Colorectal Cancer Nurse Specialist

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a keen and motivated individual to join the Colorectal Oncology Cancer Nurse Specialist Team.

The post holder will work as an integral part of the Colorectal Oncology cancer multidisciplinary team within both Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and across the tertiary centres. May be asked to support other cancer nursing specialist teams when necessary.  The post holder will be expected to assess, plan, implement and evaluate expert nursing care and provide support to patients and their carers. The post holder will have continuing responsibility for the co-ordination and organisation of individual treatment programmes throughout the illness trajectory and work to develop communication across divisional and organisational boundaries.

***Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and 'At Risk' status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.***

Main duties of the job

Work as an integral part of the Colorectal Oncology cancer multidisciplinary team within both Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust and across the tertiary centres. May be asked to support other cancer nursing specialist teams when necessary.

• Act as liaison with tertiary centres and Colorectal Oncology Cancer CNS’s to ensure smooth transition of care between centres.
• Assess, plan and implement and evaluate expert nursing care and provide support to patients and their carers. The post holder will have continuing responsibility for the co-ordination and organisation of individual treatment programmes throughout the illness trajectory and work to develop communication across divisional and organisational boundaries.
• Provide specialist nursing advice and psychological support to patients, carers, and health care professionals.
• Acts as a resource and contributes to the education and training of other health care professionals as required.
• Contributes to service development, audit and research projects and helps develops educational packages according to need of care.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Manages his/her own caseload of patients whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team
• Communicates highly sensitive and emotive condition related information to patients, relatives. e.g. terminal illness, bereavement
• Assess new patients in the clinical area, identifying their psychological, physiological, emotional spiritual and cultural needs in relation to their disease and proposed treatment, providing a pathway of nursing care for the patient
• Act as patient advocate when relevant and be able to educate on all the treatment options to enable a patient to make an informed choice, negotiating with the medical team to agree a pathway of care
• Provide continuity of care throughout the patient journey and liaising across specialised areas
• Contribute to the development of specialised programmes of care and provide specialised advice, written and oral information to patients, relatives.
• Provide clinical advice and support to health care professionals within and across organisational boundaries
• To formulate individualised patient treatment care programmes in conjunction with the medical/nursing team considering
• Each patient is placed in the correct treatment protocol
• Investigations and treatments are organized as needed
• Act as a role model
• To provide support for distressed patients / carers and bereaved relatives and identifying patients at risk and referring to appropriate agencies
• Initiates changes in management of care