Dementia Practitioner

We have an exciting opportunity to recruit a Dementia Practitioner to join NBT’s dementia team. As a specialist practitioner you should be able to demonstrate your experience, knowledge and skills in relation to dementia care. You will assist in identifying people and their carers living with dementia and provide support where there are behavioural changes. You will need to use observational and comprehensive assessment skills to, advise, record a plan of care and assist the transition towards a safe discharge. You will require presentation, teaching and auditing skills as the role is diverse. NBT provides an environment that supports self-development through learning and innovation that enhances safe and high quality care for this group of patients.

We welcome nurses and practitioners from varying specialities who are registered with either the HCPC or NMC (such as Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Paramedics – to name a few) to apply for this role., From referrals to undertake holistic, patient centred quality assessments and offer dementia care planning to patients and support for their families.

Manage and maintain a defined clinical caseload with supervision from senior members of the Dementia Care Team liaising with the wider multi-disciplinary teams

To provide advice and support to patients, their relatives, and carers and to professional colleagues in the acute hospital and liaison with community partners

Work within the quality governance framework to provide safe exceptional care

Facilitate rapid or complex discharges enabling where possible preferred place of care.

Contribute to dementia care training within the Trust supporting best practice, role modelling, reducing stigma developing the dementia champions.

Be innovative, participative, and motivated to share learning from research and audit disseminating their findings.

Develop the ability to initiate advanced care planning and end of life discussions and support others in this role

Implement the Trust dementia strategy and work plan., Clinical

• Contribute to the effective day to day running of the specialist dementia care service in conjunction with other members of the team.

• With supervision manage a caseload of patients, assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating individual care needs in a manner that maintains and promotes high quality dementia care.

• With supervision identify and resolve complex physical and psycho-social needs using expert/ evidence-based assessment and facilitatory skills.

• Regularly review the effectiveness of treatment plans and suggest changes as a result of new information or changes in a patient’s condition

• Offer support and information to patients, their families, and carers on all aspects of dementia care.

• Respect patient’s dignity, wishes and beliefs involving them in shared decision-making in issues relating to dementia care.

• Act as a patients advocate where necessary

• With supervision provide specialist advice to professional colleagues on all aspects of evidence-based dementia care.

• Liaise and establish good working relationships with other health care professionals and involved in the patient’s care

• Recognise and advise on changes in a patient’s condition that may affect care planning, discharge, and treatment

• With supervision respond to, record and report any adverse events or incidents relating to the intervention/ treatments

• Achieve effective changes in practice to ensure a holistic care approach using diplomatic interaction and negotiation skills with all grades of staff.

• With supervision facilitate and support rapid or complex discharges enabling where possible preferred place of care and ensure continuity of care between hospital and community.

• Ensure resources are used effectively and liaise with relevant health and social care agencies when deficiencies in patient care arise

• Actively contribute to multidisciplinary meetings

• Refer patients to other specialist agencies as necessary

• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records and data, protecting confidential information in compliance with the Data Protection Act and Trust Policy

• Contribute effectively to Dementia Team Multidisciplinary Meetings and NBT Dementia Strategy Group

• Act as an ambassador for carers ensuring timely carers conversations and referral for carer support

• Support Dementia Champions in the clinical environment

Responsibilities for policy, service development and implementation

• Develop knowledge in evidenced based care delivery

• Actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion

· Contribute to the development, dissemination and implementation of guidelines and protocols relating to specialist dementia care issues

· Contribute to clinical governance initiatives

· Contribute to changes to working practices within own and other specialist areas to improve patient outcomes

Responsibilities for Research, Audit and Development

· To keep professionally updated on research evidenced based care delivery.

· Contribute to clinical audit initiatives and research, which influence practice development and patient care

· Disseminate clinical audit outcomes to improve professional practice and/or patient care

Responsibilities for information resources and systems

· Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records and data, protecting confidential information in compliance with the Data Protection Act and Trust Policy

Personal and Professional Development

· To develop specialist knowledge in dementia care by working with senior members of the team, reviewing latest research/literature and attending relevant courses/conferences

• To be cognisant of current developments in specialist dementia care

• Continually reflect on practice to improve own knowledge, skills and attitudes and patient outcomes

• Work towards achievement of KSF and Specialist Dementia Care Competencies working towards Band 7

• Establish clinical supervision as an integral part of your personal and clinical support

• Maintain own professional development and competencies in line with NBT and NMC/professional body requirements using a variety of educational resources

· Ensure North Bristol NHS Trust policies and procedures are known and followed

· Practice within Code of Professional Conduct

• To contribute to effective clinical placements for pre and post registration nurses and medical students.

• Contribute to specialist training and education on dementia care.

• Assist in the evaluation and effectiveness of learning and development: informed by learners, others in the team and own reflections, and to use the evaluation to inform and develop future education.

· Act as an educational resource and adviser to staff, patients and their carers

· To act as a role model for good practice

· To attend mandatory training as defined by the Trust

· To be aware of local infection control policies and procedures

· To ensure working conditions are safe, in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act

· To ensure a secure environment is maintained and that breaches of security are brought to the attention of the team leader, and promptly reported and recorded according to Trust policy

· To keep up to date in national, local and Trust development/policy

· To engage in appropriate exercises, training and investigations to update and extend knowledge to ensure safe and competent practice

· To respond to, record and report any adverse events or incidents relating to interventions/ treatments

· To report on accidents or incidents using DATIX forms as appropriate

WORKING CONDITIONS/ EFFORT

This post involves the following working conditions and effort:

• Due to the needs of dementia patients and their families this role requires significant psychological and emotional investment

• The ability and effort to build therapeutic patient relationships, often within limited timescales

• Concentrate on highly emotive patient assessments and complex drug conversions

• Manage fluctuating patient caseload with unpredictable levels of patient referral and requests for specialist advice

• Manage situations with deteriorating patient conditions which may require frequent re-assessment

• Work with vulnerable and potentially violent or aggressive patients/carers

• Maintain patient confidentiality in ward environment when breaking bad news or discussing patient care needs

• Comply with Trust manual handling policies and procedures

• Frequent interruptions throughout the day from radio-pager, telephone, patients, relatives and other health care professionals

• Work in a shared office resulting in distractions as a result of frequent conversation and telephone interruptions

• Daily use of computer system

• Potential exposure to blood and bodily fluids