About this role
Job summary
Contract: Full time and Part time positions available (working various shifts including nights)
Location: Based at Kenton Ambulance Station and St Lukes Hospice
As part of the requirements of the NWL ICB model of care, this service will be developed to provide support for patients and families 24 hours a day. Therefore, the post holder will be expected to work shift patterns including night shifts as part of the service development.
At St Lukes Hospice, we are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality palliative and end-of-life care to people across Harrow and Brent. Our specialist Pall24 service provides 24-hour advice, support and coordination for patients, families, carers and healthcare professionals, helping people receive the care they need, when they need it. Pall24 is a key part of St Lukes community and specialist palliative care services.
We are looking for an experienced and motivated Registered Nurse to join our growing Pall24 team as a Senior Nurse. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role within our Integrated Care Coordination Hub, providing specialist palliative care advice, clinical triage and support to patients, carers and healthcare professionals across North West London.
Please note: We will not be able to employ you if you are not eligible to work in the UK. We will not be able to obtain a work permit on your behalf.
Main duties of the job
As a Pall24 Senior Nurse, you will:
Deliver expert telephone advice and support to patients, families, carers and health and social care professionals. Undertake holistic assessments and clinical triage, ensuring patients receive the most appropriate care and support. Support patients to remain at home wherever possible and contribute to avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions. Work collaboratively with community, hospice, acute and social care teams to coordinate patient care. Provide specialist palliative and end-of-life care advice to healthcare professionals across a range of settings. Identify clinical deterioration, safeguarding concerns and escalating needs, taking appropriate action when required. Maintain accurate and timely electronic patient records and contribute to high standards of clinical governance. Act as a senior clinical resource within the service, promoting excellent standards of care and professional practice.
About us
St Lukes Hospice Caring for Harrow and Brent St Lukes Hospice cares for people approaching the end of their life in Harrow and Brent. We aim to give the people we care for the best possible quality of life, each and every day. Supporting local people and their families is at the heart of what we do focusing on what matters the most to them is at the centre of our care.
The care we give is free of charge, available to all, and respects the cultures, religions, and beliefs in our richly diverse community. Our care is given with compassion and dignity and involves not just looking after the patient, but also includes supporting the people closest to them.
We receive around 40% of our funding from the NHS and the rest is raised from the amazing generosity of the organisations and people who make our care possible. Our local community is a vital partner in our care, kindly supporting us through their donations and fundraising alongside the dedication of over 800 incredible volunteers who freely give us their time to support the best possible end-of-life care for local people.
Job description Job responsibilities
Job Purpose and scope
To work as a Senior Nurse within St Lukes Hospice, based within the Integrated Care Coordination Hub, providing a centralised line for patients, families, carers, health and social care professionals.
To be able to provide professional telephone advice and support to patients, families and health and social care professionals.
To support patients and their carers to manage their conditions in their own communities to improve their quality of life.
Where possible work towards preventing avoidable hospital admissions by working collaboratively with internal and external health care colleagues.
To support community staff to enable them to deliver care with additional specialist advice and support.
Provide a resource for advice and support for healthcare professionals in the community and hospital settings
Be responsible for recording activities and maintaining accurate and complete patient notes in the patients electronic clinical record
To always provide a high standard of professional conduct and nursing care in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Professional Practice, demonstrating leadership in the nursing care of patients within the service.
To demonstrate expertise and a firm knowledge base on which to underpin clinical practice when dealing with patients/carers living with a life limiting illness.
The post holder will play a key role in the raising of clinical standards and quality for patients with life limiting illnesses and in monitoring and improving standards of care.
Together with other members of staff, maintain standards that will ensure that the care provided is of the highest possible quality, within the resources available.
To work collaboratively as part of a multi-disciplinary team, demonstrating the values of St Lukes Hospice.
