Bladder and Bowel Nurse

Job overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting permanent opportunity to join our friendly and supportive Bladder and Bowel Service. We are seeking a motivated and enthusiastic Registered Adult Nurse with an interest in continence care and improving patient outcomes to become part of our specialist team.

Based at Bensham Hospital, the Bladder and Bowel Service is a small, specialist team providing care and support across the Gateshead area. The service operates Monday to Friday, between 8:00am and 5:00pm, offering an excellent work-life balance.

The purpose of this Band 5 role is to improve the quality of life and health outcomes for patients experiencing bladder and bowel problems by delivering high-quality continence assessments and treatment in line with NICE guidelines.

This is an excellent opportunity for a nurse who is passionate about delivering person-centred care, developing specialist knowledge, and making a real difference to patients' health, wellbeing, and independence.

Main duties of the job

As a valued member of the Bladder and Bowel Service, you will work collaboratively with colleagues, patients, carers, and partner organisations to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care and achieve the best possible outcomes for patients and their families.

Key responsibilities include:

• Assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating individualised care plans to meet the needs of patients with bladder and bowel conditions.
• Delivering hands-on clinical care to patients registered with a Gateshead GP in a range of community settings.
• Supporting and contributing to innovative models of care to improve patient pathways and experiences.
• Promoting and maintaining a culture of patient safety by ensuring effective systems, processes, and clinical practices are in place.
• Contributing to the development and maintenance of a positive learning environment
• Encouraging health promotion, self-management, and informed patient choice
• Supporting the continuous improvement of clinical practice
• Working collaboratively with colleagues
• Facilitating safe, efficient, and effective patient pathways, ensuring timely access to assessment and treatment
• Assisting in the education, supervision, and development of new staff members andstudents

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Working closely with our experienced specialist nurses, the successful candidate will contribute to a wide range of clinical activities, including:

• Undertaking comprehensive continence assessments and providing evidence-based advice and treatment for bladder and bowel conditions.
• Delivering care in a variety of settings, including patients' homes, residential and nursing care homes, face-to-face clinics, and telephone consultations.
• Assessing requests for continence products from residential and nursing homes and determining the most appropriate products to meet individual patient needs.
• Delivering education and training sessions for care home staff, covering continence promotion, assessment, and management.
• Undertaking Trial Without Catheter (TWOC) procedures and supporting patients discharged from hospital with catheters in situ, facilitating safe catheter removal where appropriate.
• Participating in the review and management of patients with complex catheter-related needs, with the aim of reducing complications such as recurrent catheter blockages and catheter-associated issues.

To be successful in this role, you will demonstrate the following:

• Registered Adult Nurse with a Diploma or Degree in Nursing.
• Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
• Evidence of ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) and a commitment to undertaking further specialist training to support safe, effective, and evidence-based practice.
• Strong IT and digital literacy skills.
• A genuine interest in continence promotion and the assessment and management of bladder and bowel dysfunction.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organisational skills.
• A commitment to demonstrating and upholding the values and behaviours of Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust.
• Access to a vehicle and the ability to travel independently throughout Gateshead to meet service requirements.

Applications are particularly welcomed from candidates who can demonstrate:

• Experience of working within community healthcare services.
• Experience of working as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Knowledge and experience in continence care, bladder and bowel services, urology, or colorectal nursing.
• Leadership or management experience, either formal or informal.
• Experience of caring for frail older people and those with complex healthcare needs.
• Involvement in service development, quality improvement initiatives, and change management projects.
• Experience of supporting or participating in clinical audit activities.
• Experience of clinical supervision, mentorship, or staff development.
• Excellent team-working skills with the ability to build effective professional relationships.
• A flexible and adaptable approach to service delivery and changing service needs.
• Evidence of proactive collaboration across professional and organisational boundaries to improve patient care.
• Demonstrated leadership skills and the ability to positively influence practice.
• Completion of the Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor programme.

This role would suit an enthusiastic nurse who is passionate about delivering high-quality patient care, developing specialist expertise, and contributing to the ongoing improvement of bladder and bowel services across Gateshead.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

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.