for our patients and families following their pre-hospital critical care experience. As well as explaining the Critical Care provided on scene, they will provide ongoing signposting and referrals within the regional networks, the wider NHS and relevant charitable organisations. The PFLSN will be required to utilise skills in psychological assessment and clinical judgement to assess and refer patients or families to further specialist services eg: Pain clinics or Psychology services.

The role requires knowledge of Critical Care pathways within hospitals and throughout the region. The PFLSN will need to work autonomously and create networks within hospital clinical teams and throughout the regional clinical networks. While working autonomously, the PFLSN will practice within the governance structure of SWAST, the wider NHS and DSAA. 

The PFLSN are required to regularly visit patients in hospital in addition to ongoing contact in person with patients and families in a residential setting following their injuries or illness. This will require driving to visit patients throughout the region. 

Working for our organisation

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA) provided Prehospital Critical Care for 1258 patients in 2020. The destination hospitals for these patients include those in the south (University Hospital Southampton, Southampton Children’s Hospital, Poole General Hospital, Bournemouth Hospital, Dorset County Hospital, Salisbury Hospital) and those in the north (Yeovil Hospital, Musgrove Park Hospital, Royal Bath Hospital, Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol Children’s Hospital).