Job Description

Hospital at home supports patients, in conjunction with the Virtual Ward Hub at Gloucestershire Hospitals Foundation Trust (GHFT) who would otherwise be in hospital, to get the acute care, remote monitoring, and treatment they need in their place of residence.



The role of the Hospital at Home Team Practitioner is dynamic, and the post holder will be highly proactive in delivering treatments and ongoing monitoring for both step up and step down patients on the Virtual Ward .



As a community-based service the post holder will also work closely with the wider multi-disciplinary team including the IV Therapy Team to provide high quality, evidenced-based care.



As a countywide service, access to transport is essential. This band 5 post will have a requirement to participate in a shared rota to allow countywide service provision 7 days per week.



The post holder will be part of the Hospital at Home team providing advice and support to service users and members of the multidisciplinary team.

This will include



Supporting the development of the service

Facilitating the provision of high quality care for patients treated within community hospital in-patient and out-patient settings as well as within their own home, clinic or other care facility

Ensuring evidence based practice and innovative models of care are delivered at all times

Assisting with the evaluation of clinical pathways, policies and procedures for managing IV Therapy in the community.

Promoting a multi professional approach to care delivery within GHC and GHFT Virtual Ward clinical hub, and across organisational boundaries.

Providing support and advice for nurses, other professionals, patients and their carer's.

Developing close working partnerships with secondary care providers; local and regional specialists; other health professionals and voluntary services involved in the patients care will be paramount

Assisting in the development and delivery of competency based training and education within the specialist field of IV therapy

Actively participates in clinical audits and research within this specialist area

Participate in the shared rota to enable 7 day per week service delivery.



We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.



Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:



72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.



76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.



81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.



This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.



Clinical responsibilities



Work as an autonomous practitioner, managing and prioritising sometimes a complex caseload with the support of the Hospital at Home and Virtual Ward Hub

Attend daily MDT meeting with the Virtual Ward hub where possible

To work with patients in order to support compliance with and adherence to prescribed treatments.

Provide clinical examination and assessments of patients in order to advise and plan or insert the most appropriate venous access device for patients requiring short term IV therapy in a community setting.

Be a visible and accessible throughout the organisation acting as a role model to other care professionals to support them in managing complex therapeutic interventions using a variety of approaches to decision making.

Assist in the co-ordination and provision of hospital at home services to patients, both within the community setting and community hospitals, effectively liaising with multidisciplinary colleagues.

Work closely with other members of the multidisciplinary teams to utilise and develop their skills to ensure the service is accessible and responsive to the needs of patients

Participate in the promotion of the specialist service through dissemination of specialist knowledge both locally and nationally.

Provide emotional support to patients and their carers by offering appropriate health education, information and advice

Support the investigation and or analysis complaints or incidents relating to IV therapy given in the community. Help to Identify areas which require re-design or further development

Attend relevant meetings

Maintain a service database and accurate records of the service ensuring that confidentiality is respected and that the standards for record keeping are met.

Professional and Leadership responsibilities



Be aware of and act in accordance with national and local policies, procedures, legislation and Nursing , Midwifery Council (NMC) standards

Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of own professional activities.

Demonstrate a sound working knowledge of and adherence to existing organisation and service policies and standards.

With other members of the IV Team, review, amend and improve organisation policies and standards as necessary.

Be aware of own continuing professional development needs to ensure that up-to-date evidence based knowledge and competence in aspects of the role is maintained. Participate in the appraisal process and maintain an annual personal development plan and portfolio.

Monitor the formulation of new policies, standards and guidelines for IV therapy and act as an expert to implement and disseminate any changes made

Maintain confidentiality, personal integrity and professional credibility

Education and training

Of others:

Identify and facilitate the educational needs of multi-disciplinary staff involved in the care of patients receiving IV therapy in the community and provide specialist education and training through both formal learning sessions' and one to one skills training.

Support patient's and carers where safe, appropriate and suitable to self-administer IV therapy

Research and development



Support healthcare professionals to adopt a flexible and evolving approach towards the provision of community IV therapy, which challenges the existing boundaries.

Provide innovative nursing practice which is both effective and measurable in terms of clinical outcomes that are patient centred

Work with the audit department to facilitate and develop local audit processes that promote evidence based practice including guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) with the aim of improving IV therapy management

Equipment and Machinery



Delivery of IV therapy will include the use of needles, syringes, infusion bags, cannula, infusion pumps etc.

Systems Hospital At Home Band 5 Final Draft JD_



Good working knowledge of packages such as word, excel, PowerPoint



Ensure all records are accurate, complete and permanent in line with practice policy and NMC guidance.



Maintain a service database. Maintain accurate records of the service ensuring that confidentiality is respected and that the standards for record keeping are met.

Assist the Team leader to produce reports as required:

on patient referrals and outcome, education delivery and programmes, and progress on implementing policies, procedures and standards to national and local objectives as appropriate.



We provide a Multi-professional preceptorship programme that is aligned to the National Preceptorship Framework for Nursing and have been awarded the Interim quality mark from NHS England. Our programme is provided to all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners. In addition to the programme we also offer all preceptees the opportunity of enrolling and completing the level 7 (Masters) 15 credit validated module "Preceptorship for Healthcare" (AP7026).



Newly qualified Social Workers are offered the Assessed and Supported Year in Employment programme (ASYE) which is similar to a preceptorship programme.