Community Heart Failure Nurse Specialist

at  Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

A full time Band 7 Community Heart Failure Nurse Specialist (HFNS) role with a highly functioning and well supported Community Heart Failure Service has arisen. We cover the multi-cultural and vibrant borough of Camden and aim to provide quality care for patients in their own homes or in a clinical setting.
The ideal candidate must be committed to supporting people with a diagnosis of Heart Failure as part of our wider Long Term Conditions Service. You will join our nurse-led team, working in partnership with local hospital acute trusts, other community services, and primary care services across Camden.
The main role will be optimisation of guideline-directed medical therapies in line with current NICE guidance (Chronic Heart Failure), fluid management and care of patients in a clinic setting or in their own homes. We promote self-management of symptoms and education on what to do should symptoms arise.
You should have a broad cardiology knowledge base including excellent assessment skills and treatment of people with heart failure.
The successful candidate will have excellent communication skills, will have their own caseload and be able to work autonomously and as part of a team. Professional supervision will be provided from an experienced heart failure nurse specialist and/or cardiology heart failure consultants.
The post holder will have the opportunity to work with a wide variety of community and secondary care teams, aimed at reducing unscheduled hospital admissions and improving quality of life for people with heart failure.
All Band 7 nurses working for Central and North West London Foundation Trust are expected to be kind, responsive but professional, informative and contribute to the quality of the services we provide by:
Keeping the people who use our services as safe as possible through the use of sound clinical skills and effective risk assessments
Ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes by using up-to-date skills and adhering to evidence based policies and procedures
Ensuring the people using our services have a good experience by respecting, empowering and working in partnership with people throughout the care planning process
Experience in heart failure is essential. Interested applicants can contact Rosemary Fernandez, Clinical Lead on 020 3317 2362 and are welcome to call and discuss the role or visit informally.
Clinical Outcomes
The Heart Failure team are expected to help meet the health needs of the population in Camden and as a Heart Failure Nurse Specialist you are expected to understand those health needs. You will often work with people who have complex needs. You will be expected to contribute to the effectiveness of the service by:
Being a confident, autonomous practitioner who takes responsibility for the care you give to patients and seeks advice when necessary
Adhering to Trust policies and procedures and working within your own scope of practice
Providing highly specialised clinical advice to support patients, GPs and other healthcare teams
Reducing the risk of deterioration of heart failure patients by reviewing management plans, participating in MDT meetings and engaging with GPs
Assessing patients with complex needs in collaboration with other services or teams
Working with patients and families in all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs
Acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team and overseeing the work of others to ensure that they are also responding to the needs of patients and providing clinically effective care
Ensuring that you and other team members treat patients with respect and dignity and obtain consent as required and ensure adherence to the Mental capacity Act
Prescribing for patients (or work towards becoming a non medical prescriber)
Take responsibility for overseeing the work of others in the team including less experienced nurses and staff without a professional qualification
Contributing to creating and maintaining a high performing team by:
Contributing to the development of the Team by ensuring that policies and procedures are up to date and evidence based
Communicating well with all members of the team
Understanding your role in the team and how you will help the team achieve its objectives
Reflecting on your own practice regularly and encouraging the whole team to reflect on their practices in handovers and team meetings
Encouraging the team to learn from adverse events or respond to data analysis from audits or benchmarking exercises and implement sustainable initiatives which improve clinical outcome

Please refer the Job description for details