Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work within the Specialist Team for Orthopaedic Recovery Management in a variety of roles, such as Specialist Team Orthopaedics Recovery and Management nurse (STORM).
• Facilitate Same Day Discharge for Elective Joint Replacement patients through the provision of a Nurse-led STORM service.
• Facilitate a Nurse-led STORM service for orthopaedic patients to cover the needs of the service for patients who have experienced a traumatic orthopaedic injury.
• Ensure high quality safe care to support patients at home prior surgery if appropriate and post discharge.
• Assess patients in their own homes, pre-operatively/ post operatively, accessing the home environment.
• Delivering wound assessment and management, including monitoring for signs of surgical site infection (SSI).
• Providing care and education for patients with braces, splints, and cervical collars, ensuring correct use and preventing complications.
• Undertaking post-operative wellbeing checks following early discharge, identifying and escalating concerns where necessary.
• Offering pre-operative education support for selected elective and trauma patients, including optimisation advice and reassurance.
• Monitoring pain, mobility, and overall progress, liaising with multidisciplinary teams (orthopaedic consultants, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, GPs, district nurses) to ensure continuity of care.
• Supporting patient and family education, empowering individuals to self-manage where appropriate.
• Participating in early identification, prevention, and management of post-operative complications such as venous thromboembolism, infection, and pressure damage.
• Contributing to service development, audit, and quality improvement initiatives within the STORM pathway.
• To collect data required for the Surgical Site Infection and categorise correctly, data submission onto the SSI website and to monitor progress post discharge as per SSI guidelines.
• Work within a tea of staff responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating holistic, high quality and individualized care which respects patient personal dignity and beliefs.
• Ensure all documentation is complete and accurate and that information is stored and maintained appropriately.
• Maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors, and staff.
• Identify and undertake initiatives to improve quality of patient care, developing the service.
• Ensure appropriate communication mechanisms are in place and promote and maintain effective communication within the service/ multidisciplinary team, colleagues, patients, relatives, visitors and between other departments.
• Act as the patient advocate when appropriate and ensure that nursing staff can offer guidance on treatment options to enable the patient to make an informed choice.
• Assist in the maintenance of stock levels.
• Acting as a resource and role model for junior staff, providing supervision, support, and teaching.
• Maintain a professional profile and develop skills, knowledge and competencies adhering to the NMC code of Professional Conduct Trust Policies and Procedures.