Ambulatory care nursing at Royal Papworth Hospital is split into outpatients and day ward.
Both are based on the ground floor of our hospital, providing easy access for our patients. They are light, spacious and modern areas and are closely linked with neighbouring services such as diagnostics and phlebotomy.
Day ward comprises a communal lounge setting, two ward bays and individual side rooms. Outpatients has 30 rooms, segmented into five adjoining corridors of consultation rooms, a waiting area, reception desk and co-ordinating hub.
Our active treatment lounge in day ward
Who do we help and support?
In day ward, we support patients, their relatives and colleagues from across the hospital, as day ward is accessed by all specialties.
Within outpatients, the team facilitates the ongoing care and management of patients with a range of cardiac and chronic respiratory diseases, including cystic fibrosis, pulmonary hypertension, thoracic oncology, pre and post-heart or lung transplant and heart failure.
Our small and skilled nursing team supports patients and their loved ones whilst utilising clinical skills such as long line insertion, PICC line management, access and maintenance of portacaths, and IV medication administration.
We also run an ambulatory care unit to teach and support patients to self-administer their own intravenous antibiotics.
What does a day look like?
Outpatients
A day in outpatients starts at 07:30 and the department closes at 18:30. We have a morning team huddle with the nursing and phlebotomy team where the day’s workload is allocated and the team discusses tasks and relevant topics.
We have an allocated nurse coordinator each day who manages the needs within the department, monitors the flow of patients, and supports the team to ensure the smooth running of the clinics.
Our patients are cared for with a multi-faceted approach, from routine appointments with clinicians to multidisciplinary day cases where patients attend for a range of investigations, treatments and input from physiotherapists, pharmacists, dieticians, specialist nurses, and other experts in their care.
Each day in outpatients looks slightly different due to the interesting range of specialities that we support.
The outpatients team of nurses, healthcare support workers and receptionists.
Day ward
The day ward is a nurse-led ward, which sees more than 150 elective patients a week.
We are open Monday to Friday from 06:45-20:00 ensuring a good work life balance for our staff. There are no night, weekend, or bank holiday requirements.
Mornings are spent admitting patients prior to their elective procedure, whether that be a lung cancer patient before surgery or a cardiology patient ahead of an angioplasty. This includes admission, paperwork and risk assessments. We then receive patients post-procedure to recover on the day ward until they are safe to go home.
During this time we monitor vital signs, administer medications, and arrange medications for the patient to take home, right through to giving them their discharge letters with their post procedure advice and handing them over to their relative or carer.
We are also supported by lovely volunteers who help us to make sure our patients are safe, comfortable and supported.
Every day is different as we always aim to discharge all patients at the end of the day. The day ward is a fast paced and friendly environment to care for patients and develop your career.
Training and education
Outpatients
We have personalised training programmes depending on your previous experience as a registered nurse to suit your personal and professional learning requirements.
All RNs that join our department have a week-long induction followed by supernumerary time that allows you to settle into the workplace and begin learning new skills. The support each new team member needs varies, and our Deputy Sisters/Charge Nurses oversee your integration into the team.
We support the Trust-wide initiatives of preceptorship, clinical practice/professional development (CPD), as well as supporting a range of courses that enhance RNs roles such as training in usage of ultrasound technology.
Day ward
All staff in the day ward have the opportunity for mandatory and further training. Study leave is always provided on day ward to allow you time and space to undertake personal and professional development.
Staff are encouraged to attend in-house training, and there is also the opportunity for specialist modules available via Anglia Ruskin University.
Benefits and rewards
Find out more about the benefits we provide, from 50% off delicious food and drink in our restaurant to enhanced annual leave, a gold-standard pension and free tea, coffee and milk.
You can also access a wide range of discounts and get free tickets to music gigs, comedy tours and sporting events.
Achievements and awards
We have received multiple nominations for the Trust’s ‘Team of the Year’ in the annual staff awards and have had multiple team members receive long service awards for their continued work within the department.
Both outpatients and day ward has excellent friends and family results and prides itself on continuous improvement for patient experience.
Day ward staff receive a high number of positive compliments from colleagues in our internal positive reporting platform, Laudit.
In outpatients, we are one of the few centres in the region that teach and support patients to self-administer their own intravenous antibiotics.
Get in touch or apply
If you have any questions about our surgical nursing roles, please feel free to get in touch with our nursing recruitment team who will be happy to help or register your interest.
Or you can start your application now.