TB Specialist NurseinLiverpoolinLiverpoolPUBLISHED FRI 7 MAR 2025

This is an development opportunity for an enthusiastic, motivated, NMC registered nurse preferably with knowledge skills and expertise in TB nursing to join our team.The TB specialist nurse will support the team leader and clinical lead for TB community nursing providing a comprehensive Pan Mersey TB service encompassing disease control, care and prevention.The team adopts a multi-disciplinary approach, maintaining close links to all relevant hospitals, community agencies and Public Health England.The successful applicants will be required to assess adults and children for TB, screen with Mantoux or IGRA, administer BCG vaccine, promote and undertake HIV testing, undertake holistic assessments applying national and local guidelines, caseload manage, identify close contacts of index cases and facilitate appropriate screening. There is a requirement to visit adults, children and families with active TB at home across the pan Mersey region during their treatment, including those with MDR/XDR TB, HIV and other co morbidities. There is a requirement to teach, undertake service audit, and maintain IT literacy.Applicants should have good interpersonal and communication skills, having an ability to communicate sensitive information to patients and relatives where there may be barriers to communication or reassurance is required. Applicants should be able to travel in a timely manner across Merseyside to undertake home visits and deliver clinics.

The TB team provides specialist advice, leadership and clinical service in relation to TB. The goals of the service are to identify and reduce the risk of people being newly infected with TB and provide high quality treatment and care for all people with TB. The TB team will achieve these goals by making all relevant groups of people aware of the facts of TB, strengthening more active case finding amongst high risk groups including contract tracing and ensuring everyone expected of having the disease has rapid access to TB services. These services are needed by a range of groups with differing needs and are delivered in a variety of settings including community settings, clinics, patients homes and in the acute sector. This is a flexible role to provide care to individuals, families and communities in response to changing local need.

.The post will be based in a Liverpool community clinic with close links to all relevant hospitals, community agencies and the health protection agency. The TB specialist nurse will act as a positive role model for all nurses through demonstration of expert clinical practice in the area of TB. The post holder will provide specialist knowledge and advice to all healthcare professionals, patients and carers.

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• To maintain a TB Data Base detailing TB patients treatment, disease pattern, location and outcome. Also, identifying numbers of contacts and New Entrants screened and numbers of BCGs given, to assist with management follow up and clinical audit; and to monitor effectiveness of service. This will require close liaison with the hospital service
• To follow cases out of hospital and ensure they are taking their medication as directed and monitor for any side effects, liase with TB specialist nurse team leader and treating physicians should problems occur. To undertake a holistic assessment of patient needs and to ensure appropriate agencies locally and nationally are involved to resolve any problems.
• To identify those patients who may be at risk of non - concordance with medication and initiate and monitor strategies that will assist the client to adhere to an appropriate regimen, involving the most appropriate agencies.
• To identify close contacts of Index cases through careful questioning and ensure that they are invited to clinic for screening for symptoms. Also, to provide those identified with appropriate information about TB and answer questions.
• To visit all TB cases throughout their treatment, including those with multi drug resistance and those infected with HIV.
• Promote HIV testing and be prepared to develop knowledge and skills in HIV testing.
• To perform Tuberculin tests at home, hospital and clinic as part of the TB testing programme and to interpret the results and take the appropriate action. To administer the BCG vaccine to individuals.
• Nurse prescribing