Breast Care Nurse Specialist

All references from current and previous employers will be sought and MUST cover a minimum of 3 years employment. Therefore, when completing the reference section of your application form, please give the address, telephone number and work email address of each of your current/previous line managers that cover 3 years employment. Where possible this should be from two separate employers. Failure to complete this section may result in your application not being processed.
PLEASE NOTE it is a requirement of this Trust that all successful applicants pay for their DBS certificate if a check is required for the post. This will be done through deduction from your monthly pay over a maximum of three months. It is also a requirement that all successful applicants register or are registered with the DBS update service where a DBS is required.
All new entrants to the NHS will be appointed on the minimum of the pay scale in line with Terms & Conditions., An exciting opportunity exists within the Breast Care nursing team for a fixed term post as Band 6 Breast Care Nurse specialist., + To provide the highest standard of holistic care for patients through the utilisation of enhanced clinical skills and advice in the assessment and management of patients in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team to improve and maintain the quality and safety of patient care
+ To contribute to the delivery and development of the Breast Care service through the use of effective evidence based practice in line with agreed national standards for clinical practice
+ To be accountable for the planning and delivery of all aspects of patient care in relation to the service and as set out in the NMC Code
+ To continuously improve clinical care standards in line with the clinical governance framework to ensure the highest quality of care is provided in safest manner
+ To work as a member of a clinical team in the provision of enhanced care and knowledge
+ To provide enhanced clinical advice and support to clinical staff within GHNT on the management and care of patients within your defined area of practice to facilitate the effective delivery of care to patients
+ To communicate effectively with all members of the multi-disciplinary team, patients, carers and the public
+ To act as a resource and role model for the profession at all times
+ To provide education and training to clinical staff and internal /external agencies, · Assess patients using clinical skills and knowledge to make a clinical judgement on condition and discuss treatment plan with clinical colleagues
· Work as a specialist practitioner, providing support and advice relevant to patient care and treatment/ management plan
· Utilise analytical and judgement skills in the implementation of agreed protocols e.g. nurse led discharge
· Effectively deal with complaints from patients and relatives
· Effectively deal with sensitive issues and upset patients and relatives
· Analyse clinical information through detailed patient assessment
· Analyse audit data and research, relating it to practice
· Make judgements and recommendations about clinical nursing practice
· Comply with the Trust's Risk Management Strategy and report any incidents/accidents and near misses in accordance with the Trust Policy

Planning and Organisational Skills
· Actively participate in the planning, organisation and implementation of individual patient care
· Plan short term adjustments to own workload depending on priorities and staffing
· Support the planning and implementation of audits to meet the needs of reviews, service development and improvements
· Carry out audit of compliance with protocols/care pathways
· Plan care in collaboration with other health care professionals, other agencies and the patient and devise nursing care plan for implementation
· Contribute where appropriate to the Clinical Quality Assurance Framework

Physical Skills (manual dexterity)
· Undertake highly developed physical tasks and clinical skills where accuracy is important
· Deliver practical/clinical care which may involve a range of physical skills, e.g. IV cannulation and phlebotomy, IV drug administration, recording and interpreting ECGs, taking arterial blood gases, male/female catheterisation, physical assessment of patients using clinical skills
· Deliver enhanced clinical care which may involve a range of specialist physical skills, e.g. stoma care, bladder scanning, chest examination
· Competence in the use of all medical devices
· Competence in the use of specialist equipment relevant to the role
· Accurate IT skills required for policy, presentation, reports, date entry and email communication

Patient/Client care:
· Develop and deliver the specialist nursing service
· Support an environment where health promotion and informed patient choice is encouraged and developed to its maximum potential, with the available resources
· Support the evaluation of specialist clinical practice by monitoring the standards of care and ensuring that nursing practice is audited and research based in order to provide a continually improving service and support the clinical governance framework
· Request patient investigations within protocols and manage patient care with own professional /enhanced competence
· Monitor treatment compliance and advise on modifications to treatment within agreed guidelines and protocols
· Contribute to the development of nursing practice guidelines, policies and protocols/ care pathways within defined area of practice
· Act as patients advocate in all matters relating to his or her care, treatment and welfare; acknowledging and incorporating cultural preferences, health beliefs and behaviours
· Demonstrate specialist knowledge and skills through delivery of enhanced nursing practice to the highest standard
· Act as a professional role model and provide specialist support and advice to colleagues
· Take a lead in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating specialist programmes of care in partnership with the patient and the multidisciplinary team
· Respond to enquiries from patients, relatives and carers; deal with concerns, formal complaints, PALS concerns and actively problem solve to improve the patients experience Comply with NMC Professional Registration; practice in line with current NMC Code and keep up to date with current nursing practices
· Complete and maintain the required specialist training and related clinical, technical and interpersonal skills and competence required to undertake a holistic approach to the systematic assessment of patient needs and implementation of care required
· Ensure safe administration of drugs in accordance with current NMC guidelines for administration of medicines and GHNT Policies
· Ensure accurate nursing records are kept in line with current NMC guidelines on records and record keeping and GHNT Policies
· Ensure that evidentiary documentation of competence and skills is maintained and reviewed annually though appraisal and personal development plan
· Provide trust wide education and training on both specialist area of practice and generic nursing and care management

