Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Professional

·         Assess the suitability of individual patients referred to the cardiac rehabilitation service

·         Assess the needs of each patient using expert knowledge, skills and assessment tools such as CHESTER step test or shuttle walk.  Design and prepare an exercise rehabilitation programme and with the patients consent, implement and record outcomes throughout the programme.

·         Ensure all patients baseline observations are completed and recorded on initial assessment and review appointments. This may include: Temperature, Pulse, Respiration, Blood Pressure, Respiratory Rate, Oxygen Saturation and Skin Inspection

·         Use risk factor analysis and appropriate risk stratification to determine the suitability of each patient referred in to the cardiac rehabilitation programme in order to identify and offer the appropriate cardiac rehabilitation option(s)

·         Empower and involve patients with the decision making and planning of their treatment management plan

·         Able to work professionally with flexibility and adaptability to ensure clinical capacity, capability and time utilisation are fully maximised

·         Support patients to maximise their full potential by encouraging them to have a better understanding of their condition, therefore allowing them to work towards self – management as an ‘expert patient’

·         Able to use own initiative when monitoring and supervising patients, reviewing and assessing their treatment plan using BORG scale and heart rates. Increasing and / or decreasing the exercise programme to meet individual needs and setting realistic goals for their condition to improve

·         Awareness of and referral into community support services e.g. smoking cessation, Social Prescribers, GP referral for exercise and British Heart Foundation support groups  

·         Able to deliver evidence-based health education programmes to patients, their families and carers, therefore providing primary and secondary health promotion for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD)

·         Appropriate and suitable to deliver as per NICE guidelines – Acute Coronary Syndromes 2020. BACPR guidelines 2023 and ACPICR 2015 an inclusive Cardiac Rehabilitation Programme to meet local demand

·         Able to modify each programme according to the suitability of patients being referred. This may include, but not be limited to home-based/virtual exercise and low intensity-based sessions for high to moderate risk dependency patients with physical limitations due to co-morbidities such as stroke, cancer or musculoskeletal disorders, and or gym-based programmes for low to moderate risk dependency patients

·         Able to deliver exercise programmes using a variety of methods for example a group session and/or an individual based programme in varied delivery modes such as face to face or virtually in order to maximise patient engagement and uptake of the service

·         To educate and empower patients to take control of their condition wherever possible and assist them in self-management skills, encouraging them to undertake a cardiac rehabilitation programme to help improve quality of life

·         Able to communicate effectively, sensitively and with empathy to patients, families and carers that may have been exposed to distressing information e.g. a poor prognosis, emotional issues, distressing situation and / or circumstances

·         To use evidence-based techniques to empower, motivate and support patients, their families and carers, where lifestyle changes are required in order to prevent a re-occurrence of a further cardiac event

·         To liaise with and foster good working relationships with all members of the multi - disciplinary team in order to effectively plan and deliver a robust cardiac rehabilitation service

·         Ensure that clinical documentation is accurate, contemporaneous, legible and that all correspondence is completed clearly and in a timely manner in accordance with the trusts policies and procedures on clinical record keeping

·         Able to organise and maintain own daily workload for the exercise and assessment component of the programme. Able to discharge patients when the programmes have been completed and / or sign post those patients on to other services if they require further ongoing treatment

·         Able to prioritise and re-schedule duties, which may involve short notice, when having to cover for any unplanned absences, study leave and unexpected annual leave

·         Will ask for advice, support and guidance from the Cardiac Rehabilitation nurses whenever any concerns arise

·         Will be required to maintain basic life support (BLS) skills and defibrillation training and as necessary and wherever appropriate, will be able to utilise this in an emergency situation using own professional judgment

·         Promote and foster close working relationships with primary/secondary care services e.g. hospital Cardiology services, GP practices, district nurses; thereby ensuring a seamless community service for patients cared for by the Cardiac Rehabilitation team

·         Be involved with and participate in regular team and departmental meetings when invited to attend in order to ensure that accurate and up to date information is transferred and disseminated to all members within the team

·         Utilising the skills of the administration team, will participate in identifying items for the team meeting agenda and will read the minutes for each meeting in a timely manner, feeding back when required to do so

·         To maintain a working knowledge of the Adult and Child protection policies and procedures, report any incidents of actual or potential abuse in a timely manner and attend or access on-line, all relevant mandatory training as required by the trust

Education and development

·         To work within the guidelines of the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) and Register of Exercise Professionals (REP’s), in order to maintain standards of practice and undertake regular training as required

·         Maintain own clinical competencies, knowledge and skills, including an awareness of local and national changes and initiatives within cardiac care and the wider vascular agenda. This can be done by reading, attending relevant study days / workshops / conferences / private study by utilising the intranet / internet

·         Participate in regular clinical supervision, undertake reflective practice and complete relevant documentation to keep in own personal professional portfolio as evidence of learning achieved

·         As trust policies, procedures and guidelines on mandatory training, will undertake all training either on line or by attendance, any relevant to professionals needs as identified within the monthly training reports

·         To support and participate in the induction of newly appointed staff and is able to advice and support students who are on clinical placement within the team

·         Act as an educational resource for health care professionals, provide effective evidence-based teaching to patients, their families and carers regarding CHD diagnosis, self-management skills, lifestyle advice, and treatments, and coping strategies

Audit and research

·         Will be responsible for requesting an order for stock items e.g. renewal of batteries, pedometers and Resistance Bands

·         Assist with improving the quality of the Cardiac Rehabilitation service by making recommendations and suggestions for change that will develop the service

·         Assist with providing evidence-based approach to practice within the team and participate in the development of quality initiatives, including standards of patient care, clinical audit and monitoring of service provision

·         To actively influence and promote patient and public involvement within the development of the service and will assist with the monitoring and evaluating of service provision through patient user groups and patient satisfaction surveys

·         Participate in the regular collection of data for the service using excel spread sheet and local National Audit Data-based systems such as NACR.Ensuring that data is inputted within the specified time period as stipulated within the trusts policy

Additional duties

·         To undertake other duties commensurate with this grade of post in agreement with the relevant line manager

·         To minimise the Trust’s environmental impact wherever possible, including recycling, switching off lights, computers, monitors and equipment when not in use. Helping to reduce paper waste by minimising printing/copying and reducing water usage, reporting faults and heating/cooling concerns promptly and minimising travel. Where the role includes the ordering and use of supplies or equipment the post holder will consider the environmental impact of purchases