Nurse Specialist -Structural heart valve

Job overview

The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre (CTC) is a specialist service providing comprehensive assessment, management, and treatment for patients with a wide range of structural heart conditions. This includes advanced interventional procedures such as Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI), Transcatheter Edge‑to‑Edge Repair (TEER) and in the near future Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) closure.

You will be responsible for the assessment, coordination, management and ongoing support of patients undergoing investigation or treatment for structural heart disease within the CTC.

Main duties of the job

• Ensure that patients and their families are fully supported by providing clinical, psychological and social support
• Provide expert clinical advice to medical and nursing teams
• To clearly communicate autonomous decision making to medical and nursing teams.
• To establish clear lines of communication within the Cardiac setting to ensure cohesive multidisciplinary management of the patient.
• To work with medical and nursing teams in order to increase knowledge and facilitate the care of this group of people.
• Maintain effective communication with patients, carers and professionals to ensure seamless service delivery
• Identify assess and meet the educational needs of the patient and their family/carers.
• Provide educational materials to support discharge.
• Work alongside other disciplines to effectively deliver and expert nursing service and manage a caseload of patients.
• Represent patients at MDT meetings, discussing clinical and diagnostic findings, recommended treatment plans, and documenting agreed outcomes.
• Maintain a consistent presence on cardiology wards, offering support, guidance, and information to patients, carers, and clinical staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To work as an autonomous practitioner and effectively deliver an expert evidence-based care within the specialist area, and to manage a caseload of patients/clients.
• To allow safe and timely discharge of patients with a coordinated and evidence based follow up ensuring appropriate onward referrals
• Early and safe discharge of patients with complex care needs who require follow up and adjustment of prognostic medications.
• Attendance at MDTs where appropriate and to be a patients advocate when discussing cases.
• Co-ordination of follow up of patients after discharge
• Practice advanced cardiac clinical skills for the complex cardiac patient.
• Assess new patients in the clinical setting, identifying their individual needs
• To extend own clinical skills to identify and order relevant clinical investigations.
• Ensure safe and timely hospital discharge and appropriate and robust follow up.
• Be responsible for and contribute to multi-disciplinarily team (MDT) meetings and discussions in assessing patients for ongoing care.
• Ensure all care is given in accordance with agreed protocols.
• To ensure a patient and family centred service.
• Support enrolment into cardiac trials, working with clinical teams and R+D nurses.