Specialist Nurse Practitioner

The successful candidate will play a key role in the assessment, management and long-term follow-up of patients referred to the lipid service, working closely with consultant lipidologists, the multidisciplinary team, primary care, and regional partners. The role includes leading nurse-led clinics, contributing to cascade screening programmes for FH, supporting the delivery of advanced lipid therapies (including PCSK9 inhibitors), and contributing to service development, education and research activity. This role offers an excellent opportunity for a nurse with a strong interest in cardiovascular prevention, lipidology, and genomics to work within a nationally recognised academic and clinical centre. Training and upskilling in lipid management will be provided within the team. The role also involves collaboration with primary care, supporting education and service development across the regional network., Senior Specialist Nurse Practitioner in Lipid Management works within the multidisciplinary lipid team to deliver specialist services across secondary and tertiary care. The role includes assessing new and follow-up patients, undertaking cardiovascular risk assessment, running nurse-led face-to-face, virtual and telephone clinics, and developing evidence-based plans for dyslipidaemia and inherited lipid disorders, including familial hypercholesterolaemia. The post holder supports cascade testing, family screening, biochemical and genetic testing, patient education, continuity with primary care, accurate documentation, and prescribing where qualified. They identify patients for advanced lipid therapies, contribute to pathway development, and work collaboratively to improve outcomes and patient experience. The role includes quality improvement, clinical audit, service evaluation, data collection, protocol development, and support for research activity and recruitment. The post holder maintains CPD, appraisal, supervision and revalidation, keeps practice aligned with guidance, contributes to colleague education, supports service leadership, and helps develop lipid and FH services across the ICB.,

