Band 6 - Clinical Nurse Specialist - Ophthalmology

at  Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

The Royal Free ophthalmology service compromises of Adult and Paediatric outpatients, Urgent eye care, day surgery, pre-operative services across 6 different sites. We see and treat patients with a wide variety of ocular disease. We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced ophthalmic nurse to join our ophthalmology team based at Royal Free hospital.
We are looking to appoint enthusiastic and motivated specialist nurse who has an interest in developing their skills particularly around medical retina and delivering a intravitreal injection service.
You should be a committed professional with the passion and drive to provide the highest quality ophthalmic care to their patients. We work very closely with our medical team and all health care professionals and this is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced nurse who is dynamic, friendly and who strives to provide an excellent standard of care.
You will be required to have experience of caring for patients with a range of ophthalmic conditions and experience of nurse led clinics. Recent Ophthalmology experience is essential.
We are committed to developing and supporting our nurses, you will be supported every staff of your ophthalmology career pathway by our clinical practice educator and senior team
You will need to be flexible and will need to rotate within our other ophthalmic sites when needed. Please note this is a part time post/30 hours
Joining the ophthalmology nursing team, you will be a member of the multidisciplinary team (MDT)
Responsible for the assessment and planning of care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.
Deliver specialist nurse care encompassing nurse led clinics
Leadership skills, you will be designated to take charge of the department both in the out-patient and day surgery setting.
Part of your role will involve supervising junior staff and teaching qualified and unqualified staff, supporting development, progression and implementation of ophthalmic developments.
Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.
We have a lively and vibrant working atmosphere, with quick and easy transport links to all our hospitals. Our size and resources enable us to offer a range of attractive benefits as well as unparalleled education and development opportunities for staff at all levels. This includes an extensive portfolio of academic and clinical courses and programmes ranging from ongoing personal development through to clinical excellence and leadership skills. The Royal Free London prides itself on its investment in staff both in terms of developing career and life skills but also its commitment to staff health and well-being.
Royal Free World Class Values

The post holder will offer World Class Care to service users, staff, colleagues, clients and patients alike so that everyone at the Royal Free can feel:

• all of the time · Confident because we are clearly
• and cared for · that they are always in safe hands

4. RESPONSIBILITY FOR EDUCATION

1. Attend mandatory training and participate in continuing development and appropriate education.
2. Participate in local teaching programmes
3. Provide relevant health education and information about patient’s treatment in hospital and advice and care on discharge.

1. CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. To be responsible for the unsupervised assessment of patient care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of plans of care, ensuring high standards of evidence based care using a defined model of care.
2. To undertake all nursing procedures in accordance with Trust policies and ensure that these procedures and policies are understood and adhered to by all staff, within own management responsibility.
3. To communicate with patients and significant others with empathy and reassurance regarding, assessment, care and treatment.
4. To maintain accurate and comprehensive nursing records using appropriate documentation.
5. To accurately record visual acuity using a Snellen or logmar chart and understand the implications in relation to patients care.
6. To be proficient in measuring intraocular pressures on patients prior to dilatation using contact tonometry with a slit lamp/ tonopen/ perkins and accurately record results in patients notes.
7. Carry out detailed pre- op assessment on patients listed for surgery and perform auto keratometry and Biometry on all patients listed for Cataract surgery understanding the importance of the results of these tests and reporting all discrepancies to the consultant.
8. Provide Ophthalmic Nurse-led services such as pre-assessment and fluorescein clinics which involves cannulation of patients setting of infusion pump and the administration of iv fluorescein and in the PDT Photodynamic setting of infusion pump verteporfin. Provide support and care to patients undergoing fluorescein angiography and Photodynamic therapy .
9. Carry out fundus photography on patients attending retinal clinics and ensure all results are accurately recorded and available for clinic. Under supervision, undertake primary grading of diabetic retinal photographs.
10. To undertake extended roles as the service and individual needs dictate with full support and training from senior staff.
11. To assess all ophthalmic patients referred to the clinic as an emergency and be competent in assessing their ophthalmic condition and carrying out emergency ophthalmic treatment.
12. Provide support and training to junior members of staff in visual fields testing using the Humphrey visual fields analyser and disc photography for patients attending the Eye clinic for Glaucoma screening.
13. To accurately perform Auto-refraction and Auto Focimetry on all patients pre and post op cataract surgery and ensure accurate recording of results.
14. Have a good understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the eye, various ophthalmic conditions and their treatment, up-dating professional knowledge through personal study to ensure that patients are properly advised and treated while attending the outpatients department.
15. To facilitate early discharge planning enabling appropriate arrangements to be in place for patients leaving hospital, making referrals and providing information to community services, as required, in order to achieve a safe and timely discharge from hospital.
16. Ensure safe custody and administration of drugs according to The Royal Free NHS Trust Hampstead’s policy and procedures, including intra-venous medication and epidural analgesia.
17. Supervise junior staff, or unqualified staff, in all aspects of care. Ensure that staff has the knowledge, skills and resources to carry out care delegated to them
18. To work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to promote good communication and a multi-disciplinary approach to patient care.
19. To participate in the audit of the principles of the Essence of Care benchmarking process, and implement the action plans as required.
20. Implement safe working practices as required by the Health & Safety at Work Act.
21. To work with Lead and Senior Nurses, Bed Managers, Admissions and Infection Control to ensure optimal bed utilisation.

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Infection Control
Infection control is everyone’s responsibility. All staff, both clinical and non clinical, are required to adhere to the Trust’s Infection Prevention and Control policies and procedures and the Health Act (2006) Code of Practice for the prevention and control healthcare associated infections and make every effort to maintain high standards of infection control at all times thereby reducing the risk of Healthcare Associated infections.
It is the duty of every member of staff to take personal responsibility for the prevention and control of infection, as laid down in the Trust’s polices and procedures which reflect the statutory requirements of the Hygiene Code.