Consultant ENT Nurse leaflet - James Paget University Hospitals

James Paget University Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust
Introducing
Consultant Nurse - ENT
Information for Patients

New Consultant Nurse in ENT
a first for the Region
Denise Smith has been appointed as the new Consultant
Nurse in ENT at the James Paget University Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust. Consultant ENT Surgeon Mr DJ
Premachandra who has worked closely with Denise for
many years said:
‘Denise and her team offer a fantastic service for our
patients. I have been keen to develop Denise as a Consultant Nurse for
some time now and I’m absolutely delighted with her appointment. We
already offer an excellent service, but we can now develop this further
and ensure that patients with head and neck cancer and wider ENT
services receive the highest standard of care here at the James Paget
University Hospital”.
Denise has worked in the Trust since 1982 and has over 30 years ENT
experience. As ward sister on the ENT ward Denise developed the Trust’s
Tracheostomy service in 1992, providing an expert advice across the
hospital for all patients with tracheostomies needing special nursing
care, and educating nurses and doctors in the hospital and the
community about tracheostomy care. This was a first for the region too,
receiving many visits from Trusts across East Anglia over the years to
learn about the service. The service also received a Charter Mark in
1997, and retained this title in 2000, expanding to include the wider
head and neck cancer service.
These specialised services were developed to support patients
diagnosed with head and neck cancer within the Trust and community
setting. The complexities of head and neck cancers and because they are
rare, requires that patients need much more specialised support to
manage their condition and the management of these patients will
encompass the clinical element to the Consultant Nurse role supporting
patients through their treatment from beginning to end, from
counselling before their operation to support afterwards and usually to
the end of their lives. The role also involves facilitating patient care
through the provision of direct contact with clinical teams that support

patients with these cancers, which include ENT, oro-maxillo facial
surgeons, oncologists, plastic surgeons, prosthetics teams, speech and
language therapists and dieticians. This clinical contact is essential and
unique, as no other site specific cancer services provide this care
especially as these patients can receive a range of treatments including
chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, with or without reconstruction
which can impact significantly on individual patients quality of life.
At the moment Denise has a caseload of nearly 200 patients, and sees
about 50 new cases of head and neck cancer patients each year at the
JPUH. There are close links with the Norfolk and Norwich head and neck
cancer teams and the ENT department at the JPUH as all head and neck
cancer patients and thyroid cancer patients are formally discussed at
two separate Multidisciplinary meetings (MDM) to which Denise attends
as senior nurse representative for our Trust. She is able to see patients in
the head and neck cancer clinic and provide clinical ward areas the
support that patients require through their treatments. Denise’s team
also includes a Tracheostomy Nurse Specialist, a support Tracheostomy
staff nurse, ENT Nurse Specialist and an ENT Nurse Practitioner. A
patient pathway coordinator/MDM coordinator for head and neck
cancer is also a team member.
From an educational/research/audit/perspective, Denise is in the
process of developing a degree/postgraduate module with the UEA for
those professionals who are keen to develop specialist knowledge to
improve patient care for the ENT and Head and Neck oncology patients.
Denise also assists in the coordination of the Regional Ear Audit for
Specialist Registrars training.
Further ENT services are currently being developed and will include a
Laryngoscopy clinic (nurse led) and a diagnostic Trans nasal
oesophagoscopy service which will be consultant led, this is in addition
to the current level of diagnostic service provision.
Other service improvements planned include a sleep study clinic and
additional nurse led activity which is envisaged will free up consultant
outpatient slots thus allowing more complex ENT cases to be seen by
the Specialist Clinicians.

The hospital is able to arrange for an
interpreter to assist you in communicating
effectively with staff during your stay
through INTRAN.
If you need an interpreter or a person to sign, please let us
know.
If you require a large print version of this
booklet, please contact PALS on
01493 453240
© February 2008
Review Date: February 2011
James Paget University Hospitals NHS
Foundation Trust
ENT 3