Job summary
Employer heading
Children's Asthma and Atopy Nurse
NHS AfC: Band 6
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
Job overview
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.
Main duties of the job
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.
Working for our organisation
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
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
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
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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
5. 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.
Person specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential criteria
- RN Child/RSCN – BSc/ BSc(hons)
- Relevant post registration qualifications eg atopy
- Evidence of continuing professional development, short courses. Theoretical & evidence based practice.
Desirable criteria
- Diploma in Paediatric Asthma
- Diploma in Paediatric Allergy.
Skills and Abilities Required
Essential criteria
- Able to demonstrate ability to work as a team and independently.
- Experience in paediatric respiratory & allergy care.
- Understanding of evidence based practice
- Able to use methodical and structured recording of client information, nursing actions and clinical observations.
- Ability to provide, receive and understand sensitive information relating to safeguarding issues
- Able to communicate sensitively and empathetically with children, young people and their families and carers. This requires a high level of interpersonal skills and empathy.
- Good team building and people skills
- Ability to remonstrate teaching skills
- Prepared to work flexibly
- Can demonstrate enthusiasm for paediatric respiratory / allergy care
- Can demonstrate holistic approach to care
- Willingness to participate in family fun day activities promoting family peer support.
- Willingness to undertake further training to enhance scope of practice.
- Good time management and organisational skills and ability to prioritise a busy and unpredictable caseload.
- Competent in use of IT, data collection and use of internet
Desirable criteria
- Familiar with RiO
- Ability to use research and evidence based findings in practice
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience gained through previous working with children and families in the community environment
- Evidence of involvement in clinical audit or patient experience data collection.
- Theoretical and practical experience relating to the speciality
- Knowledge and experience handling complex relationships and interpersonal dynamics
- Experience in teaching
Desirable criteria
- Experience or participation in service development projects
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Lisa Collett
- Job title
- Matron for Children's Community Nursing Service
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 0203 049 3780
- Additional information
Jessica Felix 020 3049 3780
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