Policy and Service Development:
· Audit areas of practice encouraging change where necessary to ensure best practice
· Implement locally devised PGDs
· In conjunction with all members of the team ensure that all national targets, standards and guidance are achieved
· Contribute to policies, procedures & Governance relevant to services
· Ensure that Trust policies are adhered to by self and others
· Deliver the quality standards and targets outlined in the Trusts' Risk Management Strategy and local Operational Policies
· Demonstrate learning from compliments, complaints and concerns and patient experience feedback
· Contribute to team discussion on proposed and planned changes affecting clinical area and the continuing development of services

Financial and Physical Resources
· Ensure a safe working environment, using the resources available
· Comply and adapt to the changing needs of the health care system
· Utilize resource effectively using evidence based practice
· Demonstrate awareness to be cost effective
· Report the failure or mechanical problems of any items of equipment in line with the Medical Devices Policy
· Adhere to the Trust Information Governance Procedures

Human Resources
· Identify and pursue own educational and professional development to meet the requirements of role including revalidation
· Mentor junior staff, participate in teaching programmes for all learners in accordance with their objectives and work closely with the Clinical Facilitators
· Provide clinical advice and support to colleagues
· Lead by example and act as a specialist resource for all staff
· Assess ward/departmental nurse competencies where applicable
· Attend mandatory training days
· Support and contribute to the delivery of education and training to nursing staff, AHPs and the wider multi-professional team
· Participate in the induction of staff new to the clinical area
· Monitor work performance of junior staff and make accurate and honest reports to the person with continuing responsibility as appropriate
· Behave in a manner that respects the differing needs and cultures of patients and other staff
· Actively participate in Annual Appraisal and provide evidence to demonstrate achievements towards Knowledge and Skills Framework
· Ensure that CPD requirements are achieved and demonstrated in practice including revalidation requirements
· Demonstrate the Trust vision and core behaviours in delivering a quality service to both internal and external customers

Information Resources
· Access patient results and act appropriately in a timely manner
· Maintain accurate documentation with patients records, integrated care pathways and electronic systems
· Maintain confidentiality and follow Trust data management and documentation policies
· Complete relevant records relating to annual leave, study leave and travel expenses
· Use of PAS and any other IT programmes
· Use IT/databases in clinical and non-clinical work

Research and Development
· Support the development of audit tools to assess patient experience and satisfaction
· Support the evaluation of clinical practice by monitoring standards of care and ensuring that nursing practice is audited and research based in order to provide a continually improving service
Remain up to date with developments in research and evidence based practice in relation to own and associated areas
· Proactive in developing own and others practice and in contributing to quality improvement within the Trust
· Participate in research and practice development activities

Freedom to Act
· Accountable for own professional practice and able to work without direct supervision
· Work within the Trust policy and guidelines to meet current standards
· Able to prioritise and arrange own workload and that of others on a daily basis according to service needs
· Use management and judgemental skills to analyse complex situations and formulate appropriate solutions
· Maintain own high professional standards and discuss opportunities to develop clinical practice with line manager
· Alert the line manager or of any untoward situation
Practice in accordance with current NMC code with particular reference to acknowledging the limitation of competence of staff in order to safeguard the wellbeing of patients.
Applicants who have not been contacted within 4 weeks of the closing date are to assume that their application has been unsuccessful.
Applications from job seekers who require Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications where the post is eligible. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Candidates who require sponsorship are strongly advised to visit the UK Border Agency website and familiarise themselves with what is required. There is a facility on this site to access the points based calculator and work through an example which should assist candidates in their understanding of the process.

We are looking to appoint a dynamic, enthusiastic and reliable individual with significant staff nurse experience and knowledge in Breast Cancer Care/Oncology to join our team. The post holder will ensure that the patient has a supported journey by acting as their key worker throughout their journey. The team have been at the forefront of new initiatives regionally and nationally including stratified follow up and nurse-led symptomatic clinics and are a dynamic motivated first class team.
We are looking for a highly motivated flexible individual who will also have well-developed interpersonal and communication skills and be able to interact with staff and colleagues at all levels. You must be able to demonstrate the ability to work as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team, work autonomously and demonstrate excellent clinical skills to deliver exceptional standards of care for all patients and their families.
The breast team provides a service to both screening and symptomatic breast patients over 2 sites and offers a range of surgical and oncological services to patients from Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside and Durham.

Breast services at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust (GHNFT) have an excellent reputation. Over recent years the service has grown to become one of the biggest breast units in the North-East of England. As our service continues to develop, we are looking to recruit additional Breast Care Nurse Specialists.
Our service is currently the lead provider for breast care services across Gateshead, Sunderland and South Tyneside. Feedback on our services is consistently excellent, with the service consistently ranked in the UK's top five in the National Cancer Survey of patient's experience of care. GHNFT also provides the breast screening programme for Gateshead, South Tyneside, Sunderland, Durham and Chester-Le-Street, and as a result, we benefit from retaining an experienced and established specialist breast radiology team.
The future development of breast services is an organisational priority, with the growth in service demand being supported through investment, including the recruitment of additional Breast Care Nurses into our existing experienced team. Collaboration with Sunderland CCG has provided us with the use of a purpose-built breast clinic facility within Grindon Primary Care Centre. This allows GHNFT to provide locality-based breast care services for Sunderland patients. It is expected that all our breast team support the delivery of services from all localities from which breast services are provided.