Trauma Nurse Practitioner in Worcester

Job Purpose

This multifaceted role crosses the traditional boundaries between nursing and medicine, facilitating the trauma process for all trauma patients from admission to discharge. The post holder clinically assesses and examines patients in the A&E department, takes histories, facilitates admission, fast‑tracks patients to trauma wards, and coordinates the process from A&E to theatre and through to discharge. The role is a team member within daily consultant‑led trauma ward rounds, contributing to review and treatment planning, ensuring plans are communicated and implemented, and liaising with other clinical teams to optimise patients for surgery. The post holder co‑ordinates ambulatory trauma patients, ensures pre‑assessment processes, and formulates treatment plans. They provide outreach services, review outlying patients, and support staff across Worcestershire hospital sites. Effective planning, coordination, and communication within the multidisciplinary team are essential. The post holder provides the interface between the clinical trauma service, patients and relatives, explaining treatment plans, delays, and cancellations, and offers education and advice to other professionals.

Key Duties

• Clinical examination, assessment, and clerking of patients.
• Manage the Bluespier trauma board for trauma and ambulatory trauma, contributing to decision‑making for listing patients for surgery and trauma huddles.
• Contribute to Golden patient selection, ensuring fitness for surgery and communicating with the anaesthetic team.
• Assess deteriorating patients.
• Involve in discharge planning and electronic discharge summaries for treatment and management.
• Act as non‑medical prescriber, working toward the non‑medical prescribing qualification.
• Lead post‑take ward round and undertake nurse‑led ward rounds if applicable.
• Maintain records and databases; refer for investigations and formulate a treatment plan based on results.
• Interpret X‑rays and other diagnostic investigations.
• Perform fascia iliaca blocks for patients with confirmed hip fractures; perform interventional procedures such as joint aspirations and suturing.
• Work with the anaesthetic team to ensure alternative pain relief.
• Apply skin and skeletal traction and surgical appliances such as collars, TLSO, etc.
• Identify medical risks and refer to specialty teams such as anaesthetics.
• Provide information and support to junior medical teams and ward staff.
• Contribute to the Best Practice Tariff (BPT) for hip and femoral fractures and participate in the harm process for hip fractures.
• Support frailty teams with patient assessment.
• Undertake clinical assessment and formulate a clinical management plan incorporating physiological, psychological, and pharmacological considerations, making complex clinical decisions regarding patient management and outcomes, including listing for trauma procedures and discharging patients.
• Demonstrate a high level of competence in clinical, diagnostic, and examination skills.
• Facilitate trauma admissions for patients admitted to Worcestershire Royal Hospitals, Alexandra for acute admissions, and Kidderminster Hospital for ambulatory patients.
• Participate in daily on‑call orthopaedic consultant trauma meetings and trauma rounds.
• Accelerate admissions through the A&E department and fast‑track hip fracture patients where appropriate.
• Ensure all trauma patients have a detailed care plan reflecting specialist trauma care.
• Ensure patients are medically fit for surgery or refer to other specialities for assessment or treatment of conditions.
• Request investigations that assist in optimisation of patients for surgery.
• Work with the capacity team to identify a priority list for admission and repatriate or transfer trauma patients from the major trauma centre to the most appropriate clinical area.
• Facilitate good communication with all agencies involved in continuity of patient care.
• Provide efficient and effective liaison, coordinate, and facilitate multidisciplinary care for outlying trauma patients.
• Act as a resource for patients, relatives, and carers requiring information and advice regarding episodes of care.
• List patients onto the Bluespier trauma boards for surgical treatment, take referrals from both sites for treatment of trauma conditions and injuries, and take referrals for ambulatory trauma cases, ensuring the patient is prepared and scheduled onto theatre lists.
• Maintain the ambulatory referrals trauma board, advise and support medical and nursing staff, collect and input outcome data (e.g., NHFD).
• Work closely with orthogeriatrician teams, liaise with therapies and other multidisciplinary team members.
• Liaise with capacity teams and senior managers regarding priority for treatment and organise additional theatre lists for extra capacity for trauma cases.
• Drive the Best Practice Tariff process for hip and femoral fractures and provide an interface between patients waiting at home for surgery and admission on ambulatory treatment pathways.

Practice and Service Development, Research & Evaluation

Maintain databases and monitor clinical outcomes in relation to a range of surgical procedures. Compile reports relating to clinical outcomes. Participate in audit. Participate in medical/nursing research. Undertake independent audit projects. Contribute to surgical site infection data collection. Develop new skills and advance the service.

Education

Provide support and advice to junior medical teams and offer both formal and informal teaching for orthopaedic ward staff, outlying ward staff, and clinical study days. Provide informal teaching to patients and relatives and tutorial teaching to community staff regarding trauma and its management. Participate in induction for medical and nursing staff and mandatory training for all grades. Pursue personal study in professional development and clinical upgrading.

Management

Assist in investigation of complaints. Ensure effective communication to ward staff, clinic staff, and theatre staff regarding clinical decisions to maximise benefit and appropriate use of resources. Keep adequate records and provide statistical information and reports on request. Provide support and guidance for junior members of the medical and nursing team. Work within the scope of professional practice, local policies, and protocols. Maintain a professional attitude and conduct oneself in accordance with the NMC professional code of conduct, continuing professional development and revalidation requirements, and maintain competency of advanced practices.

Always work to the trust Values.