Breast Care Nurse

at  Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

WORCESTERSHIRE ACUTE HOSPITALS NHS TRUST JOB DESCRIPTION Post Title: Breast Care Nurse Pay Band: 6 Hours: Part time 30 hrs per week Monday to Friday Contract: Permanent Location / Department: Breast Service Accountable to: Lead Breast Care Nurse Reports to: Lead Breast Care Nurse Key Working Relationships: MDT Team Nursing Colleagues Out Patient Clinic Staff Ward Staff Lead Cancer Nurse/Cancer Services Team Trust Clinical Nurse Specialists Palliative Care Team Consultant Surgeons Medical teams Professionals Allied to Medicine Divisional and Directorate Management Teams Primary Care Colleagues Risk Assessment: The post involves some manual handling activities, and exposure to bodily fluids and chemicals. Involves VDU work Job Purpose: The post holder will work as part of the breast cancer multidisciplinary team, under the supervision of the Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), and be responsible for managing a caseload of breast cancer patients. The post holder will act as the patients keyworker, ensuring that they, and their carers, have access to specialist information, advice and support throughout the patient journey, liaising with other healthcare professionals across primary and secondary care to ensure a seamless service. The post holder will also provide effective input into the work of the Trust, to support the achievement of our vision and values.
Key Duties: The post holder should be an experienced registered nurse with extensive knowledge and skills relating to breast cancer and benign breast disease. They should possess expert clinical skills combined with excellent communication skills in order to provide a holistic breast care nursing service for both symptomatic and screening patients. As a Specialist Nurse the post holder will practice under the direction of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Team / Service Leader, working towards achieving agreed levels of competence, skills and knowledge to enable independent autonomous practice within their scope of clinical practice. To become acquainted with the local assessment against national standards related to breast cancer and take part in the Peer Review Process.
To become acquainted with the NHS Breast Screening Programmes Quality Assurance review process. To promote the breast specialist nursing service through conferences and written papers. Professional Responsibilities Be fully conversant and wholly accountable for his / her practice, act and uphold the professional standards detailed within the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Professional Standards of Practice and Behaviour for Nurses and Midwives. To act in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Code at all times, adhering to the Professional Standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates, as detailed in The Code and to be accountable for own actions at all times.
The post holder will be professionally accountable for the maintenance of standards and professional practice as set by Trust Policies/Procedures, the NMC Code of Professional Standards of Practice and Behaviour and relevant professional guidelines, As a Specialist Nurse the post holder will practice under the direction of the Clinical Nurse Specialist Team / Service Leader, working towards achieving agreed levels of competence, skills and knowledge to enable independent autonomous practice within their scope of clinical practice. To maintain accurate records for the clinical service and procedures performed in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Trust and professional medico-legal requirements. To ensure workload, activity and patient contacts are accurately recorded on the appropriate Information Systems (Clip, SCR, OASIS) To continually strive to expand professional expertise, knowledge and evidence-based practice by attendance at educational opportunities. Maintains high professional standards of care and professional expertise, keeping up to date with professional issues and ensuring they are reflected in practice.
Supporting Patient Excellence / Supporting Clinical Excellence To fulfil the keyworker role, by providing breast cancer patients with a seamless, high quality pathway of care. To undertake a comprehensive holisitic assessment of patients needs at key stages during the illness experience in line with national directives, referring on to other health care professionals / agencies where necessary, and participating in the Health and Well-being events. To provide specialist support necessary for the patients and their families to make informed decisions about treatment options. To demonstrate specialist practice in planning, implementing and evaluating nursing care, documenting the outcomes of consultations.
To provide Level 2 psychological support for patients and their careres, referring patients with complex needs to the Macmillan Clinical Psychologist. To ensure patients receive verbal and written information at the appropriate point in their illness experience in line with the national information pathway for breast cancer. To provide support necessary for those patients having treatment for benign breast disease. To act as a specialist resource to other healthcare professionals relating to breast cancer providing specialist nursing advice and support.
To become acquainted with the local and network wide care pathways for patients with breast cancer including knowledge of contact points for referral and advice. To act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care. To promote collaborative working relationships and effective communication between all members of the cancer multidisciplinary team, working across organisational and professional boundaries as necessary. To assist in the provision of a comprehensive nurse led service, incorporating an early discharge, seroma assessment and aspiration, post-operative review and prosthetic service to enhance the patient pathway.
To provide a lymphoedema assessment and support service liaising with lymphoedema Clinical Nurse Specialist as per service policy. Provide a high quality support service to well women, attending the Breast Screening Service assessment clinics and symptomatic service. To support the implementation of the Breast Cancer stratified pathway. To be acquainted with the NHS Breast Screening Programmes Quality Assurance review process.
To support the Breast Care Nursing Team in the development of policies and clinical guidelines, which are necessary to support the developing specialist nursing service. To develop Standard Operating Policies (SOPs) and patient information in line with current guidelines, policies and research. To promote the Breast Specialist Nursing Service through conferences and written papers. To attend local and network meetings as necessary.
To be wholly accountable for own clinical practice, continually striving to expand professional expertise, knowledge and evidence-based practice by attendance at educational opportunities

Please refer the Job description for details