OPAT Senior Nurse

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Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

Are you looking for a new and exciting role? Do you want to be part of a new service and be integral to providing excellent patient care?

We are looking for a Registered Nurse or work in our Outpatient Parental Antimicrobial Therapies clinic.

This is a Permanent full time contract but part time / secondment will be considered.

The post holder will work as part of the Integrated Care and Hospital at Home teams for Mid and South Essex Hospitals to deliver an Outpatient Parental Antibiotics Therapies service to patients from across the Mid Essex NHS Trust areas in a clinic setting. They will assist with organising a caseload of patients with a variety of complex needs but will have the support of the clinical teams working within the virtual wards setting.

The post holder will assist the clinic manager with day to day operating of the OPAT clinic

MSE Trust sites, however, the successful candidate may be required to work across multiple sites within the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust area. (Basildon, Southend, Billericay or Broomfield)

A driving license and access to a car are essential for this role as you may be expected to travel between hospital base sites. Travel expenses will be reimbursed via the Trust expenses system.

Main duties of the job

The OPAT service is to facilitate early discharge from hospital and to provide an admission avoidance service and the post holder will be expected to liaise with the virtual wards and emergency departments medical teams to identify and assess those who it is felt would benefit from OPAT services. There may be an expectation to communicate with community teams and patient GP's to ensure a continuity of care for each patient. The post holder will be expected to have excellent communication skills and be able to communicate via a variety of platforms - email, telephone, virtual meetings etc.

The post holder will ensure that IV medications are safely administered as per agreed clinical pathways within scope of practice. They will devise relevant care plans and ensure that these are adhered to and kept current within the OPAT service.

To work as part of the team within the Integrated Care division, in particular the Hospital@Home teams, managing a clinical caseload and to facilitate patients flow through identified pathways, including discharge planning.

Working for our organisation

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For full details about this varied and rewarding role, please see attached job description, but some of the responsibilities include

The Band 6 nurse will be responsible for coordinating the clinics and ensure the nurse led service is organised and adheres to Trust policies and procedures.

They will work alongside the Band 7 clinic manager and a Healthcare Assistant to ensure patients are suitably assessed and optimal treatments are provided. You will work with multidisciplinary teams to ensure high quality care is given to each patient.

You will be expected to have previous experience in autonomous patient care and administering intravenous medications via PICC or peripheral cannula and be proficient in cannulation skills.

Due to the nature of the service and the patient demographic there is an expectation of flexibility to the working practice of this role to ensure optimum care is provided. The OPAT team may be required to work at multiple clinic sites and to support the Hospital@home service with the administration of IV therapies to patients on the service in their own homes if required.

Person specification

essential

Essential criteria

• RGN Part 1 NMC register
• Driving License
• Previous experience in clinic setting

Desirable criteria

• PICC Trained
• Cannulation skills

Essential

Essential criteria

• IV medication trained

Desirable

Desirable criteria

• PICC trained

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• OPAT Charge Nurse (PDF, 536.3KB)
• Privacy Policy (PDF, 441.0KB)
• AFC Pay Poster 25/26 (PDF, 32.3KB)
• Behaviours Framework (JPG, 298.0KB)
• Trust marketing brochure (PDF, 2.1MB)
• General Statements - AFC - V5.1 (PDF, 424.6KB)