Stroke Specialist NurseNHS

Job summary

We are developing an Integrated Community Stroke Service (ICSS) within Great Yarmouth & Waveney, bringing together community stroke pathways into a more coordinated, responsive and patient-centred model of care.As part of the wider left shift ambition, this service will support earlier discharge from hospital and improve outcomes through timely, multidisciplinary rehabilitation in the community.Our Year 1 focus is on building a more responsive and integrated local service, increased MDT capacity and improved continuity of care across the stroke pathway.You will be joining a service at a key point of development, with the opportunity to shape how care is delivered and contribute to a more integrated, forward-thinking model of community stroke rehabilitation.

A seven day service will be developed in the future.

Main duties of the job

To provide specialist nursing within the Integrated Community Stroke Service consisting of assessment, liaison and treatment of patients following stroke.

To provide basic medication reviews, clinical observations and liaise with professionals as required.

To assess and prescribe basic pressure care equipment and signpost to other services requiring to be involved.

Complete basic mood screen assessments, have an awareness of the Psychological Step Care Model and carry out levels 1+2. Refer onwards to other agencies for further input if required.

To provide basic continence assessments, provide advice and refer to specialist team for input if required.

To manage autonomously a significant caseload with supervision from senior staff members.

To work in a variety of settings including patient homes, care homes and community settings.

Job description

Clinical

• To provide specialist nursing within the stroke survivor pathway consisting of assessment, liaison and treatment of patients following stroke.
• To manage autonomously a significant caseload with supervision from senior staff members.
• To participate in the patient's multi-disciplinary rehabilitation goals ensuring a functional approach to rehabilitation.
• To work within defined specialist department and national protocols/policies for stroke care such as the NICE clinical guidelines and National Service Model for an Integrated Community Stoke Service.
• To also work within the professional code of conduct as outlined by professional bodies.
• To be professionally and legally accountable for all aspects of own work and to ensure that work is within professional standards and clinical guidelines.
• To ensure that patients, families and carers are involved in the planning and prioritisation of their stroke rehabilitation care plans.
• To work collaboratively with other services that may be involved in the care of the patients for instance, social services and the volunteer sector.
• To attend and contribute to relevant multidisciplinary meetings and client reviews as appropriate.
• To demonstrate clinical effectiveness by use of evidence-based practice and outcome measures relevant to stroke, in particular regard to own profession.
• To provide supervision, specialist advice and support to Therapy Assistant Practitioners and students within the team, as well as other members of the Integrated Community Stroke Service, community colleagues and service users.
• To conduct multi-disciplinary initial contact assessments as a member of the Integrated Community Stroke Service.
• To provide emotional support to patients and families including those with complex needs, with support from clinical psychologist and senior colleagues (as available).
• To liaise with and support the wider Integrated Community Stroke Service team on discharge of patients from the service, when agreed objectives have been reached, or treatment is no longer appropriate. This may require planned referral onto other appropriate agencies/services.
• To work in a variety of settings including patient's homes, care homes, and clinics.

Communication

• To use appropriate methods of communication with patients, families, and carers, to maximise rehabilitation and understanding of the condition.
• To communicate effectively and collaboratively with colleagues in health, social and third sector services to ensure delivery of a co-ordinated multi-disciplinary integrated stroke service.
• To provide specialist advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals.
• To communicate complex information to patients, families, carers, other professionals, and other members of the multi-disciplinary team involved in the treatment of the patient.
• To gain valid informed consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack the capacity to consent to treatment and to contribute to capacity assessment with support from senior colleagues.

Management & Service Development

• Interpret clinical guidelines and adapt local service needs based on specialist knowledge.
• To communicate to professional lead and team leader on issues of service delivery including shortfalls, potential risks and service pressures.
• To use specialist clinical reasoning to provide guidance to Therapy Assistant Practitioner staff and staff members of other professions, to assist in case management.
• To act as a stroke specialist nursing resource and provide advice and support to other members of the stroke team, service users, community colleagues and professionals from external agencies.
• To assume delegated tasks as requested by professional leads and service managers related to team management and service development.
• To work collaboratively with colleagues across the Integrated Community Stroke Service and support professional leads to improve patient care and share best practice across the service.

Leadership

• To represent ECCH with regards to stroke care.
• To act as a positive role model.
• Support Therapy Assistant Practitioner staff members in providing comprehensive holistic assessment of patients and re-evaluation of their needs, to determine priorities of care and provide effective management of emotional, psychological and spiritual support.

Education, Training and Supervision

• To continue to develop competencies through reflective practices, clinical supervision and performance reviews.
• To assist in the development of specific Evidence Based Competencies in collaboration with professional lead, other members of the Integrated Stroke Services as well as external agencies.
• Work collaboratively with other peers in the other elements of the integrated stroke service to identify training needs and contribute to an across service training program for staff.
• To provide regular specialist training on a range of topics to service users, doctors, nurses, therapists, students and care staff.
• To attend relevant training and development to maintain and develop skills and knowledge required of a specialist nursing working in stroke.
• Provide clinical placement supervision to students within own profession.
• Act as a role model by offering support and work shadowing to other professionals, Therapy Assistant Practitioner colleagues and students.
• To conduct professional development reviews of Therapy Assistant Practitioner team members.

Our Values outline the core behaviours that we can all achieve and are summarised as an acronym within the word 'CARE'. These stand for: Compassion, Action, Respect and Everyone.

Underpinning our Values are our Signature Behaviours which highlight by taking the right actions we continue to build a strong culture.

Our four Signature Behaviours are: Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead| Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together.

About us

ECCH is well established health care provider and has been successfully delivering NHS care within the community since 2011. We provide a range of NHS, community health and social care services predominantly across the easterly region of the Norfolk/Suffolk borders.We are aligned to NHS terms and conditions, and offer many employee benefits, to find out more about us visit our website - www.ecch.org. We are a social enterprise and staff owned organisation which means staff can opt to be shareholders and have a real say in how ECCH is run and evolves to deliver healthcare for the future.At the heart of our ambition, we work in partnership with and for the community to become the provider and employer of choice for community healthcare.