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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Clinical Practice

• Fully comply with the trust Cancer CNS Standing Operational Policy; AOS SOP and CUP SOP
• To assist in the delivery of an advanced specialist nursing service for people with specialist needs

• To provide specialist nursing advice and support to patients, their families and other healthcare professionals following diagnosis and through treatment and where applicable onward referral for end of life care.
• To ensure continuity of a high standard of evidence based nursing care, assessing health, health related and holistic needs of patients, their families and other carers by identifying and initiating appropriate steps for effective care. This can include:

• Managing a patient caseload
• Ordering diagnostic tests and being able to interpret results and take appropriate actions
• Making and receiving referrals
• Develop practice to be able to deliver nurse led clinics
• Support the team and organisation in delivering innovative services to support patient access to the team and early diagnoses
• Assessing and meeting patients on going care, health and well-being needs and develop a care plan and action referrals as a result

• Ensuring clear documentation in the patient’s records
• To be actively involved in in-patient care, liaising with ward staff to ensure high quality nursing care
• Attend A&E for assessment of patients with potential AOS/CUP diagnoses and to offer key worker point of contact to oversee their care
• To attend out-patients, ensuring nurse consultation with all newly diagnosed patients
• Ensure all patients receive appropriate follow-up and that relevant information is available to enable patients to make an informed choice about their treatment and care
• Take responsibility for delivery of Recovery Package initiatives and accurate maintenance and submission of the data  associated with delivery of Quality Matrix 
• To attend MDT meetings for Upper GI, designated as a CUP MDT and coordinate with MDT coordinator or other wider MDMs in accordance with national standards, increasing visibility of a patient to the cancer team.
• To attend Specialist MDM at GSTT for CUP once a week face to face or video link, to develop understanding of pathway of care and establish good working practices
• To accept responsibility as the named key worker, ensuring clear documentation in the patients’ notes and consistency of delivery of ongoing needs assessment
• To follow-up patients as appropriate and ensure all relevant information is available to enable patients to make an informed choice about their treatment
• To deliver a seamless service through the development of enhanced Multidisciplinary team processes and communication
• To work collaboratively with UGI MDM where CUP are discussed and AOS services as well as other MDTs at Denmark Hill or Princess Royal Hospital site and with teams at GSTT
• To participate in the identification and development of clinical protocols and strategies to enhance both the continuity and standard of specialist care whilst ensuring equity of access to the service
• To participate in the process of operational policies and review annually in accordance with national standards
• Review and update clinical information offered to patients every two years
• To ensure all care is given in accordance with agreed protocols
•  Provide support and education to patients and their families
• To regularly review those clinical notes of patients requiring imminent admission, ensuring all assessments, diagnostic investigation and test results are up-to-date and in place to ensure a smooth admission process
• To liaise with the discharge coordinator and ward staff to ensure appropriate and timely discharge/follow-up arrangement are in place for patients
• To maintain a suitable mechanism for MDT referrals to the Clinical Nurse Specialists
• To work with the MDT to develop, implement and evaluate integrated care pathways and systems of MDT documentation
• To liaise with local community, social services, paramedics and voluntary organisations in order to develop existing services for clients, carers and health professionals
• To actively involve service users in providing feedback of their experience of the current service and suggestions for improvements
• To participate in relevant fora at Care Group, Trust, PCT, Cancer Network or National/International level to represent the service perspective

2. Education and Research

• To ensure all patients are fully informed of the risks and benefits of proposed procedures/treatments, contributing to the process of securing informed consent
• To produce and provide all patients with relevant and accessible written information regarding their treatment in accordance with Trust standards
• Participate in the speciality and the trust wide audits
• To supervise and participate in the delivery of programmes of education and training according to the identified needs of clients, carers and other involved in their care
• To work with other clinical staff to identify knowledge gaps in relation to specialist patients and ensure staff are appropriately educated
• To contribute to the development of nursing practice within the team Additionally, where appropriate, to act as a practice supervisor to Trust and honorary contract employees
• To actively participate in education events provided by the Trust and primary care sector.
• To attend meetings and conferences as appropriate ensuring that you are fully conversant with current issues both within the Trust and within the specialist services locally and nationally
• To promote and facilitate evidence based practice and clinical audit within the Trust, raising the profile and enhancing the contribution of nursing to patient care and informing business and service development plans.
• To participate in and assist with any appropriate/relevant Trust approved research projects conducted within the department.
• To promote nursing research and evidenced based practice relevant to the speciality

 3. Management

 To liaise effectively with all other disciplines within the Trust and at local level

• To participate in the management of change to improve standards and communication links from Acute Trusts through to Primary Care
• To contribute actively to any relevant initiatives within the care group and provide support to colleagues and Heads of Nursing
• To contribute positively to the leadership of nursing within the care group acting as an effective role model
• To comply with measures to actively manage and reduce risk to patients. Ensure the formal reporting and recording of adverse incidents in line with Trust policy
• Network with the team of Clinical Nurse Specialists within the Trust to evaluate, develop and promote the specialist nursing role
• To utilise and maintain information systems to aid audit and to provide regular activity analysis reports
• Maintain contemporaneous and accurate treatment records, submitting relevant statistics, reports and activity data as requested. To participate in the evaluation of the service in terms of clinical effectiveness, clinical excellence and value for money
• To ensure the best use of available resources are used within agreed budget to provide a cost effective service
• To forge effective links within primary, secondary and tertiary care to ensure effective communication
• Ensure compliance with the Trust's Equality and Diversity Policy, supporting the delivery of the Trusts Race Equality Scheme and the Trust's duty to promote race equality and equality of opportunity for disabled people ensuring services are responsive to the needs of equality groups
• Comply with measures in the Service Quality Standards and appropriate NICE/ IOG guidance, ensuring transparent delivery of service
• To participate with the Peer Review process, liaising with Trust cancer management team and lead on the implementation of recommendations from peer review.

4. Personal Professional Development

• To achieve a range of clinical competencies as required to fulfil the role
• To keep up-to-date with current literature and research in the speciality
• To maintain your own personal and professional development in accordance with PREP requirements, attending mandatory study sessions as required
• To undergo and actively participate in own performance appraisals
• To keep up to date with NMC, relevant specialist Faculty & Trust guidelines and protocols.
• To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional conduct working within and accepting responsibility for maintaining agreed levels of competence.
• To be working towards higher degree or equivalent