Haemovigilance Officer

Blackrock Health Hermitage Clinic is a private hospital providing a full range of medical and surgical care across a broad spectrum of specialities. The Laboratory provides a range of inpatient and outpatient services and this role is important in making a significant contribution, developing and maintaining best practice in the Laboratory services.About Role:The primary purpose of the post is to ensure compliance with the relevant Directives (2002/98/EC, 2004/33/EC Annex IV, 2005/61/EC, AML-BB and Statutory instruments 360 of 2005 and 547 of 2006) in Blackrock Health Hermitage Clinic. The post holder is required to meet the quality standards as outlined in ISO 15189 and AML-BB. To maintain and develop the Haemovigilance service, providing education, consultation and expertise to clinicians, nursing and laboratory staff and to patients as required. To actively deliver the objectives of ensuring the safety of transfusion processes, educate clinical staff on best transfusion practice, audit the transfusion practices throughout the hospital, review and establish guidelines and procedures, act as a resource for advice or information pertaining to transfusion, investigate and report SAE/SAR’s and non-conforming processes and implement best practice initiatives for patient blood management.Key Responsibilities : General Maintain throughout the Hospital, awareness of the primacy of the patient in relation to all Hospital activities. Participate in implementing the Pathology Laboratory service that supports the clinical needs of our patients and is consistent with the mission, vision, values and strategic plan of the Hospital. Facilitate and promote effective communication with colleagues, patients, visitors and multi-disciplinary team as necessary, ensuring patient confidentiality is respected and maintained at all times.Demonstrate behaviour consistent with the values of the hospital·        Identify opportunities for the development of services that will improve the care of patients.Maintain teamwork and act in accordance with the hospitals disciplinary policy. Clinical Focus Must possess specially focused knowledge and skills in transfusion practice at a higher level than other clinical staffIdentifies and seeks to reduce wastage of blood / blood componentsIdentifies and promotes appropriate transfusion alternativesDevelops and manages systems for identifying , managing, reporting and closing off serious adverse events / reactions and near-misses & non-conformancesProvides leadership in clinical practice & acts as a resource for clinical staffGenerate and contribute to the development & continual updating of clinical policies and proceduresSeeks to advocate on behalf of patients and families to participate in decisions about their transfusion requirementsPlan, develop, deliver and evaluate education programmes for all grades of staff, relating to all areas of evidence-based transfusion practice and Haemovigilance. Provide nursing / Haemovigilance expertise and assistance in the co-ordination of patient care, ensuring that accurate records of assessments and attendance are maintained. ManagementProvide an efficient, effective, and high quality service, respecting the needs of each patient.Provide a haemovigilance service that optimises quality and continuity of blood transfusion care.Organise time and workload effectively in order to meet the needs of the service. Promote excellent working relationships between staff, acting as a resource for staff involved in transfusion. Develop a network of contacts and communication links with other professionals in this specialised field within other hospitals, nationally and internationally.Liaise and be an active participant of the Hospital Transfusion Committee and organise Hospital Transfusion Committee meetings.Be a clinically competent expert in all types of transfusions and administration techniques providing an optimal service to patients.Attend all relevant managerial and clinical meetings including hospital transfusion committee meetings and laboratory meetings. Be aware of budgetary issues and resource allocation.Continually monitor the service to ensure it reflects current needs.Promote and be actively involved in the implantation of change in transfusion practice.Maintain accurate and up to date statistics of the service provided.Ensure that confidentiality in relation to patient /client records is maintained.Represent the specialist service at local, national and international meetings as required. IT ManagementProficiency in IT skills relevant to the role Make the most effective and efficient use of developments in information technology for both patient care and administrative support in a manner, which integrates well with systems throughout the organization. Assists in the introduction and roll out of an electronic blood management system Health and Safety Ensure that effective safety procedures are in place to comply with not only the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act but also within the spirit of the Hospitals mission, vision and values, and that they are known and followed. Report clinical incidents