Gastroenterology Specialist Nurse Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA)

Job overview

Are you a motivated, compassionate, and ambitious Registered Nurse with experience in Gastroenterology?

We are seeking an enthusiastic individual to join our Gastroenterology Nursing Team, providing a specialist nursing service for patients diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA). This is an exciting opportunity to use your clinical expertise, communication skills, and patient-centred approach to support individuals throughout their care pathway.

The successful candidate will work collaboratively within the multidisciplinary Gastroenterology team to deliver protocol-driven clinical decision-making and high-quality care for patients undergoing referral, investigation, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge on the IDA pathway.

This is a 12 month fixed-term contract or secondment opportunity, offering an excellent chance to develop your specialist gastroenterology knowledge, enhance your clinical leadership skills, and gain valuable experience within a supportive and progressive team environment.

You will play a key role in enhancing and developing the service, while building strong links with other healthcare professionals, services, and providers to ensure seamless patient care.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity further, please contact Sue Eldred, Lead Gastroenterology CNS, on 01432 355444 ext. 4391.

Main duties of the job

Provide a specialist nursing service for patients and carers on the Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) pathway, supporting them from referral through to investigation, diagnosis, treatment, and discharge.

Manage and coordinate a caseload of patients, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, and clinically effective care.

Work collaboratively with the Gastroenterology Nursing Team and wider multidisciplinary team to deliver patient-centred care.

Undertake protocol-driven clinical assessment and decision-making within the scope of the role.

Contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of the IDA service and patient pathways.

Liaise effectively with other healthcare professionals, services, and external providers to support continuity of care.

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for full details of the role and responsibilities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Undertake assessment of Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA), working from the IDA protocol to assess patients in nurse led clinic, arranging investigations, reviewing results, assessing outcomes and referring as appropriate.

Develop and maintain nurse-led clinics within the speciality for the assessment, diagnosis, treatment and education of patients with IDA with support from Consultants and senior nursing colleagues.  These are managed as a defined caseload.

Receive direct patient referrals, undertaking assessment and ensuring the delivery of appropriate care for patients with support from Consultants and senior nursing colleagues.

Monitor investigations results, initiating further assessment/review of treatment pathway as required with support from MDT.

Communicate highly sensitive information - i.e. results of tests and investigations - to patients and carers in a clear and empathetic manner. Assess patients’ needs and barriers to understanding information and provide continuing information and support to patients and their carers during treatment, whether inpatient or outpatient. To maintain confidentiality at all times.

Inform patients of results of investigations for IDA and where appropriate, to discuss these results and the implications, and advise accordingly.

Demonstrate specialist knowledge and skills in Gastroenterology.  To act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care.

Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure patient needs are met, especially in relation to on-going care needs

Be a defined point of contact for patients/carers for defined episodes/pathways of Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) care and provide clinical care, specialist nursing advice and psychosocial support for those with IDA

Work collaboratively and in partnership with other health care professionals, offering advice to colleagues.

Assess health and psychosocial needs of individual patients, and provide care to meet these needs, through a process of shared decision making.

Accept referrals to agreed criteria, and work in partnership with other professionals to deliver co-ordinated programmes of care effectively

Deliver expert nursing care to patients requiring IDA management working as part of nursing/multidisciplinary teams.

Communicate with patients in ways that empower them to make informed choices about their health and health care.

Act as advocate for individual patients and the client group.

Provide appropriate education to patients and their families to promote health and encourage self-care

Use communication skills to impart information to patients and carers, and provide them with advice and emotional support in hospital/at home as appropriate.

Ensure patients have follow up care and a seamless discharge to primary care

Facilitate, participate and monitor quality initiatives in line with local and national requirements or guidelines.

Identify areas of practice this may be expanded to ensure the best clinical outcomes for patients.

For more information about the role and responsibilities please see the attached job description and person specification.