Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

·   Be responsible for leading and developing a high-quality clinical nursing Pain Management Service and to modify and expand the service where necessary.

·   Maintain a high profile in the clinical areas, acting as a role model and clinical expert for other health care professionals, including own team members in the management of acute and chronic pain.

·    Work as an advanced level practitioner in both an inpatient and outpatient environment.

·     Lead clinical care by providing expert assessment, planning, evaluation and support skills in all aspects of pain management.

·   Provide expert advice on pain and symptom management to medical and surgical teams across the Trust.

· Provide medical, surgical teams and GPs with individualised pain management plans for acute and chronic pain referrals within agreed protocols. This should include advice on appropriate drug management, including dosages and information on non-pharmacological management techniques. To follow up on patients, on a regular basis, to monitor effectiveness of the regimen.

·  Provide individualised advice, education and support to in-patients, out-patients and their relatives/carers, to manage their treatments effectively.

· Lead on the provision and delivery of PCA, Epidural and other pain interventions in the  inpatient setting. 

·   Provide advanced clinical skills relevant to pain management, such as the adjustment of depth of epidural catheters, intravenous opioid loading of patients in pain.

·   Lead on the provision and development of nurse-led out-patient chronic pain clinics, managing own patient caseload, and acting as a role model for others.

·    Act as a resource and provide support to other members of the pain service.

·   Act as an advocate for patients and their carers, enabling them to express their needs effectively, when dealing with the multi-disciplinary team, through counselling and discussion.

·  Deal with complex and sensitive information and be able to communicate this information in a delicate manner to patients and their carers.

·      Act as a patient advocate through the application of professional knowledge and skills taking into account the multicultural needs of the patients.

·    Take autonomous responsibility for a clinical caseload.

·    Practice in an organised but flexible manner with the ability to respond to the unpredictable and challenging needs of the service.

·  Understand when a patients’ care is beyond own clinical limitation and to liaise with other senior members of the team, or other professionals for advice.

·  Communicate effectively at all times and maintain a harmonious working environment.

·    Liaise with and provide expert advice to community care teams, GPs where necessary, to promote a seamless continuity of care.

·  Actively involve service users in providing feedback of their experience of the current service and suggestions for future improvements.

·  Evaluate new proprietary products (including drugs), medical devices and equipment.

·    Lead on, alongside the Pain Consultants, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Medical and Pharmacy staff, setting agreed standards of pain management within the inpatient and outpatient clinical areas.

Management and Leadership

The post holder will:

·         Plan and lead the pain service clinical network in conjunction with the lead clinician for pain. Oversee the professional development of nursing staff and cross site thinking for developing standards, policies and pathways for clinical improvement and innovation.

·         Effectively line manage the Clinical Nurse Specialists at the Newham site.

·   Involved in regular finance meetings and observe budgetary limitations. Provide specialist advice and support related to the purchasing and commissioning of resources/services trust wide.

·         Lead on pain education strategies trust wide.

· Ensure appropriate forecasting to take account of future service development. 

·   Develop the pain service in accordance with local and nationally agreed policies, standards and nursing strategies.

·   Lead on developing, updating and renewing written information for pain service. 

· Ensure all pain policies, guidelines and procedures are effectively implemented and maintained within the relevant clinical areas.

· Maintain an overview of governance and identify trends for service improvement.

• Identify clinical risks that potentially reduce quality of care. Respond, take appropriate action and devise strategies to counter these risks to ensure the delivery of safe and effective care, working within the Trusts agreed governance framework. 

·  Identify where there are deficiencies in pain management and initiate appropriate meetings/working parties to improve standards of care.

·      Participate in the quest to meet national and local targets, with regards to out-patient appointment waiting times.

·   Network with other Clinical Nurse Specialists to evaluate, develop and promote the specialist nursing role both within the Trust and Nationally

·         Be a member of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Pain Forum Network and attend meetings and conferences to keep abreast of current issues and practices related to developing the service.

·   Appraise, review, and manage the performance of the Clinical Nurse Specialists, identifying and addressing training and education needs as required.

·     Maintain contemporaneous and accurate records of all actions taken and support given related to training activities, clinical records, personnel management and action plans

·      Manage own clinical and non-clinical workload and projects in discussion with the Senior Nurse for perioperative, critical care and pain, and communicate with other members of the Pain Service.

·   Contribute positively to the leadership of nursing within the care group acting as a positive and effective role model.

·      Introduce systems and procedures for the development of clinical audit and research.

·   Devise and lead on clinical audit and research activities as required to assess and monitor the quality of care and adherence to local/national policies/guidance in pain management. Working collaboratively with team members identify and implement changes to practice/procedure as required maintaining a quality service. Encourage the team to maintain accurate up to date records. 

·      Act as an effective role model and mentor to other colleagues. Represent the Trust Locally, Nationally and internationally participating in and speaking at conferences as appropriate and relevant.

·    Manage duty rosters, including re-deployment of staff as necessary to cover any shortfall in the service, in conjunction with the Senior Nurse for Perioperative, Critical Care and Pain.

· Effectively manage time through prioritisation, problem solving and delegation skills.

· Handle complaints, accidents and incidents, as required or instructed, in accordance with Barts Health NHS Trust policies

Personal and Professional development

The post holder will:

·         Work within The Code (NMC, 2018).

·     Undergo and actively participate in own performance appraisals, and the development of personal/professional development plan.

·         Take responsibility for self-development through the appraisal system and to work towards achieving agreed goals within set time frames.

·         Develop new skills and knowledge pertained to pain management.

·  Assume responsibility for maintaining own personal and professional development in accordance with NMC requirements, attending mandatory training as required by Trust.

·       Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of attendance at training, for both self and other members of the specialist nursing team.

· Update and maintain a current knowledge of literature, research and evidence based care developments in the speciality, and be able to critically appraise and synthesise this information and apply it in clinical practice.

·         Network internally and externally to the trust with other professional’s and clinical nurse specialists to identify ‘best practice’. Take an active role in professional networks to ensure the exchange of knowledge and ideas, both locally and nationally.

·         Raise both personal and service profile within the Trust to be identified and accessible as a resource for acute and chronic pain management.

·         Makes self-aware of Trust initiatives and policies, especially those relating to clinical practice.

Specialist Practitioner

The post holder will:

·    Take responsibility for pain management initiatives in a specialised area and educate healthcare staff in caring for patients in pain to enhance efficacy of interventions, promote safety and minimise risk.

·    Provide and apply specialist knowledge and skills e.g. advanced patient assessment, non-medical prescribing (where relevant) and the management of complex pain patients. 

·   Be professionally accountable, make appropriate clinical decisions, and maintain contemporaneous records as an autonomous practitioner.

·   Lead education programmes for all staff and identify knowledge gaps in relation to specialist patients, tailoring teaching accordingly to enhance nursing practice and the quality of care.

·       Plan, supervise and participate in the delivery of education programmes for patients, carers and others, and implement changes in response to identified needs.

·       Develop clinical practice through the acquisition and utilisation of advanced clinical skills e.g. physical assessment, independent non-medical prescribing.

     The job description is not intended to be exhaustive and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the postholder.