About this role
Job summary
To work within a multi-disciplinary team and under the supervision of a registered nurse assist in delivering a high quality of specialist dermatology care, to a broad spectrum of patients. The post holder will undertake tasks and duties delegated by the clinical team or Dermatology Nurse Specialists, working both supervised and unsupervised/autonomously where appropriate.
The successful candidate will join the team of existing band 3 support practitioners working closely with our staff nurses, and nurse specialists, carrying out enhanced roles once deemed competent, and supporting consultants in the smooth running of their dermatology clinics.
The JD & PS are currently under AfC review and are subject to change.
Main duties of the job
To assist nurse specialists, staff and medical team with;
General clinics
Minor surgery assistance
Supporting the skin cancer service
Carrying out screening investigations including phlebotomy
Preparation of biologic clinics
Application of topical creams and bandages
To support the minor ops clerk to book appointments when needed.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
Our services
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements
- Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
- Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
- National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme.
Job description
Job responsibilities
To assist nurse specialists in phototherapy/hand and foot PUVA
To ensure and be responsible for the smooth running of the urticaria recovery area, monitoring patients observations (blood pressure, sats etc) for signs of anaphylaxis alongside the nurse specialist urticarial clinic, and to alert trained nurses/doctors/MET team if appropriate
To assist Consultant in patch test clinics, removing patch tests, correctly marking patch tests prior to removal and preparing the patient for their results readings
To assist nurse specialists in minor surgery at St Helens and Newton Hospital, in particular for ad hoc urgent skin cancer patients/ patients on 2WW skin cancer pathways/ skin cancer see and treat clinics, and provide support for Dermatology Clinics held offsite. Competent in Aseptic Non-Touch technique, scrub in to assist surgeons in minor ops and applying basic dressings, educates patients in post-operative care
To support the Skin cancer Nurse specialist in providing ongoing emotional support to patients diagnosed with skin cancer, to monitor the skin cancer helpline and deal with basic patient needs independently within realms of competence and refer on to specialist nurse specialist when appropriate. Support the skin cancer nurse specialist with documentation and recording of telephone consultations for both coding and patients clinical notes in line with Trust Policies and Procedures.
To carry out screening investigations such as taking swabs, pregnancy testing, blood pressures, urinalysis, weight, INR coagucheck, nail clippings and fungal scrapings, phlebotomy
Assist in application of leg ulcer dressings (non-compression)
To assist in paediatric clinics, able to safely apply prescribed topical treatments and specialised dermatological bandaging.
To be competent in removal of sutures and basic post op wound dressings, to work alone and unsupervised and the ability to work autonomously where appropriate e.g., removal of suture clinic.
To support Skin cancer specialist nurse with health promotion /well-being events
Assists in research and databases e.g., assisting Skin cancer nurse input data onto Somerset database, BADBIR.
To undertake reviews of patients returning to clinic for specified follow up care and manage appropriately using guidelines and protocols.
To provide education, health promotion support and encouragement to patients to self-manage their conditions appropriate to own knowledge/experience.
Housekeeping and maintenance of Dermatology admin packs for Nurse Specialists eg Phototherapy packs, minor op paperwork, patient information leaflets, patch test leaflets and documents, BADBIR packs
Recognise the workload of colleagues and provide support as necessary.
Person Specification
Our Values
Essential
- We are Kind
- We are Open
- We are Inclusive
Qualifications
Essential
- NVQ Level 3 in Health and Social Care, or equivalent experience
Experience
Essential
- Previous experience of working as a Health Care Assistant
- Previous experience in the provision of direct patient care
- Commitment to the promotion of health
- Knowledge of child protection procedures and who to contact with concerns
- Demonstrable experience working in specialised dermatology clinics and a basic knowledge of: o Eczema o Psoriasis o Skin cancer o Phototherapy o Patch testing
Desirable
- Previous experience of history taking / conducting consultations ie : when assessing wounds etc.
- Venepuncture experience
Skills
Essential
- IT skills
- Positive attitude, supportive, non-judgemental motivated
- Effective communication skills
- Team player
- Flexible, adaptable and reliable, ability to work off site in dermatology clinics e.g. Newton Hospital
- Good interpersonal skills
- Ability to use own initiative
- Understanding of using resources efficiently, good house keeping
- The ability to work alone and unsupervised and the ability to work autonomously where appropriate
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Employer details
Employer name
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address
St Helens Hospital
Marshalls Cross Road
St Helens
WA9 3DA
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.merseywestlancs.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)