Respiratory Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job overview

This is a great opportunity to join the Respiratory Nursing team.

The role of Clinical Nurse Specialist requires a high degree of personal professional autonomy and making clinical judgments.

-To assess and review patients attending emergency department and who are admitted in the hospital with asthma and COPD  according to the local protocols and national guidelines.

-To initiate home oxygen therapy in hospital or at home, and facilitate safe follow up reviews of these patients.

-To perform and/or interpret diagnostic tests including  spirometry, bronchodilator challenge tests, FeNo and capillary blood gases in outpatient, patients' own homes  and community hub settings

-Discuss own patient caseload with relevant clinicians and at MDT

-Contribute to  National Asthma and COPD Audit Programme

-Educating other healthcare professionals.

Main duties of the job

• To co-ordinate the specialty care within the Trust, including community clinics across Lewisham and home visits for patients who are unable to access the community clinics.
• To support patients with oxygen in terms of checking their ongoing needs, their safety and in the identification of risk.
• To become an essential member, and point of contact and resource for the multi-disciplinary team and patients and carers.
• Carries out diagnostic/therapeutic interventions as an independent practitioner, interprets, writes reports and commences further possible treatment on the basis of the findings. This will include spirometry, FeNo, lung function reports, and blood gas analysis.
• Carries out complex therapeutic/investigational procedures under indirect supervision of the Consultant. Ensuring that they are carried out using safe practice and under agreed guidelines/protocols to ensure that the highest possible standard is obtained based on competent clinical practice.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Carries out diagnostic/therapeutic interventions as an independent practitioner, interprets, writes reports and commences further possible treatment on the basis of the findings. This will include spirometry, FeNo, lung function reports, and blood gas analysis.
• Perform clinics independently for patients with asthma and COPD and support primary care in managing patients in the community.
• Assess patients on wards to initiate home oxygen therapy and review them at home
• Refer patients with severe asthma to tertiary institution for biologics
• Liaise with other hospitals regarding management of NIV and follow patients up at home
• Perform research and audits regularly
• assists in service development