Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Responsibilities/Key Responsibilities

Lead clinical care by managing a patient caseload providing expert assessment, planning, and evaluation of clinical practice.

The post holder will assess individuals care needs, developing, planning, implementing, and evaluating care to meet the needs of patients within the clinical environment and outpatient setting.

Undertake extended clinical skills and/or procedures to meet the needs of the individual service e.g. non-medical prescribing and/or clinical procedures (biopsies, scopes etc)

Identify and assess patients physical, social and psychological needs to support the development of comprehensive holistic needs assessment and personalised care and support plans.

Support and lead the delivery of all personalised cancer care key metrics.

Provide advice, support and symptom management for patients, carers and other health professionals within the scope of expected clinical competencies aligned with the ACCEND framework for enhanced or advanced level practice.

Use advanced communication skills in listening and information-processing to communicate highly complex and sensitive information to patients and carers.

Respond to individuals’ complex needs and concerns.

Make judgements surrounding complex health concerns or situations which require analysis, interpretation and a range of care options to enable the initiation of nursing care interventions.

Be confident in always acting as a patient advocate by considering patients specific needs, preferences, priorities and circumstances to guide the care and treatment they are offered.

Undertake nurse led clinics, ensuring patients have appropriate support and information (verbal and written) as well as an opportunity to discuss questions or concerns.

Attend and participate in Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) meetings ensuring outcomes are communicated with patients, clinicians, and other relevant members of the MDT within a timely manner and via a communication channel of the patient’s choice.

Coordinate the provision of services to patients throughout the cancer pathway ensuring continuity of care, aiding communication between internal and external MDTs and liaising with medical, surgical and oncology services.

Provide expert advice to patients and their families regarding their management plans and liaise as appropriate with the multi-disciplinary health care teams, including voluntary agencies and hospices.

Utilise Advanced Communications Skills and Psychological Support Level 2 training in daily practice.

Work collaboratively with key stakeholder to support the implementation of local, regional and national strategies and delivery of local and national targets.

Meet and welcome service users, be proactive in establishing positive and professional communication with the public.

Lead in the development of information/health promotion/leaflet for patients, carers and/or other healthcare professionals ensuring the information provided is evidenced based.

Monitor capacity to meet the demands of the service, pre-empting risk and escalating concerns identified.

Organise and plan own caseload activity to meet the needs of the patients and demands of the service.

Work with the Trust, system wide partners and members of the clinical team to continually review and improve patient experience.

Professional Development, Education and Training

Maintain accurate and timely patient records and documentation in accordance with NMC Code of Conduct and Trust policy.

To always uphold the Trust’s professional practice standards acting as a role model.

Adhere to Trust and departmental policies and procedures.

Actively contribute and participate in the Trust’s clinical governance agenda.

To keep up to date and act consistently with quality standards and guidelines within their own clinical area and associated areas.

To participate in annual appraisal and accept personal responsibilities for professional growth and development.

Maintain continued professional development.

Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy.

Maintain relevant professional registration

Attend national and regional meetings and conferences appropriate to the role and service to ensure knowledge and skills are refreshed and kept up to date.

Ensure the provision of a supportive learning environment for students and other learners within the team.

Develop and implement specialist teaching which will include practical and theoretical sessions to support multi-professional staff.

The postholder will be supported by your line manager to identify personal objectives and access further education as required to improve specialist knowledge and skills, aligned to the ACCEND framework.

Establish and maintain evidence-based practice in the clinical environment ensuring processes are in place for the identification, collection, and evaluation of information to support clinical decision making.

To assess clinical competencies and provide training/education as required to junior nurses in the team.

Be responsible for developing and implementing induction plans for new staff.

Act as a mentor to new staff and students

Management and Leadership

Provide highly visible and accessible professional leadership and demonstrate expert knowledge and standards of clinical practice.

Analyse various sources of information to assess risks and make judgement on the potential impact to the service.

Evaluate existing service, identifying, and leading on quality improvement and encouraging team working, innovation and development in practice.

Contribute to the strategic and operational development of the specialist service.

Assist the Service Leads and Senior Leadership Team in ensuring robust, comprehensive, and appropriate governance and performance management arrangements are in place within the division.

Work closely with the Service Leads and the Senior Leadership Team to ensure effective management of complaints investigation and response.

Monitoring of agreed standards of care and action planning to assess the effectiveness.

The postholder will contribute and implement the Trust’s Nursing & Midwifery strategy within the service.

Lead and manage change in response to emerging knowledge and national cancer initiatives, using persuasion and influencing skills.

Lead on the development or policies and protocols as appropriate.

Lead on the development of annual reports and/or service reviews.

Take a lead role on contributing to the Trust Cancer Quality Surveillance process.

Take a lead role in analysing the results of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey and identify quality improvements

Represent the division at local, regional and national meetings.

Contribute to the effective planning and use of resources/supplies within the service.

Provide effective line management to members of the team 

Plan, organise and supervise staff according to their clinical competence.

Lead on personal development plans for staff, promoting further education to increase knowledge and expertise in the service, aligned to the ACCEND framework.

Promote team working, building rapport and ensuring collaborative working 

Demonstrate effective leadership at all times. 

Research and Development

To assist and/or participate in research, service development, and audit within the specialist area in order to develop clinical competence aligned to the ACCEND Framework.

To promote the service and clinical excellence by contributing to publishing and presenting innovations, audit and research locally, nationally and regionally.

Demonstrate the ability to use current research to develop practice, ensuring this is from a reliable source and evidenced based.

Communications and Working Relationships

The post holder will build and maintain effective working relationships with:

Trust Lead Cancer Nurse.

Clinical cancer teams, particularly the Cancer Clinical Nurse Specialists, Cancer Support Workers and MDT Co-Ordinator’s. 

Cancer clinicians including medical colleagues and Allied Health Professionals across all GM providers

Operational and managerial teams within the hospitals.

Macmillan Information and Support Centre team and Focus Support Centre

Health, social and community network, external statutory / charity / third sector organisations within Gloucestershire

Patient User Involvement Groups 

Professional

Maintain accurate and timely patient records and documentation in accordance with NMC Code of Conduct and Trust policy.

To always uphold the Trust’s professional practice standards acting as a role model.

Adhere to Trust and departmental policies and procedures.

Actively contribute and participate in the Trust’s clinical governance agenda. 

To participate in annual appraisal and accept personal responsibilities for professional growth and development.

Maintain continued professional development.

Complete mandatory training in line with Trust policy.