Scrub Practitioner (Band 5)

Job overview

The Royal Marsden is a centre of excellence with an international reputation for ground-breaking research, complex major surgery and pioneering the very latest in cancer treatments and technologies.

At the Royal Marsden we have a distinct set of values that define what we are and how we behave. Our values encompass showing kindness and compassion and putting our patient care first, offering ideas for improving the quality and safety of services and supporting others in new ways of working, taking responsibility for personal and team performance and priorities and striving to ensure quality of services and make the best use of resources.

We have seven modern theatres in Chelsea which includes three robotic theatres, and three theatres in Sutton. We cover a wide range of specialties, including Sarcoma and Melanoma, Upper and Lower GI, Plastics, Head and Neck, Gynaecology, Urology and Breast, using a wide range of surgical techniques. Our theatres scrub team is trusted, skilled, hardworking and supportive, and we’re looking for a motivated and experienced scrub nurse or experienced scrub ODP who can demonstrate leadership qualities and a real interest in high quality perioperative care to join us.

Main duties of the job

• To carry out in a responsible and efficient way, the nursing care for patients which have been drawn up in conjunction with the co-ordinator of the shift.
• As a member of the theatre team to perform all the tasks of a registered theatre nurse/ODP including resuscitation, scrub and circulation following all checks and procedures as laid down inNational and Trust theatre policy.
• The post holder is expected to carry out all the relevant forms of care without direct supervision and is required to demonstrate procedures, supervise underqualified staff whilst maintaining a safe working environment.
• To be responsible for the safe use of complex scrub equipment (diathermy, laparoscopic etc)
• To demonstrate sound knowledge base of safe decontamination processes and practices, particularlyrelating to the safe decontamination of flexible scopes and sterilisation of instruments.
• Support senior staff and multidisciplinary team members in monitoring and maintaining excellent clinical standards of clinical practice and staff development as part of the theatre team.
• Provide high quality, individualised, evidence-based care to patients/clients and relatives/carers in collaboration with the multi-professional team, in line with the local and national targets.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For further information on this role, please see the attached detailed Job Description and Person Specification

• To complete the first level assessment of the patient's needs and document these on the care plan, planning, delivering and evaluating programmes of care from admission through to discharge/transfer.
• To gain an understanding of the physiological, psycho-social, spiritual and cultural needs of the patients with cancer and their families. To develop a positive, realistic and supportive attitude to ensure that the needs of the patient and family are met.
• Using the information obtained from nursing history assessments and from subsequent observations, to identify the patient's individual nursing problems and needs, and to plan and implement care.
• To set goals for the resolution of each of the identified nursing problems, and to help the patient achieve these goals through appropriate care planning.
• To document and evaluate care given and discuss progress, condition and treatment with colleagues, alerting the Sister/Charge Nurse of the patients’ changing health care needs.
• To assist with teaching patients in preparation for investigations, treatment and home care.
• To be aware of the side effects of any treatment in progress, and adopt a problem-solving approach to minimise the potentially adverse reactions.