Candidate Clinical Nurse Specialist, Neurology Neuromuscular, University Hospital

South / South West Hospital Group

There is one initial permanent whole-time vacancy available in Neurology Services, Cork University Hospital.

A panel may be created from this campaign for Cork University Hospital from which current and future, permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full time or part time duration may be filled.

The Policy on the Development of Graduate to Advanced Nursing and Midwifery Practice (DOH, 2019) outlines a pathway to support a change for specialist practice to develop and meet service need, including the revised eligibility criteria for CNS/CMS as follows:

· A minimum of 1 years’ experience in practice prior to completing the required post graduate qualification in the specialist area at level 9 (equivalent to 60 ECTS or above)

· Recognition as a CNS to meet service needs therefore requires the completion of a postgraduate qualification together with a minimum of 1 years’ specialist experience

· This is in addition to meeting the requirements set by the HSE to ensure the delivery of safe, effective practice to meet service demands

In response to an identified service need a candidate CNS pathway has been established and sets out the following:

(a) A recruitment campaign will be organised by the CHO/HG between local HR and services.

(b) Nurses/midwives who are successful at interview for candidate CNS post will:

Ø be offered a contract for a candidate CNS post in Neurology at CNM1/CMM1 grade with a job description outlining the cCNS competencies to be achieved.

Ø be required to demonstrate their specialist experience or if they do not possess the relevant specialist experience, they will be supported to attain one year’s clinical specialist experience

Ø be required to demonstrate that they have completed the required postgraduate education, or agree and are supported to undertake the required postgraduate education, at level 9 qualification (equivalent to 60 ECTS or above) relevant to the specialist area.

Ø be required to demonstrate that they have continuing professional development (CPD) relevant to the specialist area or will be supported to obtain the required CPD.

(c) All of the above must be achieved within 2 years from appointment for this pathway.

The clinical experience requirements for this cohort of nurses/midwives remain consistent with the DoH (2019) policy, i.e. a minimum of 1 years’ experience in practice and a minimum of 1 years’ experience in the specialist area and they could be supported to progress on a candidate CNS/CMS Pathway.

The above pathway is valid from May 2023 to September 2026

Cork University Hospital (CUH) is the largest acute hospital in the country. The hospital is a primary teaching hospital with close alliances to University College Cork (UCC), nursing, medical and allied health professional training. The hospital also plays a central role in the management of co-located services on site.

It is the only Level 1 trauma centre for the Republic of Ireland – an accreditation given because of the very wide range of specialities delivered by the hospital – including Neurosciences, Cardiac Services, Orthopaedics, General Surgery, Renal, Internal Medicine, Vascular, Ophthalmology, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Maxillary-Facial, Paediatrics, Intensive Care, Oncology, Haematology, Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Neonatology and Emergency Medicine.

CUH is the tertiary referral centre for the HSE Southern area, and the supra regional area of Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny. CUH therefore acts as a regional centre for secondary and tertiary care for the catchment population of 550,000 served by the HSE Southern area and a supra-regional centre for a total a population of 1.1 million.

In 2019 CUH had 69,982 presentations to the Emergency Department, 222,115 outpatient attendances and 31,769 inpatient discharges.

CUH currently employs 3,488.26 (WTE) staff of multiple professions and is the primary teaching hospital for the Faculty of Health and Science in University College Cork.

UCC is the Academic partner of the South-South West Hospital Group. Cork University Hospital has very strong relationships with each of the six schools within the Science Faculty of UCC and this is a key area for future development to maximise the opportunities for both the service and academia.

Reconfiguration of Services Cork & Kerry

The Reconfiguration roadmap was published on the 22nd November 2011. It outlines a plan of how, why and where we deliver our acute hospital services.

The roadmap provides for the first time in this region, a plan that has been agreed between all six acute hospitals on how services should be re-organised in order to ensure the best possible healthcare system for people in Cork and Kerry.

Care is delivered in a variety of settings and new approaches and models of care to follow the care demands of the health service are being advanced within the context of overall healthcare reform, to include Slaintécare.

As outlined in this job description, the cCNS pathway will facilitate the post holder to be supported to professionally and clinically develop the skills and knowledge required to achieve the competencies of the CNS role.

The cCNS post holder will be enabled to deliver care in line with the five core concepts of the role set out in the Framework for the Establishment of Clinical Nurse/Midwife Specialist Posts, 4th edition, National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery (NCNM) 2008.

The overall purpose of the candidate Clinical Nurse Specialist Neurology (Neuromuscular) post is to be support the candidate to develop the skills required to provide safe, timely, evidenced based nurse-led care to patients with Neuromuscular diagnosis at an advanced nursing level. This will involve acquiring the skills and knowledge required to undertake and document a complete episode of patient care (assess, diagnose, plan, treat and discharge patients) according to collaboratively agreed protocols and agreed scope of practice in the clinical setting. The candidate will be expected to acquire the necessary advanced clinical and theoretical knowledge, critical thinking and decision making skills to successfully undertake the role. This will be achieved through the completion of both clinical practice experience and/or relevant postgraduate education/training.

To develop the skills and knowledge required to support a safe environment for patients with Neuromuscular diagnosis by increasing the use of evidence based clinical guidelines, address patient expectations and promote wellness and evaluate care given.

To be supported to develop the skills required to provide professional and clinical leadership in order to develop nurse led practice and health policy at local, regional and national level.

To develop the skills and knowledge required to lead, conduct, disseminate and publish nursing research to shape and advance nursing practice, education and health care policy at local, national and international levels.

Caseload

e.g. Patients – adults over 16 years of age

cCNS (Neuromuscular) will be supported to focus initially on the following patient groups; patients who present with;

· Epilepsy

· Headache

· Dementia

· Parkinson’s Disease

· Multiple Sclerosis

· Motor neuron Disease

· Periperal Neuropathy

· Myasththenia Gravis

· Muscular Dystrophy

The candidate Clinical Nurse Specialist Neurology (Neuromuscular) will develop the required skills and knowledge to manage and coordinate patient care both as an in-patient and as an out-patient

The cCNS will focus on patients with a Neuromuscular diagnosis

The cCNS clinical role is based on the core concepts and associated competencies for the CNS/CMS (adapted from NCNM 4th edition 2008)

The concepts are:

· Clinical Focus (Direct and Indirect Care)

· Service user/Service User Advocacy

· Education and Training

· Audit and Research

· Consultancy (including leadership in clinical practice)

Informal Enquiries

Nora Twomey,ADON, Medical Directorate, Cork University Hospital

Email: Nora.Twomey@hse.ie

Phone: 087 2186170