Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)/Candidate (Infection Prevention & Cont...

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) /Candidate (cCNS)

Infection Prevention \& Control (Permanent, Part Time 0.5 wte)

The post holder is professionally accountable to the Director of Nursing of Mercy University Hospital.

The post holder will report to the Assistant Director of Nursing, Infection Prevention \& Control

Purpose of Post:

Provide support and specialist advice to all disciplines of staff, patients and members of the public regarding infection prevention and control.

The CNS Infection Prevention and Control has a pivotal role in service planning, co-ordinating and managing activities and resources for infection, prevention and control within the clinical areas.

The main responsibilities in relation to infection prevention and control are quality assurance, resource management, staffing and staff development, practice development, facilitating communication and professional/clinical leadership.

The Clinical Nurse Specialist will work as a key member of the multi-disciplinary team, helping to optimise patient safety by containing and reducing the incidence of infection across MUH

Responsibilities - The post holder will be responsible for;

• Have responsibility for the monitoring, surveillance, the investigation, prevention and control of Hospital Acquired Infections.
• Investigate outbreaks of infection with particular reference to their source and mode of spread. Report outbreaks to relevant department.
• Advise on isolation techniques and supporting line managers in supervising the implementation of such techniques in specific situations.
• Provide safe, comprehensive nursing care to service users within the guidelines laid down by the Nursing \& Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) and Health Protection Surveillance Centre.
• Manage own caseload in accordance with the needs of the post.
• Participate in teams/meetings/committees as appropriate, communicating and working in co-operation with the other team members
• Communicate, negotiate and represent patient's family and/or carer values and decisions in relation to their condition in collaboration with MDT colleagues in both Primary and Secondary Care as appropriate.
• Maintain clinical competence in patient management within infection prevention and control, keeping up-to-date with relevant research to ensure the implementation of evidence based practice.
• Conduct on-going surveillance using appropriate Infection prevention \& Control (PIC) criteria, documentation, and investigation of Hospital Associated Infections (HCAIs) through review of admission diagnoses, microbiology culture results, isolation orders, patient records, consultation requests, and post-discharge surveillance.
• Auditing of agreed infection control practices throughout Mercy University Hospital.
• Present audit findings appropriately e.g. IPC committee
• Provide leadership in clinical practice and act as a resource and role model for Infection Prevention and Control practice.
• Generate and contribute to the development of clinical standards and guidelines and support implementation.

Eligibility Criteria:

Be a registered nurse/midwife on the active Register of Nurses or Midwives held by An Bord Altranais agus Cnaimhseachais na hEireann (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland) or be eligible to be so registered.

And

Have a minimum of 1 years' post registration full time experience or an aggregate of 1 years' full time experience in the division of the register in which the application is being made

And

Have a minimum of 1 years' experience or an aggregate of 1 years full time experience in specialist area of Infection Prevention \& Control, demonstrating significant depth and breadth of experience in the area of Infection, Prevention \& Control.

Or

If the applicant does not possess the relevant specialist experience, they will be supported to attain one year's clinical specialist experience

And

Have successfully completed a post registration programme of study, as certified by the education provider, which verifies that the applicant has achieved a Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major academic Level 9 or higher award relevant to the specialist area of Infection Prevention \& Control.

Or

Can provide written evidence from the Higher Education Institute that they have achieved the number of ECTS credits equivalent to a Level 9 or higher standard, relevant to the specialist area of Infection Prevention \& Control

Or

If the applicant does not possess the relevant QQI NFQ Level 9 qualification, the applicant will be supported to undertake the required postgraduate education, at QQI NFQ level 9 qualification (equivalent to 60 ECTS or above) relevant to the specialist area.

And

Demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development.

And

Have the ability to practice safely and effectively fulfilling his/her professional responsibility within his/her scope of practice

Closing date for applications is 1pm, Friday, 6th November 2026

Candidate Pathway Appointment

Given the developmental nature of the Candidate role, appointment to this post will be made on a Specific Purpose Contract, directly linked to participation in and completion of the approved candidacy pathway. The purpose of the contract is to enable the postholder to undertake the required education, training, and competency development necessary to meet the criteria for progression to the substantive CNS role. This wholetime appointment is subject to the terms set out below:

The post-holder is expected to demonstrate achievement of the core and specific competencies deemed necessary to manage the identified scope of practice and successfully complete the required educational programme within the agreed pathway timeframe of 2 years.

The MUH reserve the right to create a panel for this post from which permanent, fixed term and specified purpose vacancies of a full or part time duration may be filled.

Mercy University Hospital (MUH):

MUH is a growing voluntary hospital in the heart of Cork City. We have over 1,500 staff providing complex diagnostic, medical and surgical care through our inpatient, day patient, outpatient and emergency services. We are a teaching hospital, a centre of national and international excellence, and are renowned for our research and tertiary services. Providing 24/7 acute surgical, acute medical and critical care, MUH now has multiple sites across the city and continues to expand.

We support staff development with approx. 100 promotions annually. We prioritise work life balance with 28% of our team working part time hours. We offer nationally agreed enhanced Salary Scales, Pension Scheme, excellent holidays, canteen, and Study Leave and Assistance. From Cardiac Care to Intensive Care, our varied specialist services offer real career choice to our team. For fully registered NMBI recognised nurses, we offer a generous relocation package (if coming from abroad). We live by our Core Values of Compassion, Excellence, Justice, Respect and Team Spirit.