Job overview
The Clinical Nurse Specialist role within IV (Intravenous) Access and OPAT (Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy) is a specialist hybrid role supporting trust wide service delivery.
The role supports evidence-based, holistic patient-centred care, using expert skills and knowledge attained through a substantial training programme, to ensure the postholder is competent for autonomous working.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist will undertake a minimum 6-month supernumerary period across both OPAT and IV Access to ensure they become competent in achieving set clinical competencies to facilitate independent practice in both services. Following this they will be competent in the insertion of various vascular access devices (VADs) ensuring to act as a role model, and specialist resource, supporting education and training across organisational boundaries.
Within the OPAT service, the postholder will support the community nursing teams to deliver IV antibiotics in the patient’s own home. They represent the service in MDT alongside the Consultant Microbiologist, Antimicrobial Pharmacist, Acute and Primary care to ensure optimal holistic patient management.
The OPAT role includes working remotely and undertaking community home visits to offer emergency advice, support the initiation of new referrals, and offer IV Access support to patients and community teams.
Main duties of the job
- Co-ordinate the referral and follow up care of patients discharged onto the OPAT service, including attendance at clinical reviews as required.
- Demonstrate the use of specialist knowledge and skills in the insertion, removal and troubleshooting of various VADs, including Pilot ECG & chest x-ray (CXR) interpretation, Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) insertion/reposition under fluoroscopy, and ordering investigations.
- Ensures thorough clinical assessment of the patient requiring IV therapy or OPAT to determine appropriate device selection.
- Competent in Ultrasound guided insertion of VADs and obtaining blood samples.
- Effective management of complications, which may occur during and post insertion of VADs
- Effectively manage exposure to blood and bodily fluids.
- · The ability to work in challenging and unpredictable environments both within a hospital setting and a patient’s own home, remaining calm and focused, navigating multiple frequent interruptions during procedures and whilst co-ordinating care via OPAT.
- Administration of IV Dalbavancin.
Lead weekly MDT in collaboration with Consultant Microbiologist and Antimicrobial Pharmacist to raise clinical concerns and maintain optimised treatment plans, ensuring antimicrobial stewardship, to facilitate any changes to treatment plans and maintain patient safety.
- ·
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see attached Job Description for further information about the OPAT IV Access Specialist Nurse position available at WUTH.
Person specification
Other Requirements
Essential
- Needs to be able to drive and hold a full UK driving licence due to the community aspects of the role
Knowledge and Skills
Essential
- Experience of working with electronic health records, including Word and Excel spreadsheets
Qualifications, Specific Experience & Training
Essential
- Current NMC registration with significant post registration experience
- Previous experience within IV Access
- Clinical supervision experience
- Post registration recognised mentor and teaching/assessing qualification (or equivalent experience)
- Master’s level qualification within the relevant field of study or evidence of specialist training to Masters equivalent level
Desirable
- Clinical Examination at level 7
- Clinical champion within the IV Access role
- ANTT assessors’ level 2
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for OPAT IV Access Specialist Nurse with Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Wirral, North West, England. It is listed as a Band 6 Clinical nurse specialist role. The advertised salary is £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata. The contract type is Permanent. The application deadline is 20 Jul 2026.
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