Clinical Nurse Manager, Kidney Supportive Care, University Hospital

Details of Service

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has approximately 800 beds and this will increase further to 1,000 beds on completion of the transfer of additional services to the CUH campus. CUH currently employs approximately 4,571 (WTE) staff of multiple professions and is the primary teaching hospital for the Faculty of Health and Science in University College Cork (UCC). UCC is the Academic partner of the South/South West Hospital Group. CUH 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.

CUH is a recommended Major Trauma Centre for the Republic of Ireland due to the wide range of specialties 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, Neonatology and Emergency Medicine. CUH is JAG accredited and is a Magnet4Europe Hospital.

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 approx. 550,000 served by the HSE Southern area and a supra-regional centre for a total a population of 1.2 million.

Six Health Regions have been established within the HSE, on the basis of the geographical boundaries agreed by the Government in July 2019 and they will be operational from 2024/2025.

Each Health Region is tasked with population specific planning resourcing and delivery of health and social care services for the needs of its unique population. This will result in improved accountability and governance in terms of finance and performance, while also bringing decision-making closer to the frontline.

Health Regions enable and empower staff to provide services that are:

• Integrated, locally planned and delivered

• Easier to access and navigate

• Available closer to home

Health Regions are geographically-based units with clearly defined populations. They align community and hospital services within specific areas. The HSE will retain a strong but leaner central organisation, with more service provision developed at a local level.

The HSE South West health region manage and deliver all public health and social care services in Cork and Kerry. HSE South West includes all hospital and community healthcare services in the region.

This includes:

• South / South West Hospital Group S/SWHG

• Cork Kerry Community Healthcare CKCH

• Midlands Louth Meath Community Health Organisation

• Community Healthcare Organisation Dublin North City and County

The Department of Population and Public Health is also now aligned with this health region

Services in the South West health region:

HSE Services working within this region include:

• Acute Hospitals

• Primary care services

• Community services

• Social care services

• Health and social care professionals

• Voluntary sector services

South / South West Hospital Group and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare has become part of HSE South West health region from 3rd March 2025 and the transition to the new structures will be taking place throughout 2025

Purpose of the Post

The post of CNM 2 has a pivotal role in service planning, co-ordinating, and managing activity and resources within the clinical area. The main responsibilities are quality assurance, resource management, staffing and staff development, practice development, facilitating communication and professional / clinical leadership.

Renal Department CUH

The Renal Department in Cork University Hospital is a large referral centre in the South of Ireland for the Specialties of Nephrology, in-centre Dialysis, Home Dialysis and Transplantation. The department has a major commitment to the provision of both in-patient and out-patient care and a fully integrated programme of Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) for patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD).

The renal multidisciplinary team works collaboratively to provide the highest level of care available. The team members consist of consultant Nephrologists, medical staff, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Clinical Nurse Managers, Dieticians, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Clinical engineers, Staff Nurses and Health Care Assistants.

Kidney Supportive Care Service

The Kidney Supportive Care Service (KSC) is a new service set up regionally as a collaboration between Palliative Care and Renal Services. Cork University Hospital is the proposed primary care delivery site in conjunction with Marymount, operating as an additional site for this newly developing service. KSC is an approach to care that aims to improve the quality of life for people for whom kidney disease, either directly or indirectly, substantially impacts their well-being, treatment options, or access to care. KSC was developed in response to the complex physical and psychosocial needs of individuals that may not be fully met by traditional models of kidney care.

Globally, an increasing proportion of people with CKD are elderly and live with multiple long-term conditions, which are associated with worse morbidity and mortality outcomes. This population can often experience high symptom burden, functional limitations, and shortened life expectancy, whether or not they initiate kidney replacement therapy (KRT). A comprehensive approach dedicated to addressing unmet needs by integrating palliative care practices into kidney care is essential. KSC aims to achieve this with an emphasis on shared decision-making, advance care planning, family and caregiver support, and early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial, and spiritual problems. KSC is a key component of integrated care for people with CKD and can be delivered through the continuum of an individual’s illness, concurrently with treatments for kidney disease and comorbidities, including KRT.

Informal Enquiries

We welcome enquiries about the role.

Contact Ciaran Sweeney –Assistant Director of Nursing, ciaran.sweeney@hse.ie /0870921093- for further information about the role

Contact Dr Aoife Lowney – Palliative Care Consultant, dralowney@marymount.ie /0871140020- for further information about the role

Contact Ann-Marie O’Keeffe- People Resourcing, annmarie.okeeffe2@hse.ie – for enquiries relating to the recruitment process