Clinical Rheumatology Specialist Nurse in Canterbury

The Rheumatology Service cares for patients across East Kent with inflammatory autoimmune conditions. There are approximately 200 conditions in our specialty and they are often long-term, complex and challenging to diagnose and treat.

We are on an exciting journey to develop and grow our team offering a Band 7 clinical rheumatology specialist nurse position. The experienced practitioner will work competently at an enhanced practice level including independent nurse prescribing and intra-articular joint injections, providing care aligned to the four pillars of practice. It is envisaged that 80% of this role will be spent in the clinical area, as part of an agreed job plan. You will have the opportunity to advance, in line with your personal development plans.

Main duties:

• The post holder will work at an enhanced level of practice utilising highly developed postgraduate experience, knowledge and skills in Rheumatology specialty.
• They will manage discrete aspects of a patient’s care in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, within their current level of practice and patient group, aligned to the four pillars of practice and aligned to Trust policy.
• The postholder will contribute to nursing practice to improve the quality of care to patients.

Working for our organisation:

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Person specification:

• Current NMC registration.
• Formal teaching or mentoring qualification including ENB 998/997, or equivalent.
• Degree relevant to professional registration and area of clinical practice.
• Evidence of continuing professional development within Rheumatology specialty.
• Master’s Degree in a health-related subject relevant to area of clinical specialty and advanced practice or Masters/L7 programme commenced.
• NHS Leadership Academy qualification e.g. ‘Edward Jenner’, ‘Mary Seacole’.

Knowledge, skills and Experience:

• Significant postgraduate healthcare experience demonstrating professional development across the four pillars of practice.
• Significant experience of care of the Rheumatology patient.
• Experience of working with patients/service users to resolve concerns and improve their experience.
• Evidence of effective networking or matrix working.
• Experience of supervising staff and delivering training.
• Experience of assessing patients and developing specialised programmes of care.
• Experience of presenting to groups of staff/public.

Personal and Professional Attributes:

• Ability to work within a team to achieve goals for a shared vision.
• Evidence of service development and delivery in practice.
• Knowledge of health policy and application to practice.
• Ability to problem solve, anticipate and plan, individually and within a team.
• Demonstrate self-awareness and critical reflection.
• Flexibility in working patterns to meet the needs of the service.
• Commitment to equity and diversity.
• Self-motivated, positive, adaptable and flexible approach.
• Upholds and role models the Trust values.
• Clean full UK driving licence to enable travel to community clinics and all Trust sites.

Governance:

• Understanding of quality governance, patient safety and patient experience tools to support clinical practice and service improvement.
• Sound knowledge and understanding of national policy and guidance.
• Utilisation of clinical effectiveness tools to deliver quality improvement e.g. risk management and clinical audit.
• Evidence of innovative practice utilising research and audit.
• Experience of contributing to quality improvement in safety/quality improvement projects.
• Experience of writing reports and presenting to teams or small groups.
• Experience of implementing and evaluating improvements in care.

Other Requirements:

• Flexibility in working patterns to meet the needs of the service.
• Commitment to equity and diversity.
• Self-motivated, positive, adaptable and flexible approach.
• Upholds and role models the Trust values.
• Clean full UK driving licence to enable travel to community clinics and all Trust sites.