NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• Offer professional advice and support to women whose babies require TC within the Maternity Inpatient services.
• Identifies deteriorating babies and takes the appropriate action to manage the situation, liaising with the multidisciplinary team as appropriate.
• Work in partnership with the midwives on the postnatal ward
• Works, in partnership with parents/carers to assess, teach, support, and guide them to carry out effective care of the infant requiring a higher level of supervision on the postnatal wards.
• Safely administer prescribed medications and monitor their effects.
• To maintain up-to-date procedures, policies, and guidelines applicable to the service and to write TC reports as required.
• Provide TC with the aim to support mothers as the primary care providers for their baby’s routine newborn care, including other aspects of care that do not require admission to the Neonatal unit but can be provided on TC.
• To support initiatives towards achieving and sustaining TC in line with the Trust’s guidelines, striving to raise the TC provided in line with the BAPM Framework for transitional Care.
•    To ensure that the TC service meets Patient Safety Standard No. 4- Demonstrate that you have transitional care services in place to minimise separation of mothers and their babies and to support the recommendations made in the Avoiding Term Admissions into Neonatal units Programme.
• It will also help deliver IEA14 from the final Ockenden report regarding:  Neonatal and maternity care providers, commissioners and networks must agree on pathways of care including the designation of each unit and on the level of neonatal care that is provided.
• Support the Neonatal and Maternity in the weekly review of term admissions to the neonatal unit identifying themes and trends which should inform improvement projects.
• To document TC Care in the Baby’s Maternity Clinical Digital record to ensure that contextual assessment is ongoing, and to ensure improvements in communication with MDT across the maternity pathway.
• To liaise with administrative staff to enter TC Babies admission episodes on BadgerNet and include TC activity in quarterly reports to inform future planning
• To be responsible for auditing TC care pathways so that all babies identified as requiring TC care are able to receive care based on acceptable standards.
• Audit of practice against best practice standards, development of regular reporting mechanism on progress made to the Lead for the service and Maternity Management Team
• To act as a resource for staff in both hospital and community settings.
• To maintain own clinical competency in respect of TC and wider nursing and Neonatal practice, and opportunities for professional development.
• To develop and sustain resources for use by staff and mothers that support and promote TC.
• To maintain an active role in clinical governance initiatives.
• To investigate incidents, reported via the Trust Datix systems, related to TC such as where babies have been re-admitted requiring phototherapy and auditing of re-admissions requiring TC.
• Post holder will be involved in clinical governance processes.
• To have in-depth knowledge and understanding of local and national TC strategies and directives and to disseminate this to Whittington Health healthcare professionals and staff as required.
• To be responsible for the assessment of care needs, plan follow-up of any babies identified as requiring TC in the postnatal period.

Physical Skills

Delivers core neonatal clinical skills which include a range of duties to ensure the neonate’s comfort at all times, this will include for example:

• Administration of Intravenous injections and IV therapy
• Caring for neonates with Jaundice requiring phototherapy
• Helping to establish feeding in neonates
• Assisting with hygiene needs
• Deliver emergency resuscitation
• Maintain a safe working environment
• Educating parents in resuscitation training
• Delivery of infection prevention and control skills are utilised and adhered to

Educational/ Professional

• To identify training needs for anyone involved in caring for babies on TC with regards to all aspects of TC, in collaboration with the Practice Development Team. Ensure that the effective use of the Trust Mandatory Training database to monitor staff training needs and that attendance is adhered to.
• Identify and devise a plan how to deliver training to staff for other care pathways that should be delivered in TC as outlined by BAPM framework
• To contribute to identifying and meeting own learning needs.
• To Maintain own clinical competency in respect of Neonatal Transitional Care and wider nursing and Neonatal nursing, utilising opportunities and professional development.
• To demonstrate a personal commitment to attaining educational, research and clinical skills and to sharing expertise and experience with colleagues both within the team and from other clinical areas.
• To demonstrate a professional commitment to personal development in line with the clinical area and PDR requirements.
• Participate in the Trust’s personal development and appraisal system.
• Participate in clinical supervision/reflective practice, working within the Trust’s systems and professional guidelines.
• Is wholly accountable for his/her practice and takes every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve his/her knowledge and professional competence.