DML Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Please note:

• CV's will not be accepted
• All correspondence via Rezoomo

Location of Post

There is currently one permanent / whole-time vacancy available in Longford/Westmeath Public Health Nursing Service CIT/OPAT

A panel may be formed as a result of this campaign for Dublin and Midland Health Region from which current and future candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Community Intervention Team and Outpatient Parental Antimicrobial Therapy, permanent and specified purpose vacancies of full or part-time duration may be filled.

Informal Enquiries

We welcome enquiries about the role.

Name: Ms Aoife Gunning, Assistant Director of Public Health Nursing, Community Intervention Services & OPAT Services,

St Vincent’s Campus, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 A3K5

Email: aoifem.gunning@hse.ie

Ph. 086 2538977

Details of Service

The establishment of integrated services continues to be progressed to help ensure the efficient provision of health services in our future health care system. The growth in population, coupled with increased life expectancy, an increase in the number of people with chronic illness & acute illness and the current challenges in the provision of adequate beds in the acute sector, require a range of responses.

An overarching principle of our health service is to provide patients with the most appropriate service in the most appropriate setting.

Patients should not have to attend hospital unnecessarily with the added stresses and possible complications that such attendances may involve. The prevention of hospital admission and the promotion of capacity building in the community so that the patients can be cared for at home in their community, is core to service integration and has through similar models nationally and internationally, demonstrated a reduction in the burden of acute admissions without reducing quality of care or patient satisfaction.

The service provides an integrated, rapid-response clinical intervention through the Community Intervention Team (CIT) and Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT). It is a specialist nurse-led service designed to manage acute episodes of illness in the community, providing advanced nurse-led care that includes assessment, diagnosis, and the administration of intravenous antimicrobials (via HOPAT and SOPAT models). The service acts as a vital alternative to the acute hospital system, ensuring patients receive the right treatment in the right place at the right time.

This services also provides a rehabilitation and rapid response multidisciplinary approach to service users in need of these services. The team also has Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Health Care Assistance specifically supporting early discharge follow complex health needs and return to home environment with a Multidisciplinary Team approach.

The Advanced Practice Nursing CIT & OPAT led service will ensure:

• Early intervention and support to prevent people choosing to enter the unscheduled care/emergency department/hospital system to have their needs met
• Timely access to expert care that is responsive to patients’ needs and expectations
• Optimal access means providing the right service at the right time in the right place
• Enhanced standards and quality and improved care across the spectrum (community and hospital services)
• A better service as a whole to improve care and patient experiences and make better use of resources

The service serves a diverse adult population, with a significant focus on older people and vulnerable patients who wish to avoid unnecessary hospital admission. Specifically, the team manages patients with acute infections and complex clinical needs, this is not limited to the following examples of commonly referred conditions; osteomyelitis, pyelonephritis, septic arthritis, post-surgical wound infections, and complex skin or prosthetic joint infections.

While the OPAT service & Community Intervention Services is already operational, a core focus of this cANP role is to lead its further expansion and the enhancement of clinical governance. A key future development is the evolution of clinical protocols to include the community-based removal of vascular access devices (such as PICC and mid-lines). This will create a more streamlined and comprehensive patient journey, allowing for the entire episode of care—from treatment initiation to final discharge—to be managed safely within the community setting. This team will also work closely with the development of the Neuro Rehabilitation Team, ICPOP and Chronic Disease Hubs.

The unit consists of a specialist nurse-led team that operates as part of the wider primary care infrastructure. The service is clinically aligned with the National OPAT Programme and governed through the Public Health Nursing Service. The cANP works as a clinical leader within this multidisciplinary framework, collaborating with General Practitioners (GPs), Hospital Consultants, and the Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons (ICPOP) to ensure seamless service integration.

The service covers the Longford/Westmeath geographic area, with its primary clinical base located at St Vincent’s Campus, Athlone, Co. Westmeath. The team operates across this region to facilitate early hospital discharge and prevent emergency department attendances for local residents.