Band 7 Heart Failure Clinical Nurse Specialist

We are seeking a highly skilled and compassionate Heart Failure Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our multidisciplinary team. In this role, you will provide expert clinical care, education, and support to patients living with heart failure, improving outcomes and enhancing their quality of life.

The post offers an opportunity to work within an advanced heart failure team that provides specialist heart failure management to patients presenting acutely in the hospital setting and providing out-patient follow up.

The successful applicant will be expected to be competent to undertake autonomous clinical assessments of heart failure patients, formulate clinical management plans and implement or recommend medication initiation and titration.

The successful applicant should be a registered nurse with extensive post-registration experience in cardiology and should also ideally have worked within a heart failure setting and have a robust knowledge of heart failure management. They should already possess a qualification in clinical assessment, non-medical prescribing and a master's level equivalent module on heart failure management or be willing to work towards these important qualifications as part of their development within this post.

We offer a supportive working environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and are committed to delivering innovative, patient-focused services and welcome applicants who share our passion for improving heart failure care.

Main duties of the job

- Undertake autonomous assessments of patients referred to the service including physical examination, review of past medical history, comprehensive medication review and relevant investigations. The post holder would be expected to document relevant management plan, request investigations, and either prescribe or recommend medication for heart failure management where required.

- Ensure that any care activities and assessments required to be undertaken by ward staff are clearly communicated and reviewed as required.

- The post holder will be expected to manage a caseload of patients and identify patients that may be suitable for device therapy such as primary prevention ICD or CRT-D/CRT-P and present these patients for discussion at the MDT.

- Assess symptom response to medication and to titrate and /or discontinue where necessary. The role will also require GP correspondence and reporting of caseload activity in terms of clinic outcomes.

- Refer to other specialities where there are concerns with regards to non-heart failure conditions that have been identified.

- Contribute / lead the on-going development of clinical practice, standards of care within the service, including; development of policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines. This will include collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues.

- Provide a range of educational and training packages for health care staff and patients.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• *Registered Adult / Child Nurse on the NMC Register (Field dependent upon role)
• *Evidence of post registration CPD / Post registration qualification in (appropriate area of speciality or professional knowledge supplemented by specialist experience and short courses to degree / masters level equivalent FHEQ Level 6 /7
• *Recognised mentorship course

Desirable

• *To have or working towards a MSc/ Masters qualification
• *To have or working towards advanced health assessment module -- where applicable to the role

*Non -- Medical Prescriber/ willingness to undertake - where applicable to the role

Experience

Essential

• *Evidence and ability to revalidate as required by the NMC
• *Significant years post registration experience as a Clinical Nurse Specialist at B6 or above in defined or associated speciality Extensive experience of working autonomously at a specialist level
• *Evidence of achievements and career development in current post and of on-going professional development/ competence.
• *Demonstrate expert knowledge underpinned by theory and CPD relevant to speciality.
• *Experience and enthusiasm for developing educational programmes and teaching / assessing and supervising others in a clinical setting.
• *Working in a multi-disciplinary and cross agency work environment.
• *Experience of patient service user advocacy role
• *Can demonstrate expert nursing knowledge with an ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate specialist care delivered to patients and give advice and information to patients / relatives/ care staff
• *Awareness of current relevant NHS policy context relating to the speciality
• *Has understanding / experience of the principles of Safeguarding
• *Knowledge of corporate and clinical governance

Desirable

• *Experience of delivering change management both personally and as a facilitator
• *Experience in service development Awareness of current research related to the speciality
• *Awareness of current research related to the speciality

Additional Criteria

Essential

• *Ability to explain the requirement to balance clinical caseload
• *Ability to communicate with a wide range of health care professionals, on a variety of complex and sensitive issues which require persuasive and empathetic skills.
• *Extensive experience of working autonomously at a specialist level and to manage / prioritise own workload, supervise / appraise and asses junior staff
• *Competent in a range of clinical skills and expanded practices relevant to the scope of practice required Ability to work under pressure across competing priorities
• *Ability to undertake clinical audit, analyse information and develop robust measurable action plans to support improvement / change
• *Evidence of ability to compile reports and documents for internal / external communication
• *Knowledge of current evidence-based practice and ability to apply to service and policy development

*Ability to adapt behaviour to changing circumstances

*Positive and enthusiastic attitude

*Ability to communicate articulately and motivate others

*Evidence of flexible and innovative approach to service delivery and development

*Ability to work a varied shift pattern where required

*Ability to act on own initiative

About the employer

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust strives to have an inclusive culture where everyone feels like they belong, can thrive, knows that they add value and feels valued. We do this by developing compassionate and culturally competent leaders, being values driven in all that we do and by creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace that thrives on the diversity of our people. As such we want to attract and recruit talented individuals from all backgrounds, and for each of you to feel supported for the diversity you bring, to achieve your full potential. For those staff with a disability, including physical disability, long term health condition, mental health or neurodiverse condition, this also means being committed to making reasonable adjustments needed for you to carry out your role.