Upper GI Cancer Support Nurse

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the UGI cancer nursing team. You will support the current Upper Gastro-Intestinal  Clinical Nurse Specialist in providing supportive care for patients with Upper GI cancers, their relatives and carers from diagnosis, throughout treatment, survivorship pathways and metastatic disease.

Main duties of the job

• To provide a holistic, patient-focused service delivering evidence based information and advice to patients with Upper GI cancers, supporting them and their families throughout diagnosis, treatment and ongoing care.
• To act as ‘key-worker’ within the multi-disciplinary team taking a central role co-ordinating    individual patients care; promoting continuity through the treatment modalities, and to provide patients with a primary point of contact for information and advice.
• To provide this specialist clinically based service in liaison with the multi-disciplinary team, supporting the band 7 Upper GI nurse in developing and monitoring service provision.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Ensure that a high personal profile is maintained with staff and patients and contribute personally to the delivery of direct patient care.
• Develop nursing practice skills, competence and advanced practice within the area of responsibility.
• Act as a professional role model and provide facilitative and effective clinical leadership
• To be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care for patients with upper Gastrointestinal cancer, in line with research based evidence.
• Assess people’s information needs and provide relevant information as appropriate to meet those needs.
• Work effectively as part of the multi-disciplinary cancer services team to ensure seamless services are provided for patients and their families/ carers
• Develop own knowledge and competence in clinical gastroenterology cancer care in a demonstrable and evidence based practice base.
• To attend and be a core member of Upper GI l MDT meeting in accordance the national guidance.
• Lead on patient and carer communication issues, and coordinate the patient pathway for Upper GI cancer patients referred to the team
• To manage own workload across a wide range of specialist activities which includes planning throughout the patient pathway, and directly liaising with other healthcare professionals and agencies
• To facilitate the total patient experience, co-ordinating the medical and nursing care of the patient, referring concerns to the consultant as necessary.
• To provide psychological and emotional support, advice, counselling, information and education to all Upper GI cancer patients, their partners and families during diagnosis treatment and surveillance periods.
• Use the electronic holistic needs assessment tool to assess support required for individual patients, pre-treatment, end of treatment and provide a care plan to meet the patients concerns.
• Provide highly specialised direct clinical care to patients with a upper GI cancer, giving specialist advice and support to nursing staff to ensure ongoing care provision.
• In accordance with local protocols, order and interpret investigative procedures in a clinically effective and cost efficient manner to support patient diagnosis and ongoing treatment.
• Work alongside the Upper GI team (including gastroenterologists, oncologists) in delivering nurse- led clinics.
• Provide regular telephone contact with patients regarding monitoring of on-going symptoms
• Promote patient self-management, undertaking risk stratification to determine those who can self-manage, following appropriate education, those who will need guided support to self manage and those who will require on-going, face to face support, as per national and local guidance.
• To undertake End of Treatment Summaries in an End of treatment clinic.
• Provide appropriate support as required for patients and their families during all stages of care including recurrent or progressive disease and referring to other appropriate specialities. .

21 Give advice and psychological support to patients undergoing Radiotherapy or Chemotherapy, and referring to other appropriate specialities.

• Ensure attendance at gastroenterology, and oncology clinics as requested by medical or nursing staff, or patients and their families.
• To maintain accurate documentation in nursing and medical records for all inpatients and those attending specialised nurse led clinics
• Communicate complex condition related information with medical colleagues in primary, secondary and tertiary care regarding clinical findings and appropriate surgical, pharmacological and non-pharmacological care for Upper GI patients.
• In partnership with cancer services, maintain a data-base of all upper GI activity and audit effectiveness on a regular basis.
• To participate in an annual review of patient information for Upper Gastrointestinal cancer services involving all members of the multi-disciplinary team.

MANAGERIAL / LEADERSHIP.

• Demonstrate expert specialist knowledge and high standards of clinical practice
• To develop a culture that promotes and supports Clinical Governance within the Trust
• Ensure that effective communications systems are in place to promote effective multidisciplinary communication, disseminate information at ward level, Divisional level, and Trust board level.
• Represent the Trust within regional or national networks/forums in relation to colorectal nursing.
• Attend team meetings with the Cancer lead Nurse

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE.

• Contribute to the development of policies, procedures and guidelines for the management of patients with Upper GI Cancer.
• To audit aspects of the Upper GI service, including nurse led clinics and treatments / care provided.
• Ensure that all local and Trust-wide policies and procedures are complied with at all times with participation in the production and reviewing of appropriate policies and guidelines.
• Promote and encourage research and development related to nursing and clinical services and present findings to appropriate audit meetings and multiprofessional teams.
• Ensure that clinical and non-clinical risks are identified, assessed and appropriately reported and acted on.
• Assist with the investigation and resolution of complaints/incidents related to the service area.

EDUCATION ROLE

• Identify own training and development needs, identifying and discussing at annual appraisal.
• Maintain own professional development making use of appropriate resources and sharing best practice, knowledge and resources.
• To be aware of current developments in Upper GI nursing and promote best practice throughout the Trust.
• Assist with the development of health education packages and patient information that promotes informed self-care.
• To work collaboratively with the Upper GI nursing team on education strategies for formal and informal teaching of nursing, support staff and junior medical staff and promote profile of the trust.
• Provide clinical supervision and a suitable learning environment for student nurses and other staff on placement by demonstrating best practice.
• Ensure that own Trust mandatory training is completed and updated annually
• Encourage patient and user involvement by actively gathering feedback and views and acting on this feedback.
• Ensure patients who have cancer are aware of support services provided by charities and other cancer service providers.