Scrub Nurse – Cosmetic Nursing

Optima Plus Recruitment specialise in recruiting Nurses and Care Staff throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Our teams of Recruitment Consultants are dedicated to providing the very best service as well as ensuring that we find the right role for you.

JOB TITLE: Scrub Nurse – Cosmetic Nursing
Location: London
Salary: £36,000 – £38,400
Hours: Full Time
Shifts: Mixed

MAIN PURPOSE OF ROLE:
To ensure a high standard of patient care is delivered in an effective, efficient manner reflecting the overall philosophy of the service.
To assess, plan, implement and evaluate care in line with our guidelines, company values and work practices. Act as a role model delivering care on a nurse led basis, to patients in varying stages of their surgical pathway.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Assess, plan, prioritise and deliver patient care requirements, both physical and psychological. Seek advice and support from senior staff as required.
Theatre nurses provide high standards of skilled care and support during the ‘perioperative’ journey. Perioperative care can be divided into interconnected phases:
Preoperative (pre-assessment)
Preoperative assessment is fundamental to the patient’s surgery. It ensures that the patient is fully informed about the risks and benefits, and that they are in optimal health for the surgery.

A preoperative assessment visit creates trust and confidence by providing information about the operation and gives patients the opportunity to ask questions. It reduces the risk of late cancellation by ensuring that all essential resources are available.
Anaesthetics
During this phase, the scrub nurse will:
• Assist the patient prior to surgery and provide holistic care
• Need to communicate and work effectively within a team
• Use many clinical skills such as the preparation of a wide range of specialist equipment and drugs. This includes anaesthetic machines, intravenous equipment and devices to safely secure the patients airway during anaesthesia
• Act as an assistant to the anaesthetist.

Surgical Phase
Scrub nurses will participate, as part of the operating team, in a number of roles including the ‘scrubbed’ role, application of aseptic technique (work carried out under sterile conditions), wound management and infection control.
During this phase theatre nurses will:
• Wear a sterile gown, mask and gloves, and prepare all the necessary instruments and equipment for the procedure. This may involve complex machinery including microscopes, lasers and endoscopes
• Work alongside the surgeon, providing instruments, needles, swabs and other materials as required, and be able to anticipate their requirements
• Have a role in the promotion of health and safety and be responsible for ensuring that surgical instruments, equipment and swabs are all accounted for throughout the surgical procedure
• Sometimes undertake the ‘circulating practitioner’ role, using communication and management skills, preparing the environment and equipment needed for the particular operating theatre list, assisting the scrub nurse and acting as the link between the surgical team and other parts of the theatre and hospital.
Recovery Phase.
During this phase, theatre nurses will:
• Receive, assess and deliver care on the patient’s arrival into the post anaesthetic care unit
• Monitor the patient’s health and support them, providing appropriate care and treatment until the patient has recovered from the effects of the anaesthesia and/or surgery and is stable
• Assess the patient in order to ensure they can be discharged back to a surgical ward area
• Evaluate the care given during the perioperative phases (anaesthetics, surgery, recovery).
Generally speaking theatre nurses can specialise in a specific area such as anaesthetics, scrub and post-anaesthetic care or rotate through the areas. Rotation is common practice in a day surgery environment.
 Chaperone patients during examination by medical staff if required. Be mindful of culture and religion and ensuring privacy and dignity is maintained at all times.
 In accordance with individual patient care, undertake and record patient’s observations.
 Ensure all needs of patients under your care are met in agreement with the patient and that it is thoroughly documented.
 Provide advice and support to all patients and relatives with elements of their care, ensuring an empathetic approach in all situations.
 Alert Patient Management Department about any urgent GP letters or similar.
 Update relevant milestones and GP details during the pre-operative period
 Upload patient pre and post-operative photographs to CRM.
 Sign off any results each day and ensure that the milestones on the patient journey are updated.
 On receipt of any results or investigations ensure clinical treatment plan is agreed and keep their surgeon informed.
 Carry out clinical procedures as required, ensuring optimal recovery to health for patient.
 Ensure patients are suitable for surgery, in accordance with protocols and guidelines.
 Ensure surgeon’s protocol, care pathway and directions are followed and report variance to surgeon.
 Ensure correct garments are ordered for patients as per clinical guidance and our policy.
 Ensure appropriate consumables are readily available for procedures performed in that clinical area.
 Following assessment of patients make referrals to other health professionals as required. This includes, GP and Specialist Consultants.
 Perform CPR and assist/lead in clinical emergencies, in line with Basic Life Support national guidance.
 Act as initial First Aider when on duty in the clinic.
 Undertake monthly (minimum) stock take and document.
 Undertake daily required checklists.
 Assume personal responsibilities for the updating of relevant documentation before your shift is finished. Ensuring accurate patient records are kept, and ensure others maintain these in accordance with CQC essential standards and the NMC Code of Conduct.
 Under the supervision of the National Clinical Standards Nurse participate in nursing/clinical audits.
 Use professional judgement to intercede and act as patient advocate to clarify plans of care and treatment.
 Act as a mentor/preceptor for new staff, giving advice and guidance in relation to all aspects of patient care. Assist in the orientation of new staff.
 Whilst on duty, act as a point of contact for other members of nursing or multi-disciplinary team, who require advice on the care and management of patients, escalating where appropriate.
 Participate in on- call duty, according to the rota and whilst on duty as the on call emergency phone holder, provide safe, professional advice, in an empathetic manner. Referring on to The Clinical Team or surgeon if required. Ensure documentation of records taken are passed to Head Office and the relevant Clinic
 Assist and support laser and Vaser lists, in line with our policy.
 To provide temporary cover in other clinics if required. Nb travel will be reimbursed and extra travel times will be reflected in shift hours.
In addition to the work done during these phases, theatre nurses may be involved in:
• Liaising with wards where patients are awaiting their operation/procedure
• Inputting information about each surgical procedure/operation on to a computer system
• Taking phone messages
• Completing paperwork
• Ordering supplies of equipment
• Liaising with the hospital’s Sterile Services Department to ensure that equipment has been returned once re-sterilised and re-packaged.
More senior operating theatre nurses may work as team leaders. This might involve:
• Organising the workload between the various team members
• Clinical risk assessment and patient safety initiatives
• Planning duty and on call rotas
• Undertaking staff appraisals.
• Responsibility for budgets
• Contributing to the development of the theatre/suite of theatres.
REGULATING COMISSIONER:
 Responsibility to uphold and adhere to the guidance and required specification for registration with the Care Quality Commission/Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. Act as a registered manager for your workplace upon request and ensure clinical environment and patient safety are held as paramount.

