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Location

Walsall, West Midlands | United Kingdom

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Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Lead Nurse in Infection Prevention and Control in our Infection Prevention and Control Team at Walsall Healthcare.

The successful applicant will work with the Associate Director of Nursing Operations/ Deputy DIPC, leading the IPC team and will be responsible for the provision of specialist infection prevention nursing and operational leadership.

Attention to detail and the ability to work both as part of a team and autonomously are essential requirements for this role. You must be effective in time management and be able to work with minimum supervision.

This is an exciting time to join the Infection Prevention Team. If you are proactive, innovative, enthusiastic about infection prevention, share our values and possess the qualities and skills essential for this post, then we look forward to hearing from you.

As part of this job, you will be expected to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service.

The Lead Nurse Infection Prevention and Control will work as a senior member of the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Team, working alongside the Deputy DIPC and the IPC Doctor in developing, operationalise and implementing the IPC annual programme, shaping IPC policies and supporting Trust.

As an experienced practitioner, the post-holder will be expected to create an environment of continuous quality improvement and professional development, ensuring that infection control policies, practices and guidelines are integral to the delivery of safe high quality care, regularly reviewing policies, procedures and guidelines and implementing changes as necessary.

They will be required to have a visible presence in promoting best practice across clinical and non-clinical environments in order to continually improve performance in reducing and preventing healthcare-associated infections (HCAI), and act as a resource for both patients and staff.

The IPC team consists of a Deputy Director of IPC, Infection Control Doctor, Specialist Nurses and Practitioners, Risk manager and administrative support.

The team are committed in a holistic approach to patient care and have developed strong working relationships with the divisions across the Trust.
They strive for innovation in their approach to IPC.

The Trust covers an acute hospital and community services, providing exciting opportunities to utilise infection prevention expertise across a vast range of clinical areas. The service feels strongly about developing their specialist practitioners and there are a variety of professional development opportunities available.

We are looking for a highly enthusiastic Lead Nurse to further develop the service and support deliver our vision of no person being harmed by a preventable infection.
• Work collaboratively with the IPC team and with all levels of staff across the Trust in addition to external stakeholders.
• In collaboration with Deputy DIPC and Infection Control Doctor contribute to the setting of standards, formulating strategies and plans for the prevention & control of infection.
• Support delivery of the IPC annual programme and the delivery of organisational objectives such as HCAI performance targets.
• Work as an integral member of the IPC team using specialist expertise and practical experience in the provision of infection prevention & control services for the Trust, thereby contributing towards the delivery of high-quality safe patient care.
• To participate fully as a Team member, sharing knowledge and information and supporting colleagues to promote a cohesive team and the achievement of objectives for the Infection Prevention & Control team and the organisation.
• Build and foster good working relationships with the multi-disciplinary team and in being a point of contact for matters relating to the prevention and control of infection, raising the profile of infection control and its contribution to best practice.
• Work responsibly on infection prevention & control activities, supporting the delivery of the IPC programme and in leading on aspects of this programme.
• Lead and co-ordinates the on-going data collection of the national mandatory Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Scheme (SISS), reporting findings/results to relevant individuals/stakeholders, supporting implementation of changes to deal with identified problems.
• Leads on developing and strengthening the effectiveness of the IPC Link nurse programme.
• In the absence of the Deputy DIPC coordinate the day to day operational management of infection prevention and control, delegation of team workload and prioritisation of activities.
• Undertake management of microbiology results including patient review, liaison with clinical areas and the provision of expert advisory support to healthcare professionals.
• Undertake continuous surveillance of alert organisms and infection control surveillance reporting promptly suspected outbreaks or periods of increased incidence to the Deputy DIPC and Infection Control Doctor.
• To provide management advice for the control of HCAI, outbreaks, analyse complex scenarios and escalate issues and risks to the Deputy DIPC and Infection Control Doctor.
• Continuously assess and monitor the risks to safety and quality and challenge others’ actions and decisions when they put individuals, populations, and others at risk.
• Partake actively in the investigation and management of healthcare related infection, both of sporadic cases and outbreaks and make recommendations for future improvement.
• Contribute to the timely completion of Root Cause Analysis, Post Infection Reviews and reports of incidents and outbreaks in collaboration with others. Incorporate findings into investigative reports and effective action planning.
• Contribute to prospective healthcare related infection and antibiotic surveillance programmes.
• Work in partnership with others in improving quality and safety by developing and implementing policies and guidelines that prevent and control infection.
• Monitor and evaluate the implementation, effectiveness of and adherence to IPC policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Work in partnership with others in initiating/developing policy and practice change in response to incidents, audits or changing knowledge base and evidence.
• Provide support and advice in the implementation of national guidance and evidence based practice facilitating this across the organisation.
• Provide infection prevention and control input to the development of broader policies and guidelines.
• Work with others on plans for the design, construction, and modification of facilities to improve safety and quality through infection prevention and control
• Provide infection control input into the selection of equipment and decontamination processes for equipment and the environment.
• Evaluate, monitor, and review the effectiveness of decontamination processes for equipment and environment.
• Undertakes contact tracing where communicable disease exposure identified with effective communication with key internal and external stakeholders.

Further details can be found within the main job description.

This advert closes on Monday 18 Mar 2024

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