Detailed job description and main responsibilities

 Clinical Skills

- Attend high risk deliveries initiating and co-ordinating resuscitation procedures, such as endotracheal intubation, umbilical venous catheterisation and the administration of resuscitation drugs and fluids as required.

- Stabilise and ensure the safe transfer of the sick baby from point of delivery to the neonatal unit or stabilise the baby for referral to another centre.

- Use specialist clinical skills in the care of the neonate such as intubation, central line insertion and chest drain insertion.

- Use highly specialist clinical and theoretical knowledge to undertake initial physical examination of the newborn to identify congenital abnormalities in the newborn infant.

- Use highly specialised clinical and theoretical knowledge to examine and assess daily the immediate and long-term medical needs of babies in the neonatal unit.

- Initiate and evaluate clinical management and treatment and make appropriate referrals to other health care professionals where appropriate.

- Prescribe medications and intravenous/intra-arterial fluids according to agreed protocols.

- Order investigations such as blood, urine and other laboratory tests, X-rays, ultrasound and electrocardiographs.

- Plan, perform, interpret and act on clinical procedures and investigations, such as chest drains and central line insertion, referring to the consultant for advice and when scope of practice is exceeded.

- Initiate, monitor and amend the management of mechanical ventilation of babies by taking and interpreting blood gases.

- Carry out sepsis screening and treatment for babies on the post-natal areas.

- Obtain and record in case notes comprehensive maternal, family, obstetric, medical and social history.

- Communicate sensitive news to families in an appropriate manner.

- Discharge babies from the neonatal unit and post-natal wards following physical examination.

Staff Development, Training and Mentorship

- Successfully complete neonatal life support course every 4 years and refresher every year.

- Maintain a high standard of clinical competence and professional development through self-directed learning and annual evaluation and appraisal by Matron for Child Health and a Consultant Neonatologist.

- Responsible for accessing own continuing education, undertaking modules and courses at master’s level and undertake mandatory and role specific training as required by the Trust.

- Contribute to the development of nursing/medical knowledge and skills as part of the vision to extend practice within the neonatal unit.

- Take an active role in multidisciplinary team education and presentations.

- Use specialist knowledge to actively participate in the clinical and theoretical education, training, supervision and support of neonatal nurses, midwives and medical staff.

- Participate in competency-based learning programmes to enable development and enhancement of clinical skills and roles and maintain a profile of own advanced clinical skills.

- To share the lead in teaching resuscitation in clinical practice.

- To disseminate learning from meetings, teachings and reflective practice.

Improving Patient and Visitor Experience

- To be visible in the clinical area and act as a resource for staff and families.

- Enable staff to exercise professional judgement within a framework of accountability to support them to make decisions independently regarding clinical care and priorities.

- To act as a clinical leader and role model for staff.

- To ensure family views are sought to continuously assess, implement and evaluate care to benefit premature and sick babies.

- Consider new ways of working which enhance patient care, presenting outline proposals to the Matron for Child Health/Neonatal Consultant.

- Able to give a full comprehensive medical handover at the end of shift for continuity of care.

- To deliver sensitive news to families in an appropriate manner.

Using Audit, Evaluation and Research

- Articulate, critique and discuss sources of evidence on which clinical care is based.

- Contribute to service development within the managed clinical network

- Contribute and lead where appropriate in the development, writing and evaluation of evidence based locally agreed neonatal nursing and medical guidelines, protocols and standards.

- To actively participate in developing specialist areas of practice as appropriate.

- To develop the role in relation to the Department of Health 10 High Impact Changes (DOH 2004) and the CNO 10 key roles for Nurses (DOH 2002).

- Participate in data collection for local and multi-centre research

- Participate in the evaluation of new equipment

- Participate in perinatal audit, mortality and morbidity and other clinical meetings where the outcomes and recommendations have the potential to enhance quality in care; give case presentations as required.

- Conduct audit projects on a regular basis. With help of the audit department, devise audit tools, analyse data, write reports and present findings to the multidisciplinary team.

- Will be instrumental in the implementation of change in neonatal practice as required.

Management and Teamwork

- Work a variety of shifts (internal rotation) on the junior medical rotas.

- Promote a high standard of advanced specialist nursing and medical care by initiating and co-ordinating the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of the holistic needs of the baby/parent/carer through evidence based clinical practice and following agreed protocols and guidelines.

- Participate on clinical ward rounds, receive and provide complex case presentations.

- Stabilise babies post-delivery and pre-transfer to other hospitals.

- Able to communicate implications of care and options to all levels of nursing/medical staff, parents/carers and discuss highly contentious information in a language which promotes understanding.

- Hold the 1st tier medical bleep and respond to emergency situations as required.

- Co-ordinate resuscitation of the neonate and support juniors where appropriate.