INFECTION CONTROL:
 Ensure all our company Infection Control policies are followed. Undertake audits and observe national guidance for reporting, managing and overall prevention of infection.
MANAGEMENT:
 Contribute to collaborative working relationships and effective communications between all members of the multi-disciplinary team.
 Assist in the efficient and cost effective management of Clinical Stock.
 Ensure compliance with our policies and guidelines (health and safety, COSHH, risk assessment, fire regulations, infection control, decontamination, adverse events and complaints – this includes professional management & monitoring by you of any complaint)
 Be aware of and contribute to the clinical governance agenda within our business. This includes participation in the annual risk assessment, implementing action plans and dealing with complaints as delegated and reporting any untoward incidents, within the agreed time frames.
 Promote quality care and service through the use of best practice.
 Research, initiate and evaluate new ideas to foster continuous improvement.
 Support Clinic Manager in Clinical Governance responsibilities.
 Ensure that hazards in the clinic are reported to the Registered Manager.
 Undertake Health and Safety training commensurate with role and conduct risk assessment develop action plans and implement these.
STAFF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT:
 Attend mandatory training and update sessions, including equipment training as per our policy.
 Actively contribute to the evaluation and feedback of equipment and consumables.
 Actively participate in our appraisal process and submit self-assessment forms as and when requested.
 A number of courses in operating theatre/perioperative care are available across England and beyond. These are open to nurse’s already in employment and are at Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), degree and Masters levels and are often on a part-time basis.
Normally after a period of induction you would participate in specialist training relevant to the role and embark on continuing professional development as part of your professional registration requirements. After general qualification there are post basic educational courses to consolidate the specialist skills required in the perioperative environment.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
 The Scrub Nurse is expected to be fully conversant with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and associated national guidelines and abide by their guidance.
 HPC registered ODP or NMC registered nurse
 Take responsibility for personal and professional updating and development, including mandatory training.
 12 Months Post registration experience
 Regularly assess and evaluate practice by audit and implement change in a participative manner with nursing/business colleagues.
 Maintain professional contemporaneous records at all times.
 Participate in personal development review.
 Maintain a high standard of personal behaviour and ensure effective communication with all members of the multi-disciplinary team, patients and relatives.
 Have union/insurance cover – for example RCN membership.
 Train for and take on Laser Protection Supervisor role for clinic (if appropriate).
 The Registered Nurse is expected to be fully conversant with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and associated national guidelines and abide by their guidance.
 Participate in personal development review.
 The competence to work in a highly technical area
 An ability to pay great attention to detail and to concentrate for lengthy periods of time
 The ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team
 Very good interpersonal skills
 Physically able to adapt to the environment including the potential to stand for long periods as well as react in an emergency within a confined area.

Notes:
Although this is a list of the key responsibilities of the post it is expected that the Complaints and Compliance Manager and line manager will develop and define the detail of the work to be undertaken in addition to any reasonable requests for tasks made by the line manager also. Any changes to the key responsibilities will be the subject of consultation with the post holder. All employees must adhere to and perpetuate our policies and procedures relating to:
 Health and safety
 No smoking at work
 Equal opportunities in employment, including responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act

Your attention is drawn to the confidential nature of information collected within our business. The unauthorised use of disclosure of patient or other personal information is a dismissible offence and in the case of computerised information could result in prosecution or action for civil damages under the Data Protection Act.

Optima Plus Recruitment Ltd is an established Recruitment Business with over 25 years combined experience, offering permanent placement solutions spanning 42 employment sectors throughout the UK.