Clinical Nurse Specialist

Description:

Cork University Hospital (CUH) is the largest acute hospital in the country. The hospital is a primary teaching hospital with close alliances to University College Cork (UCC), nursing, medical and allied health professional training. The hospital also plays a central role in the management of co-located services on site.

It is the only Level 1 trauma centre for the Republic of Ireland – an accreditation given because of the very wide range of specialities 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 and Neonatology and Emergency Medicine.

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 550,000 served by the HSE Southern area and a supra-regional centre for a total a population of 1.1 million.

In 2019 CUH had 69,982 presentations to the Emergency Department, 222,115 outpatient attendances and 31769 inpatient discharges. CUH currently employs 3,488 staff of multiple professions.

UCC is the Academic partner of the South-South West Hospital Group. Cork University Hospital 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 one of the nine designated cancer centres of the HSE National Cancer Care Programme (NCCP), one of two centres in the southern region and a designated AYA cancer site. We provide cancer services predominantly to people who live in the counties of Cork, Kerry, South Tipperary, West Waterford and South East Limerick. Our cancer services include Rapid Access Clinic Breast, Lung, Prostate and Colorectal services; surgical cancer treatments; Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Haematology Oncology consultation; chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments; and psycho-oncology services.

The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) working with other Directorates in the HSE, is developing a national Children, Adolescent & Young Adults (CAYA) Cancer Programme. The NCCP will ensure the implementation of the following recommendations of the National Cancer Strategy and enhance the practice and delivery of CAYA with cancer nationally. Recommendation 26, 27 and 33 within the national cancer strategy (2017-2026) directly pertain to CAYA service development. The ‘Framework for the Care and Support of Adolescents and Young Adults (AYA) with Cancer in Ireland 2021-2026’ was launched in 2022 and provides insights into the ambitions for the national AYA cancer programme.

The purpose of this Clinical Nurse Specialist (Adolescent and Young Adult {AYA} Cancer) post is to:

Deliver specialist nursing care to AYA cancer patients in line with the five core concepts of the role set out in the Framework for the Establishment of Clinical Nurse Specialist Posts, 4th edition, National Council for the Professional Development of Nursing and Midwifery (NCNM) 2008.

The successful candidate will work as a key member of the multidisciplinary team providing a patient / client centred quality service to patients / clients and this specialist practice will encompass a major clinical focus which comprises assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of care given to patients / clients and their families.