Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANP)/ Candidate Advanced Nurse Practitioner (cANP) -Abnormal LFT/ Hepatology

Purpose of the Abnormal LFT/ Hepatology ANP/cANP 

 The purpose of this post is to develop the job description and supporting documentation under the direction of the Health Care Provider’s Advanced Practice Stakeholder Governance Group, to enable the individual nurse to meet the NMBI Criteria for Registration as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner as set out in Advanced Practice (Nursing) Standards and Requirements (NMBI, 2017). 

 The overall purpose of the post is to provide safe, timely, evidence-based nurse-led care to patients at an advanced nursing level. This involves undertaking and documenting a complete episode of patient care (assess, diagnose, plan, treat and discharge patients) according to collaboratively agreed protocols and scope of practice in the clinical setting; demonstrating advanced clinical and theoretical knowledge, critical thinking, clinical leadership and decision making skills. 

 This role has been created as a component of delivery of the Abnormal LFTs/ Hepatology Pathway. The Abnormal LFTs/ Hepatology Pathway is one of several modernised care pathways developed by the HSE.

 The Abnormal LFTs/ Hepatology Pathway will implement a new Hub and Spoke approach and will be delivered by Advanced Nurse Practitioners (ANPs) who will complete diagnosis and staging, elastography/venesection and motivational interviewing for behavioural change. Patients with Abnormal LFTs will be reviewed and treated more quickly through the implementation of a hub-and-spoke hepatology model. A collaborative multidisciplinary (MDT) approach to Alcohol Related Liver Disease and Non-Alcohol-Related Fatty Liver Disease will be adopted between regional Hepatology hubs and community services such as addiction services, obesity hubs and chronic disease ambulatory care hubs. 

 The role will also involve maintaining oversight of patients with Haemochromatosis to ensure timely arrangement of review of their blood tests and venesections. 

 The Abnormal LFTs/ Hepatology Pathway will establish a more flexible and efficient service that is responsive to patient need and will actively reduce outpatient waiting times, emergent hospital presentations and hospital admissions. 

 Targets have been established for each pathway and KPIs will be measured, with strong expectation that these targets are achieved.

Inquiries to Emma Fitzpatrick

DNM ED/ Specialty Medicine Directorate (EASM)

Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Eccles Street, Dublin 7, D07 RZWY

Tel: 087 7733421 Ext: 018056264 Email: emmafitzpatrick@mater.ie