Guidance

7. Job roles: lead clinician colposcopist and lead colposcopy nurse

Updated 27 September 2024

1. Role of the lead clinician colposcopist

The main responsibilities for the lead clinician colposcopist are to:

• take overall accountability and responsibility for the quality of the colposcopy service provided by the organisation
• ensure that evidence based local guidelines and procedures are in place for the organisation and that these comply with recommended national guidelines
• ensure that the local guidelines and procedures are regularly reviewed so that the needs of the commissioners and the users of the services are met
• ensure that the defined quality assurance standards and indicators are being met
• ensure that there is a suitable computer system in place to collect the agreed national minimum dataset and produce accurate and validated data for the required mandatory national data returns (including the KC65 returns) and that supports local audit
• ensure that annual audit of the service takes place to compare practice with the local guidelines and national targets
• work with those within the trust responsible for providing the facilities for the service to ensure that the service is adequately equipped and staffed by appropriately trained individuals (medical and non-medical) so the service needs can be met in a timely and user-sensitive way
• co-ordinate training and work with the British Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (BSCCP) Certification and Training Committee as appropriate, ensuring that all staff working in the colposcopy service are appropriately qualified and undertake required mandatory training
• support the continued certification of practising colposcopists within the organisation
• inform trust management about the need to ensure procedures are in place to enable care and rapid communication with patients, other hospital departments, primary care agencies and cytopathology and histopathology services
• convene and chair quarterly colposcopy team operational meetings
• work with cervical screening provider leads (CSPLs) to convene regular multidisciplinary meetings, including cytology and histology services for case discussion and protocol review
• participate, as the lead for the service, in the organisation’s cervical screening business meetings, organised and chaired by the CSPL
• regularly communicate with users, providers and purchasers of care to ensure that the service and its development are appropriate and meet the needs of the local population

2. Role of the lead colposcopy nurse

The main responsibilities for the lead colposcopy nurse are to:

• support the lead colposcopist in the development and review of evidence based local guidelines, procedures and patient information documents
• support the lead colposcopist in the acquisition and validation of data to support the production of quarterly and annual performance information, including the mandatory KC65 return
• support, and represent the views of, colposcopy nurses within the department
• support, and represent the views of, other support staff within the colposcopy department
• ensure appropriate and safe staffing levels
• co-ordinate the training of nursing and administration staff within colposcopy, ensuring competence within their respective roles
• ensure standards are maintained within the clinical environment, supporting the failsafe processes
• ensure the provision of an appropriate clinical environment for the day to day delivery of colposcopy that meets standards
• ensure nursing and administration staff within the colposcopy service meet mandatory training requirements