and ‘Near Miss Incidents’ to Risk Manager and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs)/Suspected Adverse Reactions (SARs) to the National Haemovigilance office as per the national guidelines and local procedures following consultation with the Consultant Haematologist(s) and Medical Scientist(s).Contribute to the development of policies, procedures, guidelines and safe professional practice within Blood TransfusionPromote good attitudes towards Health and Safety policies and procedures and the importance of a safe working environment for all.Contribute to the development of a culture of safety, promoting positive reporting of incidents and near misses; investigate and take remedial action on incidents or near misses involving patients and staff according to hospital policies, protocols and guidelines. Learning and EducationContribute to the requirements of professional practice Take personal responsibility for own professional development and keep up to date with evidence based practice and research. Attend and participate in staff development programmes on an ongoing basis and sharing knowledge with other staff members.Attend all mandatory training days and ensure that all mandatary training is in date.Comply with all HR system and policy requirements. Quality Improvement & Risk Management·        Contribute to the setting and monitoring of core objectives, standards and key performance indicators for the service and monitor performance against these standards through internal and (where applicable) external audit.Participate in the requirements of the Laboratory’s ISO15189 accreditation process.Participate in the requirements of the hospitals accreditation process.Participate in the requirements of the hospital’s risk management programme.Promote the delivery of a high standard of care to all patients. Encourage evidence-based practice and assist in the dissemination and implementation of research findings.Ensure that there is compliance with all relevant Blackrock Health hermitage Clinic guidelines, policies, procedures and relevant legislation and regulatory requirements. This includes responsibility for dealing with regulatory or professional bodies and inspections. Ensure continuous review and evaluation of policies, guidelines and existing practices through regular audit programmes and review engaging with the multi-disciplinary team where required. Ensure that all records are properly and accurately maintained.Contribute to and co-ordinate the monitoring, recording and investigations for non-conformances and audits in Haemovigilance. Monitor and manage Haemovigilance non-conformances and investigate with Quality and Laboratory manager, taking corrective action as appropriate, to ensure there are no re-occurrences. Contribute to an annual review of services including the preparation of an annual report.Provide leadership in proactively addressing ethical and quality of service issues with multidisciplinary team members and hospital management. Essential Qualifications / Experience-Nursing·      Be a registered Nurse·      Have a minimum of 5 yrs post registration experience·      Hold a post graduate qualification relevant to the role (Haemovigilance/Risk Management/Blood Transfusion/Haematology) ·      Possess excellent organisational, written, interpersonal communication skills·      Proficient in IT skills (Word/Excel/PowerPoint) Essential Qualifications / Experience-Medical Scientist·      Be a qualified medical scientist·      Have a minimum of 4 yrs post qualification experience·      Have an interest/ experience relevant to the role (Haemovigilance/Risk Management/Blood Transfusion/Haematology) ·      Possess excellent organisational, written, interpersonal communication skills·      Proficient in IT skills (Word/Excel/PowerPoint) Skills/ Competencies as per the BHHC Competency Framework ·  Leadership and Management·  Resource Management·  Building and Maintaining Relationships·  Patient Centred·  Technical & Professional Expertise·  Commitment to Quality ·  Communication and interpersonal skills·  Flexibility & Adaptability·  Excellent interpersonal and communication skills·  Professionalism·  Analytical skills·  IT Skills ·  Problem Solving and Critical decision making skillsDesireable SkillsPrevious Haemovigilance experienceExperience in education/trainingExperience in root cause analysis/risk management/audit Attention to DetailDriving InnovationStrategic thinking   Why work at the Hermitage ClinicThe Hermitage Clinic are passionate about our people and believe in their development and growth. As a member of the Hermitage Clinic team you can benefit from: An Education Support ProgrammeFamily Friendly hours availableDevelopment opportunitiesOpportunities for career progressionAccess to a Pension SchemeSubsidised RestaurantFree staff car parkingEmployee Assistance ProgrammeLife Assurance The Hermitage Clinic is an Equal Opportunities Employer with a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion and equality at all levels of the organisation. If you require assistance due to a disability during the recruitment process, please email hr@hermitageclinic.ie