Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) Nurse

at  Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Temporary Fixed Term Contract for 9 months (37.5 hours per week)
We’re seeking an enthusiastic nurse with post-registration experience, with a keen interest in infection management, to join our Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) team for a 9-month period covering maternity leave.
The OPAT Nurse will play a vital role in delivering nursing care for our expanding OPAT service. Collaborating closely with consultant microbiologists, three OPAT specialist nurses, and nursing teams in the Clinical Investigation Units and LSCFT district nursing teams.
As a Band 5 Nurse, you’ll serve as a key liaison for OPAT patients, offering guidance, facilitating communication, and managing patient transitions into the OPAT service, as well as providing training and support to patients and carers undertaking Self OPAT. Strong communication, practical, and IT skills are essential for this role.
The OPAT nurse will be expected to rotate between our Preston and Chorley sites according to service needs. For more information or to arrange an informal visit, please contact us.

Working with us will give you opportunities to deepen your understanding of antimicrobial stewardship principles, empowering you to apply them in practice and contribute to the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

• You will be work in a supportive learning environment with personalised mentoring and a culture of open communication.

There will be abundant learning opportunities to acquire new skills such as venepuncture, cannulation, central line care, IV infusion pumps, wound dressings, and sutures/clips removal, among others. We offer family-friendly hours with weekends off and there is a shuttle bus service that operates between RPH & CDH sites.
The Band 5 OPAT nurse will also collaborate closely with District Nursing Teams caring for Home OPAT patients, serving as a key contact for queries, troubleshooting, and providing training and support in patients’ homes when necessary. Occasional community domiciliary work will be required; thus, a full driving license is essential. This aspect of the role will foster networking skills and provide valuable experience for future endeavours.
Whether you’re currently in primary or secondary care, join us to rejuvenate and elevate your skills and knowledge to a high standard.
The OPAT Band 5 Nurse will work closely to support the Band 7 & Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), and the Microbiologists.
The Band 5 Nurse will work as a key worker to the OPAT patients providing information, enabling communication and coordinating discharges of patients to the OPAT service and their ongoing care. They will also provide training, practical and emotional support to patients and carers undertaking Self OPAT.
The Band 5 OPAT nurse will act as a key contact for the District Nursing Teams caring for Home OPAT patients to deal with queries, assist with troubleshooting and to provide training and support, in the patient’s own home when necessary.
The Band 5 OPAT nurse will work within the OPAT multi-disciplinary team (MDT) to provide a cohesive patient-centred nursing service in antimicrobial therapy.
The Band 5 Nurse will respond to actual and potential health problems appropriately. The role ensures the provision of excellent care with compassion; working with patients receiving out-patient antibiotics; developing a culture of patient self-management; allowing patients to develop responsibility for managing their own condition; and providing support across service boundaries.
You will be responsible for delivering and evaluating the personalised health and wellbeing care needs of patients, in line with the Trust’s Values & Nursing & Midwifery Professional Framework goals, for example: vital signs and EWS, early recognition and management of acutely ill patients, venepuncture, cannulation, care of central lines, use of IV infusion pumps, wound dressings, removal of sutures/clips, and psychological and spiritual support

Please refer the Job description for details