Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Be responsible for providing high quality intensive packages of care to meet the needs of patients in their own home. Acting as a clinical role model ensure high standards are embedded with clinical practice delegating nursing care and interventions to other members of the team according to their level of knowledge.
• In collaboration with the Hospital at Home Co-ordinator and Nursing Team leader, be proactive in supporting the clinical nursing developments within the Hospital at Home service i.e. IV therapies, new care pathways to avoid hospital admissions, single point of access and single assessment process.
• Responsibility for coordinating the nursing team in the absence of the Team Leader and prioritising the workload in response to the differing demands of the service.
• In the absence of the Team Leader, plan the duty rota negotiating with team members to provide adequate cover.
• Receive referrals on a daily basis and take appropriate action to ensure patient needs are met in a safe and timely manner.  
• Be responsible for and competent with all aspects communication, verbal and non-verbal, written and electronic in order to be effective.
• Receive information via team meetings keeping an awareness and understanding of organisational issues.
• Liaise closely with hospital services, other intermediate care services, social services and voluntary sector, to ensure a seamless service.
• Receive referrals from hospitals, Intermediate Care Coordinators and Access to Community Services Team.
• Maintain own standards of patient care and monitor those of junior team members. Highlighting identified training needs to the Team Leader. Facilitate a learning and development environment for team members and allocate students.
• Undertake preceptorship, mentorship and workplace assessor and teaching roles, as required by the service within the nursing team.
• Be fully responsible and accountable for the teaching, and the giving of information to, patients and their families so they may make informed decisions for their care.
• Participate in formal and informal teaching of staff, demonstrating nursing care procedures when appropriate.
• Liaise with Team Leader to ensure team members maintain an up to date knowledge base and skill development programme.
• Undertake a wide range of clinical interventions/ diagnostics e.g. IV antibiotic therapy, subcutaneous fluid therapy etc utilising supplementary prescribing as required.
• Integrate the principles of Health Promotion into practice in order to empower patients through information and involvement.
• Be conversant with factors contributing to adult abuse and refer to social services as appropriate.
• Communicate effectively with patients, to ensure involvement and consent for care planning and subsequent interventions.
• Act as a clinical role model for nursing staff and assistants.

Professional

• Participate in a multidisciplinary approach to service delivery assuming key worker role as appropriate, developing close links with DNs, Social Services and other agencies as required.
• Develop skills in communicating with patients who have barriers to understanding such as speech, language, sensory impairment, confusion and aggression.
• Provide support and reassurance to patients, families and their carers when discussing sensitive issues, inclusive of terminally ill patients and bereaved relatives.
• Ensure care is delivered in a manner that reflects the team’s philosophy and promotes maximum independence.
• To assess the nursing care needs for patients which is responsive to their needs e.g. home, respite care and develop, implement and evaluate plans of care in conjunction with other health or social care professionals liaising with both internal and external agencies as required
• Using a recognised model of care be responsible and accountable for the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of the nursing care, without direct supervision for all patients referred to the team. Based on identified need make requisitions for items of home loan equipment.  Refer to and liaise with other agencies as appropriate.
• Be responsible and accountable for the admission and discharge of patients where possible, within the admission criteria, which is responsive to the varying, needs of the Hospital at Home service.
• Prioritise caseload, responding to calls accordingly.
• Be responsible for limiting own actions

Planning and Organisational Duties

• Participate in the recruitment and selection process as appropriate, interviewing on the panel for nursing and ancillary staff as and when required.
• Assist in the maintenance of accurate and timely data to enable the service to be monitored, reviewed and developed.
• Ensure accurate statistical data is promptly submitted in line with trust policies

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• To ensure that documentation is completed in accordance with Trust and departmental requirements.
• To ensure that care plans are adhered to and any changes in the patient’s needs are reported to a qualified nurse or therapist immediately.
• To attend departmental meetings when on duty to receive team brief, strategic plans and organisation objectives information.
• To record interventions in a single patient record, ensuring that entries meet Trust and departmental guidelines.
• To contribute to multi-disciplinary working by attending MDT meetings on a daily basis, feeding back patient progress information to qualified staff.
• To act in a supportive manner to patients, carers and/or families by respecting their privacy, dignity, culture and human rights.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• To receive an individual performance review and development planning on an annual basis from a Band 6 Nurse.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

• Deliver and fit equipment as directed by qualified members of the team, giving written and verbal advice to ensure that the patient can use it safely, and making a decision if it is appropriate for the environment.
• To receive training in equipment fitting by a qualified therapist and competency checked annually by a qualified therapist.
• To keep updated with all Trust policies and procedures to ensure that practice is updated and evidence based.
• To promptly report any untoward incident to a qualified clinician.
• Maintain confidentiality of patients, their families and colleagues.
• Ensure that mandatory training is attended, moving and handling annually, Fire Lecture annually, Basic Life Support bi-annually.
• Observe the rules governing Health and Safety as stipulated in The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. 

Responsibility for Teaching

• To receive clinical supervision from a Band 6 Nurse, Chartered Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist both informally and formally.

§  To attend supervision sessions with allocated mentor to ensure that competencies and practice is updated and maintained.

Work Circumstances & on-call

Monday to Sunday 365 days a year

 Standard Duties & Responsibilities

• To follow individual care and treatment plans, with indirect supervision, for patients according to needs identified by qualified staff.
• To assist the qualified therapists in the preparation of treatment materials and equipment.
• To deliver care as prescribed by qualified staff in an enabling manner that is conducive to promoting the independence of patients.
• To carry out administration duties, e.g. monitoring equipment stock and ordering as needed in line with recommended level, preparing MDT assessment packs.
• To provide aspects of social care, for example, domestic duties as directed by qualified members of the team.
• To be competent in monitoring and recording blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiration and blood glucose.  To have competencies checked annually by a qualified nurse.  To record observations in the patients’ notes, and inform trained nurses of any deviation from baseline observations.
• To be competent in carrying out venepuncture and have competencies checked annually by a qualified nurse.
• To be competent in monitoring and recording blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiration and blood glucose.  To have competencies checked annually by a qualified nurse.  To record observations in the patients’ notes, and inform trained nurses of any deviation from baseline observations.
• To be competent in carrying out venepuncture and have competencies checked annually by a qualified nurse.