The North Central London and Hertfordshire Operational Delivery Network (ODN) provides community liver disease services across the region.

The key purpose of this post is to ensure patients receive all tests, assessments, and monitoring in the community services with which they already engage so that they progress efficiently through the viral hepatitis and liver health care cascade. These services include drug and alcohol services, homeless hostels, and GP surgeries.

We undertake assessment of liver disease in these services and ensure patients with cirrhosis (advanced liver scarring) are engaged in specialist care. This is important for the diagnosis of complications of cirrhosis, including liver cancer, at an early stage when they can be cured.

This will require getting to know the care pathway for both alcohol and viral hepatitis-related cirrhosis in detail across the network, building close working relationships with a range of team members to maintain clear and regular communication with patients.

This is a community-based role, although there will be regular meetings in the NCL ODN Hub at the Royal Free Hospital. You will work closely with and be supported by the ODN team, which consists of two other clinician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, peer support workers, doctors, blood-borne virus nurses, drug and alcohol service staff, and pathway coordinators.

Main duties of the job

You will need to use your judgement to prioritise tasks, and you will need to acquire clinical skills for the assessment of patients using a number of testing methods for diagnosis, taking blood for further tests, and performing elastography measures to assess liver disease.

To learn and maintain these technical skills, you will also participate in the Fibroscan clinics for general hepatology based at the Royal Free.

You will be based at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, but the role requires travel across the north central London region, which includes Hertfordshire (East, West and North), Barnet, Haringey, Enfield, Camden and Islington. It therefore includes access to a dedicated car and a van equipped with clinical examination and testing equipment. A full UK driver’s license is therefore essential and must be evidenced on your application.