Senior Nurse Infection Prevention

Salary: £24 – £42 per hour

Senior Nurse Infection Prevention & Control

Job Outline

Pay band Level 8a Depending on experience

Job Role

The Senior Nurse Infection Prevention & Control will work as a senior member of the Infection Prevention Control team and under the professional leadership and guidance of the Lead Nurse, implementing policies and procedures and supporting Trust compliance with Infection Prevention and Control legislation e.g. The Health & Social Care Act 2008.

The post holder will act as an expert resource in the leadership of prevention and control of infection at a clinical and organisational level. The post holder will support the team in carrying out their responsibilities in delivering an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) programme of surveillance and investigation coupled with effective risk management strategies within the Trust.

They will support best practice and provide access to expert infection control advice across the organisation whilst also taking the lead on specific aspects of infection prevention control development and innovation. As an experienced practitioner, the post-holder will be expected to ensure 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.

Main duties and key responsibilities

· Work collaboratively with all levels of staff across the Trust.

· Support 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.

· Leads 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.

· In the absence of the DIPC and Lead nurse 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 Lead Nurse.

· To provide management advice for the control of HCAI, outbreaks, analyse complex scenarios and escalate issues and risks to Lead Nurse

· 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.

· Provide support and advice in the implementation of national guidance and evidenced 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.

· Undertakes contact tracing where communicable disease exposure identified with effective communication with key internal and external stakeholders.