Job overview

As a registered Nurse you will be responsible for the support and delivery of a high quality care service, offering a person centred approach to their independence and well- being enabling patients to have treatment in their own homes.

This is an exciting opportunity to develop both clinically and a professionally by joining our OPAT service (outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy).

You will have responsibility for the OPAT service and leading a small team at the RUH (Royal United Hospital). You will need to be able to work flexibly to cover a Monday – Friday service, working  autonomously to provide support to an existing IV Therapy Nurse Practitioner. You should have the recognised NMC prescribing course or a willingness to undertake.

If you have recent experience of caring for Patients with Central venous access devices (PICC`s and Ports) and administration of IV medicines this would be an advantage. However in house training is offered should this be required.  Ideally the successful candidate would have prior experience of treating and advising patients, either in or out of a hospital setting.  You should have a teaching qualification recognised by the NMC and be able to provide evidence of teaching and training staff, patients and carers.

Communication is an essential skill as you will communicate with a multidisciplinary team at all levels,  both in the acute and primary care  setting.

Main duties of the job

Patient assessment regarding suitability for OPAT

Clarification of treatment plan and coordination of MDT meeting if necessary

Establish the most suitable agency for the administration of the drug - e.g. district nurses, community hospital, patient or carer

Work together with clinical teams to coordinate discharge

Educate patient/ carer/ community teams regarding line care, drug administration, potential problems, etc.

Availability to see patients in outpatients with their clinical team

Support community teams and patients within working hours

Monitoring weekly blood tests and inform clinical teams of any concerns

Monitoring of line care

Review of treatment plan with relevant parties if required

Liaison with clinical team for further prescriptions - e.g. oral therapy if required

Line removal at the end of treatment course

Ensure appropriate follow-up at end of therapy

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone’s contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are proud to be in the top 20 best hospitals to work for in the country. 

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We’ve even got a pool!

We are committed to supporting you and hope you want to join our team. In the meantime, find out more about living and working the beautiful historic city of Bath, learn about our extensive package of staff benefits, and read about how we’re providing healthcare fit for the future with the landmark Dyson Cancer Centre and our passion for research.