• Practice in compliance with their respective code of professional conduct, being responsible and accountable for their decisions, actions, or omissions at this level of practice
• Work towards demonstrating a critical understanding of their broadened level of responsibility and autonomy, recognising the limits of their own competence and scope of practice, to include when working with complexity, risk or uncertainty
• Develops own professional judgment skills identifying when to escalate and seek help/guidance, critically reflecting on practice, self-awareness, emotional intelligence and their willingness to change or challenge thought processes.
• Learn to work in partnership with individuals, families and carers, using a range of assessment methods as appropriate (e.g. may include history-taking and physical assessments, holistic assessments, identifying risk factors, mental health assessments, requesting/undertaking and/or interpreting speciality-specific diagnostic tests or procedures, and conducting health needs assessments).
• Develops effective communication skills, supporting people in making decisions, planning care or seeking to make positive health changes, promoting person-centred approaches in health and care.
• Develops effective communication skills with colleagues both internally and/or externally, in verbal, non-verbal and written communication methods, adapting to changing parameters as required; this includes thorough accurate documentation in patient records as required.
• Provides and receives sensitive, complex or contentious information relating to patient care, and communicates information to patients, families or carers with respect, compassion and empathy.
• Begins to develop proficiency and clinical acumen in relation to decision-making skills, to inform clinical reasoning approaches when dealing with specialty-specific presentations; synthesising information from multiple sources to make appropriate, evidence-based judgements within own scope, knowing when to refer or escalate care.
• Works towards increasing knowledge and skills, in order to initiate, evaluate and modify a range of interventions, which may include the prescribing of medications, therapies, lifestyle advice and care.
• For registered professionals authorised to prescribe, in roles requiring therapeutic medications and treatments, and after approval from the Trust's respective Non-Medical Prescribing Lead, the Practitioner will prescribe medications safely and effectively in line with their scope of practice and registration, utilising local or organisation guidelines, national guidelines, and adhering to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Prescribing Standards, and those of their professional regulatory body (e.g. NMC/HCPC).
• Develops professional judgement to manage risk appropriately with support and clinical supervision, especially where there may be complex and unpredictable events, promoting the safety and wellbeing of individuals, families and carers.
• Begins to act as a clinical role model/advocate for developing and delivering care that is responsive to changing requirements, informed by local service and local population health needs, external agencies and/or wider networks, acting as a key worker for own case-loads or service as required.
• Demonstrates evidence underpinning Lipid speciality-specific knowledge and role capabilities and competencies, relevant to the clinical setting and own scope of practice, through the development of a professional portfolio, and in line with any relevant service specific curriculum/frameworks for training.
• Issuing of Fit Notes - the practitioner will (if supported within their scope of practice and professional regulatory requirements) undertake the training and competency assessments required to engage in health and work conversations with patients, which may or may not lead to the issuing of a Fit Note (Med 3) certificate, practicing in line with national training requirements and the Oxford University Hospitals Fit Note (Med 3) Certification by Non-Medical Healthcare Professionals Policy.
Leadership and Management The post holder will be supported to develop skills, practices and behaviours which…
• Initiate and develop effective relationships, fostering clarity of the role within teams, to encourage productive and efficient working.
• Role-model the values of the OUH, demonstrating a person-centred approach to service delivery and improvement.
• Upholds own individual scope of practice, within legal, ethical, professional and organisational policies, governance frameworks and procedures; with a focus on managing risk, upholding safety and delivering high quality care.
• Evaluates own practices, participating in MDT and team evaluations, recognising the impact of enhanced and advanced practice on service function, effectiveness and quality (e.g. care outcomes, patient experience and safety).
• Will actively engage in peer review to inform own and other's practice, working towards formulating and implementing strategies to act on learning and making improvements, with support from peers and clinical supervisors.
• Actively seeks feedback and involvement from individuals, families, carers and colleagues to inform own development and/or service developments in practice.
• Where appropriate, demonstrates team leadership and supervision, with resilience and determination for peers (including juniors), whilst developing management skills for situations that are unfamiliar, complex or unpredictable, seeking to build confidence in self and in others.
• Participate in the inclusive recruitment, appraisal and professional development of team members. Providing supervision, mentoring or line management where appropriate, seeking support from more senior managers as necessary.
• Remains adaptable to change, continually developing own practice in response to changing health policies, new treatments, population needs or social challenges.
• Participates in clinical governance reviews and the investigation of clinical incidents and serious incidents; leads and facilitates others to share lessons learned adapt systems and processes accordingly.
• Supports team members from a managerial perspective including direct line management responsibilities (where required), such as supporting wellbeing, absence management, appraisals and conduct or performance management.
• Recognises the critical importance of wellbeing in self and others, seeking to identify and manage stressors or pressures to promote health and wellbeing.
• Will understand budgetary constraints, and may be required to manage budgets, and support sustainability of service.
• Will actively participate in the development of the team and the service to continuously improve patient care, participating in implementation of relevant national standards and frameworks at a local level.
• Network locally, regionally, nationally and internationally (as required) and seek opportunities to develop the specialist role or service within scope.
Education The post holder will be supported to develop skills, practices and behaviours which…
• Critically assess and address own learning needs, working to a personal development plan that reflects the breadth of professional development across the four pillars of practice, relevant to the practitioner's own clinical service and scope.
• Engages in relevant professional Higher Education Institution (HEI) Academic Level 7 post-graduate studies, and self-directed learning as needed, meeting the academic requirements of the course to achieve required training and qualifications; this may include a range of classroom-taught and blended learning approaches, and a range of assessments methods (e.g. Observed Structured Clinical Examinations, exams, written assignments or other methodologies as set by the HEI).
• Critically reflect to maximise own clinical skills and knowledge development, with evidence demonstrated in own professional portfolio of evidence.
• Engage with performance reviews and appraisal processes, as required in own clinical service area and in line with OUH requirements: Additionally, participating in Clinical Supervision and/or tripartite review meetings with both Clinical Supervisors, Academic Supervisors from the HEI and Line Managers, if undertaking any apprenticeship.
• Advocate for, and contribute to, a culture of departmental, service, and organisational learning, to inspire future and existing staff.
• Where appropriate act as an educator within own scope of capability and competence, to develop teaching skills (with supervision or support where required) and seeking to instil confidence in others and share best practices.
• Identify and address the educational needs of patients, families, carers and staff involved in the delivery of this service, supporting an appropriate learning environment, and contributing to the delivery of education as required.
  
  Registered nurse
• First level degree (HEI level 5 or 6) in nursing, midwifery or equivalent Completed or completing Master's level (HEI level 7) qualification
• Demonstrable post graduate level working. Relevant specialist post basic programme in area of service
• Teaching / Assessment / Mentoring qualification
• Demonstrates up to date knowledge and expertise in the speciality with knowledge of medications within the service field
• Demonstrates understanding of relevant national strategy/policy and how this relates to the service
Desirable criteria
• Leadership Course or Qualification
• Advanced life support course or other, relevant to speciality
• Registered Independent/Non-medical Prescriber, Significant experience within speciality
• Proven evidence of management ability and leadership skills
• Excellent clinical and practical skills
Desirable criteria
• Experience of change management
• Demonstrable evidence of research capability or the application to own clinical practice, You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.
The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence., Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research. The Trust comprises four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence, and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel. In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism., Sexual Safety Charter: In 2023 NHS England launched its first sexual safety charter, and our Trust proudly signed it. We pledge zero tolerance for inappropriate sexual behaviour and commit to the ten core principles Oxford University Hospitals promotes a safe, respectful hiring environment. If you want to make a difference with us, come and join our team. Together, we will uphold the highest standards of care and professionalism.