Heart Failure Nurse SpecialistinEast GrinsteadinEast GrinsteadPUBLISHED FRI 14 MAR 2025

We have an exciting opportunity for a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse to join us as part of the Community Diagnostic Centre at Queen Victoria Hospital.

QVH is looking for a Heart Failure Specialist Nurse to run a new heart failure service alongside a consultant cardiologist to provide crucial heart failure diagnosis, education, support and treatment to our local community. It aims to reduce waiting times, increase diagnostic ability, and improve management and outcomes for this group of patients.

The post holder should have expertise in cardiac care with a specific interest in Heart Failure. The post holder should have an extensive experience of cardiology and the ability to work autonomously.

The successful candidate will be responsible for providing expert nursing care and support to patients with newly diagnosed heart failure. As a crucial member of our multidisciplinary team, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes and enhance their quality of life. You will work alongside a consultant cardiologist and have direct access to tertiary level specialist cardiac services and a specialist heart failure MDT forum.

About us

Please see job description for additional information.

Key result areas:

The successful candidate will be responsible for providing expert nursing care and support to patients with newly diagnosed heart failure. As a crucial member of our multidisciplinary team, you will play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality, evidence-based care to improve patient outcomes and enhance their quality of life. You will work alongside a consultant cardiologist and have direct access to tertiary level specialist cardiac services and a specialist heart failure MDT forum.

Proficiency in using electronic medical record (EMR) systems and other relevant healthcare technologies. The aim is to provide better access to heart failure services within a community setting to patients who require and will benefit from early diagnosis and treatment of suspected heart failure.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively educate and counsel patients and their families. Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities, with a proactive approach to patient care.

Prescriber status is desirable but not essential.

Triaging GP referrals with back up of consultant cardiologist as needed.

Conducting comprehensive assessments of patients' cardiac health, including physical examinations, medication reviews, and lifestyle assessments.

Educating patients and their families about heart failure management, including medication adherence, dietary modifications, symptom recognition, and self-care techniques.

Communication and Relationship skills

Close working relationship with consultant cardiologist, administrative staff, CDC coordinators, clinical leads and management teams. Senior clinicians, managers, service users, and partner organisations. This is a new role within QVH so forging these strong working relationships is essential.

Excellent ability to communicate, educate and support patients and carers about their diagnosis

Ensure a good method of communication within the department at all times and to encourage the exchange and implementation of new ideas and evidence based practice

Direct, support, encourage and advise clinical teams, by the provision of specialist knowledge and advice in the care of patients within the area.

Establish, develop and maintain effective working relationship between clinicians, practitioners and managers within the specialty, across the Trust

Proficiency in using electronic medical record (EMR) systems and other relevant healthcare technologies

Ability to work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team and adapt to a fast-paced healthcare environment.

Collaborating with other healthcare professionals, such as cardiologists, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, and social workers, to ensure coordinated and holistic care.

Leadership

You will help lead and deliver the new service alongside consultant cardiologist, CDC clinical leads and the CDC management and administrative team.

Work autonomously, managing a caseload of patients within the specialty whilst working as part of the multidisciplinary team, delivering individualised and personalised direct patient care

Communicate information on the progress of the service and Key Performance Indicators to project lead and key stakeholders, as required

Liaise with leads for the service in attending meetings with clinicians, managers, patients and other partners to agree priorities and action plans

Proactively problem solve and adapt the service when and improvement is identified

Continually monitor the service to ensure it is meeting the key priorities and objectives

Identify and escalate any key risks that present themselves and work with the leads to resolve

Ensure any staff that you are responsible for is maintaining standards and expectations of the service. In conjunction with HR, performance manage any staff not meeting these standards. Ensure appraisals are completed and development plans in place for any staff you are responsible for.

Clinical/ Clinical Governance

Responsibility for inputting patient data into national heart failure audit data base.

Participating in audit and quality improvement initiatives to enhance heart failure care delivery and outcomes

You will have responsibility for delivering high quality, evidence based, clinical care to patients with heart failure alongside a consultant cardiologist

Implement continuous improvement work in line with the framework used by the trust to develop the service

Work with other members of the team to ensure they are maintaining best practice

Ensure up to date guidelines, research and evidence based practice is used and embedded

Liaise with other centres of excellence and advisory groups to benchmark and ensure the service is working to evidence based standards

Maintain the clinical safety, privacy and dignity of patients in the clinical area taking necessary action when deficiencies in care are identified or urgent care required

Demonstrate appropriate expert practice and highly specialist advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care. This includes history taking, physical examination and the requesting of agreed diagnostic procedures/clinical investigations

Participate in service development, set, monitor and review standards of care on a regular basis and implement improvements where necessary

Key Responsibilities: Assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating care plans for patients with heart failure, in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.

Monitoring patients' progress closely and adjusting care plans as necessary to optimize treatment outcomes.

Providing emotional support and counselling to patients and their families, addressing their concerns and helping them cope with the challenges of living with heart failure.

Participating in audit and quality improvement initiatives to enhance heart failure care delivery and outcomes. It is expected that all patients diagnosed and seen with heart failure will be fed into the National Heart Failure audit database.

Keeping accurate and up-to-date medical records, including electronic documentation, in compliance with regulatory standards and organizational policies.

Education and Training

Responsible for updating and maintaining own professional Development and revalidation

In the future, as the service expands there may be a role in education and training for further heart failure nurses as they joining our team.

To provide clinical training and education to all staff within the nursing team as necessary working in partnership with the education team.

Maintaining current knowledge of best practices, guidelines, and advancements in heart failure management through ongoing professional development activities.

Professional

A role in service development desirable. This is a new service which will adapt and improve over the next few years.

Responsibility for patient care will be shared between the specialist heart failure nurse and the consultant cardiologist.

Personal and Professional Development

Participate in the Trusts annual appraisal system designed to identify objectives and personal development opportunities.

Participate in the Trusts annual pay progression review (if applicable).

Ensure that all mandatory training is up to date

The post holder will be responsible for continually maintaining their working knowledge of local and national practices, policies and procedures and highlight ongoing training and development needs to their manager.