About the role
Salary: £49387.00 to £56515.00
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced cancer nurse to work as part of a job share arrangement, leading and developing the Macmillan Neuro Oncology Cancer nursing service in line with national directives.
The post holder will be a core member of the neuro-oncology multidisciplinary team, responsible for the provision of high quality, patient centred care; ensuring patients/carers diagnosed with a brain tumour have access to expert information, advice and support from the point of suspicion of cancer
To undertake a comprehensive holistic assessment of patients needs (HNA) at the point of diagnosis in line with National directives
To agree a plan of care in consultation with the patient/family, ensuring a written copy is available for the patient.
To attend outpatient consultations, acting as the patients advocate, communicating complex information with patients and their families
To review inpatients admitted with symptoms related to their disease/treatment, influencing management options and liaising with professionals across primary and secondary care to ensure safe effective discharge from hospital
To attend the weekly specialist multidisciplinary team meeting, contributing to the discussion, providing expert nursing opinion on the patients assessment and care and advocating for the patient and family
To screen patients for psychological distress using a recognised tool
To be skilled in providing Level 2 psychological support for patients and their carers, referring patients with complex needs to the Macmillan Clinical Psychologist.
To provide specialist advice on the management of steroids, ensuring the dose is altered to meet the changing neurological symptoms of the patient
To provide specialist support for patients and their families, ensuring their physical, psychological, social, emotional and spiritual needs are identified and met.
To lead on complex communication issues and co-ordinate the patients pathway acting as the main point of contact or responsible for nominating a main point of contact for the patient depending on their individual needs.
To identify and meet the specialist informational needs utilising the local Macmillan Information Centre, referring patients/carers to the dedicated Cancer You Tube Channel to support self-management strategies.
To be skilled in identifying and addressing the palliative care needs of patients and their families, referring patients with complex needs to the Specialist Palliative Care Team
To be skilled in identifying AMBER patents working with the multidisciplinary team to agree ceiling of intervention.
To be skilled in identifying the patients Preferred Place of Care at the appropriate point in the illness experience, communicating very sensitive information to patients/carers ensuing they have the opportunity to discuss their choice of where they wish to die where possible.
Support the generation of an End of Treatment Summary for patients following each modality of treatment, ensuring their ongoing needs are identified and addressed.
To respond to EAU alerts for patients with a brain tumour providing specialist information and support, coordinating their pathway from the point of admission
To lead the development of specialist Health & Wellbeing events for patients living with a brain tumour, ensuring they are tailored to meet their individual needs
To have an awareness of the dedicated Maggies programs and sign post patients/carers to the Maggie Cancer Centre
To use advanced communication skills to support patients in the development of an Advance Care Plan, identifying their preferences and wishes
To initiate proactive telephone support for patients in the palliative stage of their disease, identifying new or progression of symptoms providing specialist advice and support
To promote a culture that supports and enables self-management strategies.
Utilise patient/carer experience feedback to drive innovation and change.
To participate in the formal review process and plan future personal development and competencies to be achieved, actively engaging with the learning and development opportunities offered by Macmillan.
To act as a specialist resource for healthcare professionals relating to brain tumours, providing expert nursing advice and support
To promote collaborative working relationships and effective communication between all members of the neuro-oncology multidisciplinary team and across different boundaries of care
To act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care, providing clinical leadership in brain tumours
To act as an independent nurse prescriber
To run dedicated nurse-led clinics, reviewing patients receiving oncology treatment, escalating new symptoms or deterioration in condition to the Clinical Oncologist
To order diagnostic tests to support the patient pathway
To support the development of the Band 6 Macmillan Nurse, undertaking annual appraisals and objective setting
To become acquainted with the local and regional pathways for patients with a brain tumour including knowledge of contact points for referral and advice.
Ensure that people affected by cancer are aware that they are interacting with a Macmillan Professional and know the full range of resources and services available through Macmillan.
To demonstrate advanced practice in planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care, documenting the outcomes of consultations in the hospital notes and on the Somerset Register.
To identity own personal development needs to work at specialist level and take appropriate action to ensure that these are met, actively engaging with the learning and development opportunities offered through the national ACCEND program.
To work towards achieving the competencies outlined in the National ACCEND Framework
Demonstrate specialist skills in conflict resolution and negotiation skills when dealing with difficult or challenging situations
To ensure the Macmillan service is development in line with National directives related to cancer care.
To collect activity data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the specialist nursing service.
To actively seek feedback from patients/carers to inform service developments
To lead the development of policies and clinical guidelines to enhance the specialist nursing service in line with national directives
To promote the Macmillan neuro-oncology specialist nursing service through conferences and written papers
To influence decisions regarding service delivery through participation in local, regional and national meetings
To evaluate the effectiveness of the Macmillan Neuro-oncology service, implementing change to enhance the patient/carer experience
To identify areas of practice this may be expanded to promote optimal care and the best outcomes for patients
To initiate and be actively involved in nursing research/audit
To promote best practice ensuring care in evidence based
To demonstrate knowledge of the clinical trials for patients living with a brain tumour