Children's Asthma and Atopy Nurse

at  Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

An exciting opportunity has emerged for a one-year secondment with our esteemed Children’s Community Atopy Team.
We seek a committed and creative paediatric nurse eager to enhance their expertise in managing paediatric asthma and atopy. Our team is expanding its services to include the management of atopy (eczema and allergies) in children and adolescents. To advance this growth, we are in need of an additional band 6 nurse to aid in the diagnosis and management of asthma and atopy in children within the community.

This is a substantive post to support and facilitate the integrated asthma and allergy service throughout the Lewisham borough. The post holder will be expected to work flexibly across community care to provide a comprehensive nursing service.

• The post holder will support specialised nursing care to children with atopy within the community setting.
• The aim of the post is to deliver community- based paediatric atopy care that raises awareness, improves care and helps to reduce emergency department attendances, hospital admissions and readmissions and shortens length of stay where

appropriate.

• Support nurse led asthma/allergy clinics.
• Support the monitoring, auditing and evaluation of the cost effectiveness and quality of services provided in conjunction with the, in order to achieve the best services and outcomes for clients.
• Support the provision of education and training to staff and clients.
• Work in partnership with members of the multi-disciplinary team across acute, primary and community care settings to maintain high quality care and promote practice that is family centred
• Work closely with local schools, GP surgeries and community organisations, including pharmacists, to improve children’s inhaler use and ensure treatment complies with best practice.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
Improving the experience of staff with disability
Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
Making equalities mainstream

1. Clinical

• Contribute to the overall aim of reducing emergency department attendances,

hospital admissions and readmissions and shorten length of stay where appropriate.

• With support receive/make referrals from other disciplines
• To support specialist nurse led asthma clinics
• Assist nursing colleagues in establishing individualised plans of care for patients’ with

respiratory and allergic conditions

• Ensure up to date asthma care plans are available for school staff to enable them to

manage children in the school setting.

• With support undertake aeroallergen skin prick allergy testing
• Collaboratively identify areas of nursing practice developments in specialist area
• To carry out home visits and with support plan, implement and evaluate nursing care

for all patients for whom he/she has continuing responsibility.

• Act in partnership with the child and family when assessing a child’s needs and

planning care.

• To provide advice contributing to the well-being of the patient and participate in

health promotion.

• Provide advice, education and training to service users, carers and professionals

regarding the management and care/support of service users.

• With support empower the child and family to be confident and competent to

implement their care. Advise on individualised coping strategies and make

appropriate referrals for other support if needed.

• Promote long term concordance with drug regimes.
• Act in a professional manner when dealing with patients and relatives
• Ensure medical needs and instructions are carried out in accordance with nursing

and midwifery council guidelines and ensure accurate record keeping (RIO system

used for client records).

• Undertake individual risk assessments to support children and families within their

own homes

• Recognise and respond to safeguarding issues as they arise

1. Management and Leadership

High quality care for every patient, every day

• Raise the profile of the Paediatric Atopy service within other locations and with

other professionals

• Support, enables and develops other staff
• Critically reflect on own performance through clinical supervision and personal

development programmes

• To be aware of the National Guidelines in relation to the management of asthma

in school

• With senior staff, participate in strategic planning for the future service provision

of the service. Attend meetings as necessary.

• Ensure that all key targets and key performance indicators are met by working

within local and national policies and procedures

• Support with the management of client caseload
• Establish and maintain effective communication, formal and informal with primary

and secondary care

• Act as a preceptor/mentor to students and other staff as required
• Work as part of an integrated children’s community nursing team, providing

clinical support when necessary

1. Research

• Facilitate a high quality, cost effective service through undertaking research,

surveys, audits in connection with own work. With support implement findings to

improve patient care and ensure compliance with agreed standards.

• Utilise research findings to develop new ways of working and disseminate

relevant information to staff.

• Promote the use of research in practice and research-mindedness
• Assist the Community Children’s Specialist nurses with updating or writing new

care plans, policies, guidelines and competencies.

• Contribute to service development
• Encourage innovation and develop new approaches to patient care
• Ensure that nursing care relating to patients in the speciality is evidence based

High quality care for every patient, every day

1. Training

• Willing to study for a paediatric asthma /allergy qualification or have relevant

experience

• Provide opportunities for others to learn by being an education role model
• Undertake mandatory training as outlined by Lewisham and Greenwich

Healthcare Trust

• Supervise/assess nurse learners and post basic students
• With support plan, design, initiate, monitor & evaluate teaching & learning

programmes for a variety of professional and voluntary workers including, clients,
carers, junior staff members, nurse learners and other professional staff when

required.

• Be pro-active in promoting the health and welfare of clients and families through

providing individual care plans, advice and resources that empower families

towards a healthier/safer lifestyle.

• Complete professional portfolio and Revalidation requirements

1. Financial

• Demonstrate accountability in the use and management of all resources including

financial.
6. Partnerships

Communications and Relationships

• Actively work together with other professionals by communicating with the extended

multi-disciplinary teams within the primary, secondary and community settings. To
work alongside professionals from other government & non-government agencies

including the voluntary sector.

• Communicate to all relevant staff within the Trust on the atopy service ensuring

clarity on care following discharge, expected outcomes and follow-up criteria

• Actively participate and communicate with Senior Members of the Multi-disciplinary

team to promote seamless high quality care for clients and involvement of the

appropriate team around the child, coordinating activities and meetings as required.

• Initiate and negotiate communications with families & carers frequently around

complex, emotive and contentious issues regarding management of a child’s care in

the community. Use appropriate resources as required such as use of interpreters.

• Communicate effectively with the child and family to gain trust and to support them

through the management of both the chronic and acute stage of their condition.
High quality care for every patient, every day

General

• Knowledge in paediatric atopy either through having undertaken relevant

qualifications or have relevant experience.

• Must have clinical assessment skills and competencies and practice must be

underpinned by theoretical knowledge.

• Act as a resource and role model to junior staff members & other professional staff.
• There is a requirement for the post-holder to be IT literate as there is a regular

requirement to use computer software to create reports. The team use RIO for all of

their client notes.

• To provide a high standard of professional conduct and nursing care at all times in

accordance with the NMC.

• Attend relevant meetings, courses, seminars and keep professionally up-to-date.
• Any other duties considered relevant to the post.

Please refer the Job description for details