Job Introduction
Package Description
You will feel valued as a Continence Nurse Specialist within HCRG Care Group, with access to a wide range of rewards and benefits, including:
- Agenda for Change Band 7 salary, NHS Pension and full Agenda for Change terms and conditions
- Free on-site parking at Livingstone Hospital
- My Reward Hub membership – discounts on everyday purchases, cashback offers and voucher deals
- Early access to earned wages for unexpected expenses through Wagestream
- Extensive physical and mental wellbeing support, including counselling, legal and financial guidance, post-trauma support, health resources and wellbeing programmes
- Outstanding learning and development opportunities, including access to eLearning, bespoke career pathways and continuing professional development through The Learning Enterprise
- A supportive culture where innovation is encouraged, backed by over £100,000 of ring-fenced innovation funding each year
- Opportunities to contribute to service improvement, quality improvement and clinical innovation projects
- The reassurance of working within a clinically robust organisation, with 100% of rated services achieving "Good" or "Outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission
- Free tea, coffee and milk at your base location
Job Introduction
As a Continence Nurse Specialist, you will join our specialist community service across North Kent, delivering expert assessment, treatment and management for patients experiencing complex bladder and bowel dysfunction.
Working across Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley and Swale, you will provide highly specialised continence care, helping patients improve their quality of life, maintain independence and achieve the best possible outcomes. You will work closely with multidisciplinary colleagues across health and social care, providing clinical leadership, education and expert advice to both patients and professionals.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced specialist nurse to join a supportive and forward-thinking team committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care within the community.
Main Responsibilities
The Continence Nurse Specialist will be responsible for, but not limited to:
- Leading the delivery of a specialist continence service for patients with complex bladder and bowel dysfunction, ensuring timely onward referral to Urology, Urogynaecology and other specialist services where appropriate
- Undertaking comprehensive assessments, developing care plans and evaluating outcomes for patients with complex continence needs
- Demonstrating advanced clinical reasoning and decision-making skills when assessing, planning and delivering care
- Working autonomously to assess and manage patients using bladder and bowel diaries, symptom assessment tools, portable ultrasound, urinalysis and digital rectal examination where appropriate
- Initiating, interpreting and acting upon clinical findings to provide specialist treatment and advice
- Promoting independence and self-management through specialist education and training for patients and carers, including catheter care, intermittent self-catheterisation and other continence-related interventions
- Providing specialist advice, support and education to healthcare professionals across community and primary care services
- Contributing to service development, clinical audit, quality improvement and evidence-based practice initiatives
- Working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams and partner organisations to ensure seamless patient care
- Supporting the development and delivery of continence-related training programmes for healthcare professionals
For full details of the role and responsibilities, please refer to the attached Job Description.
The Ideal Candidate
You will have:
Essential
- Registered Nurse with current NMC registration
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience
- Specialist training in the assessment and management of bladder and bowel dysfunction
- MSc, PGDip or equivalent qualification in a relevant clinical specialty, or evidence of working towards this
- Advanced clinical assessment skills at postgraduate level
- Urology and/or Gynaecology experience
- Experience of developing and delivering formal education and training programmes
- Experience of budget and resource management
- A minimum of five years post-registration experience, including significant experience within a specialist continence service
- Experience of leading and developing clinical services
- Experience of running a service continence supply and understanding of budget and provision of consumables
- Experience of clinical audit, service evaluation and implementing quality improvements
- Demonstrable evidence of continuing professional development
- Excellent communication, leadership, organisational and clinical decision-making skills
- Strong IT skills, including experience of electronic patient record systems and Microsoft Office applications
- Detailed knowledge of national directives, guidance and legislation influencing continence care
- In-depth understanding of Clinical Governance, safeguarding, professional accountability and CQC requirements
- Knowledge and application of evidence-based practice and current research
- Experience of multidisciplinary and multi-agency working
- Ability to work collaboratively across organisational and professional boundaries
- Full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle for work purposes
Desirable
- Community nursing experience
- Independent Nurse Prescriber (V300)
- Experience of initiating and supporting research projects
Why Join HCRG Care Group?
At HCRG Care Group, we are committed to transforming health and care services and improving outcomes for the communities we serve.
You will join a network of experienced clinical professionals with opportunities to participate in specialist forums, service development projects, audit programmes, research initiatives and quality improvement work. We actively support innovation, clinical excellence and professional growth, providing opportunities to influence and shape services both locally and nationally.
Our values of Care, Think and Do are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to deliver outstanding care.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Continence Nurse Specialist looking to further develop their expertise within a forward-thinking organisation dedicated to delivering high-quality community healthcare.
