Community Nurse Practitioner

Job overview

We are looking for an enthusiastic, dedicated nurse to join our team and work with us to deliver an evidence based, clinically effective service for our patients in their own homes.

The service is part of an integrated community pathway for patients offering a crisis response and supporting with unplanned care.  The service will provide an integrated approach to care of patients in the community by using a holistic approach and providing a multidisciplinary assessment which will aim to ensure patients remain at home with appropriate health and social services support.

The post holder will be part of a wider Community Response Team and will use their clinical skills and non-medical prescribing to support patients to remain at home, avoid admission to hospital and offer hospital based care to our patients on the Hospital at Home service.

You will assess, plan and evaluate clients care including families and carers where appropriate.

Please note we reserve the right to close this vacancy prior to the closing date once the required number of suitable applications have been received.

Main duties of the job

To work as an autonomous practitioner and to provide expert clinical care for patients within community and rehabilitation settings. The service supports patients in West Northumberland, based in the Hexham area.

The post holder will have knowledge and skills in acute assessment, long term conditions, frailty, physical assessment, clinical reasoning,  diagnostic reasoning and independent prescribing. The post holder will use these skills within the community to assist in the recognition of early symptoms of  LTC, exacerbation, acute illness and injuries.

The post holder will be expected to co-ordinate care for acutely unwell patients and navigate patients with frailty and LTC through pathways across the primary, community and secondary care interface. This will include the prevention of unnecessary admissions, facilitating appropriate discharges, and in-reaching into both acute and rehabilitation facilities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will undertake comprehensive assessment of the physical and psycho-social care needs of frail patients who may also have complex chronic disease. Formulating a clinical management plan. This will involve gathering and interpreting information, performing tests and analysing the results, arranging onward referral if deemed necessary.

The post holder will coordinate care and services to be delivered within primary care for patients during an acute episode of illness also if appropriate supporting discharge from hospital. Working in partnership with primary, secondary care and other appropriate agencies, including the voluntary sector.

The post holder will  prescribe safe effective and appropriate medication as defined by legislative framework and/or agreed protocols and guidelines.

They will role model compassionate and inclusive leadership in order to shape the creation of a collective leadership culture within the trust. This means demonstrating a consistent leadership style which (a) engages, enables and empowers others (b) uses coaching to promote ownership of learning and quality improvement and (c) facilitates team working and  collaboration within teams / departments and across organisational boundaries.