Job description
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and enthusiastic Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner to join our well established, dynamic and innovative regional transport team on a transport training post. Southwest Neonatal Advice and Retrieval (SoNAR) is the neonatal transport service covering the South West Neonatal Network (ODN) from two bases, one in Plymouth and one in Bristol. This post is for the Bristol base. The region has a birth rate of over 45,000 deliveries per year. SoNAR runs 24 hours a day and undertakes approximately 1200 journeys per year. This includes acute uplift transfers and repatriations between the 12 neonatal units in the region as well as transfers to the Bristol Children’s Hospital. The transport team is able to undertake therapeutic hypothermia, delivery of Nitric Oxide and High Frequency Oscillation Ventilation during transfer. The SoNAR team undertakes road and aeromedical transfers, and is an established clinical partner with The Children’s Air Ambulance. The service is hosted by UHBW NHS Trust. This post is operating out of the Northern base in Bristol.
The successful applicant would be expected to have excellent clinical knowledge to support technical and non-technical tasks, as well as excellent communication skills in order to coordinate and undertake the stabilisation and transfer of infants. This includes the coordination of advice calls to assist in the clinical decision making of referring hospital staff, as well as the triaging of transport workload and other transport team responsibilities. There is also the opportunity for additional role development and areas of interest, such as governance, education and training, and research. Effective team working is central to the SoNAR ethos; the support and development of colleagues through role-modelling, coaching, and team leadership is key.
- Work within the SoNAR team as an advanced practitioner taking a lead role in the transportation of sick infants to local and regional centres.
- Coordinate and lead the stabilisation and retrieval of extremely ill infants accompanied by a neonatal nurse.
- Critically assess ventilation, drug and fluid requirements prior to and during transportation and
- Initiate & assume responsibility for the immediate expert, critical and on-going management of sick infants and their families, and have freedom to interpret and act within broad policies and protocols
- Practice autonomously, for potentially extended periods of time in remote transport settings.
For a more detailed job description, main responsibilities, and person specification, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.