Staff Nurse (Band 5) Critical Care Unit in London

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is one of the leading cancer centres in the world and has an international reputation for the care and treatment it provides. The Royal Marsden serves a local, regional, national and international population from two hospital sites, Chelsea and Sutton. The state-of-the-art Critical Care Unit (CCU) at The Royal Marsden, Chelsea, facilitates the provision of exceptional treatment and care to patients throughout critical phases of their cancer journey and received an outstanding rating from the CQC.

The 16 bed CCU on the Chelsea site is the only level 3 critical care facility dedicated entirely to cancer patients in the United Kingdom and boasts some of the best survival rates for critically ill haemato-oncology patients in Europe. We also have an additional 2 bed facility on our Sutton site which provides care for patients who are being stabilized prior to transfer to CCU in Chelsea. At the heart of everything we do within this highly technical area is the patient, often immediately post major, complex cancer surgery under a range of specialties, or experiencing acute complications of their cancer treatment.

Main duties of the job

• To carry out in a responsible and efficient way, the nursing care for patients which has been drawn up in conjunction with the co-ordinator of the shift.
• To demonstrate the ability to develop a greater awareness and understanding of the needs of patients with cancer and the different treatment modalities.
• To develop an understanding of managing a shift with the guidance of the Ward/Departmental Sister/Charge Nurse.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To complete the first level assessment of the patient’s needs to gain an understanding of the physiological, psycho-social, spiritual and cultural needs of the patients with cancer and their families and to develop a positive, realistic and supportive attitude to ensure that the needs of the patient and family are met.
• To assist with teaching patients in preparation for investigations, treatment and home care.
• To be aware of the side effects of any treatment in progress, and adopt a problem-solving approach to minimise the potentially adverse reactions.
• Be involved in the direct delivery of skilled specialised nursing care with supervision until competent, e.g. wound dressings, removal of drains, and insertion of urinary catheters.
• To develop an awareness of the protocols involved for patients undergoing clinical trials.
• To be aware of all hospital policies and procedures and collaborate with other health care professionals to ensure that these are observed.

Person specification

Education/Qualifications

• Nursing Registration
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Qualification in oncology or speciality Diploma or Degree level study (or equivalent)
• Recognised teaching qualification

Experience

• Experience in intravenous drug administration
• Sufficient post registration nursing experience in oncology or speciality to be confident and competent in using the required skills to do the job
• Experience in chemotherapy administration
• Experience in Clinical Management
• Evidence of relevant teaching experience
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical trials management

Skills Abilities/Knowledge

• Evidence of effective interpersonal skills with particular ability to liaise with multidisciplinary team members
• Ability to make decisions, organise and prioritise
• Computer Literacy (e.g: Microsoft Word and Outlook)
• Venepuncture and/or cannulation skills
• Evidence of effective negotiating and influencing skills
• Ability to lead a team
• Ability to motivate others

Other

• Flexibility to meet the needs of the service (e.g. shift work)
• Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment. Please ensure your information is accurate to avoid errors with processing your application.

All applicants will be contacted by email to the address supplied on your application. Applicants are advised to check their email accounts regularly and to ensure that email filters are set to allow our emails.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease.

The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the upmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.

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.