Work across a 7-day period providing 24 hours a day advice and support as part of a rota on the telephone advice line. 2. Main Duties & Responsibilities Clinical
To holistically assess, plan, implement, and review therapeutic interventions of patients who contact the Pall 24 advice line.
To provide expert advice, information and psychological support to people affected by life limiting illness and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
Demonstrate understanding of palliative and end-of-life care principles, including symptom awareness, psychosocial needs, and holistic assessment.
Recognise red flags, deterioration, and safeguarding concerns, escalating appropriately.
Access the Stack Operational Portal, triaging palliative patients and signposting to teams most suited for patient outcomes and reserving ambulance capacity for emergency life threatening needs.
Work with the wider professionals to ensure the patients shared record is kept up-todate and that key information is available in a timely way
Provide specialist palliative telephone advice and support to patients, families and other health and social care professionals, signpost them, complete appropriate referrals for onward care.
To communicate and consult with other Health and Social Care Professionals and outside agencies and with service users to ensure the provision of a quality service for cancer patients and their families.
Be responsible for updating the patients electronic record and manage patient information sensitively and confidentially.
To use advanced interpersonal and communication skills to communicate and receive specialist and sensitive information.
Ensure the dignity of patients and families is respected at all times
Ensure confidentiality in the best interest of the patient is maintained at all times. Key Working Relationships
Pall 24 Care Co-ordinators / Pall 24 Lead
Hospices Clinical Nurse Specialists
London Ambulance Service
GPs, District Nurses, Community Teams
Social Care and Voluntary Sector Partners
Patients, carers, and families Management and People
Act as a role model and expert resource to the team, wider hospice services and teams / services in primary and acute care on the delivery of high quality end of life care
Be accountable for your professional practice in accordance with the NMC Code.
Work with volunteers to ensure they understand their role within the service providing them with support and advice as required
Ensure the service provided is in accordance with Hospice policies and procedures.
Promote and maintain positive working relationships with all members of the team to ensure positive outcomes with each patient.
To function as a role model to the wider team demonstrating leadership and continuing development of high-quality clinical care and practice, whilst encouraging a culture of innovation and supported risk taking.
Providing and promoting best practice in accordance with local and national end of life care initiatives. Governance, Quality and Service Improvement
Contribute to clinical audits to measure and evaluate all aspects of care.
Ensure sensitive data is stored and transferred securely.
Promote effective evidence based clinical practice.
Ensuring patient records are updated on the patients electronic clinical record in a timely manner to enable all professionals dealing with the patient understand where they are in their care/pathway
To undertake detailed and specialist holistic assessment and analysis of the complex physical, psychological, social and information needs of patients with life limiting illness and their carers. To have up to date knowledge of the various options available.
To have respect for patient confidentiality, autonomy and always need for privacy.
To acknowledge individual needs in spiritual, religious, and cultural matters.
To act in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct for Nurses/ Midwives and Health Visitors and the scope of Professional Practice. Maintaining records for revalidation and actively participating in such.
Participate in clinical governance activities within the charity to ensure that professional practice and service is continually improved, and high standards of care are maintained and developed.
Acting as a liaison between professionals who do not have access to SystmOne but are caring for the patient to provide them with the necessary information about that patient to enable them to fulfill their responsibilities (whilst maintaining information governance regulations) Education and Professional Development
Participate in the arrangement of induction programs for all new Pall 24 staff.
Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of professional developments in Palliative Care and Community Care.
Attend relevant courses, meetings and conferences ensuring own practice and development.
To take responsibility of own professional and clinical growth and be prepared to attend mandatory training sessions requested at St. Lukes.
Assist in the education of colleagues in end-of-life care issues
To facilitate and enable the education of patients and their carer/s to maximise their quality of life, living with a life limiting illness.
To assess training needs and implement and/or participate in educational programs and competency-based assessment for community nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, patients, and carers as appropriate.
To function as an educational and information resource for other professionals and the public, regarding all aspects of palliative and end of life care.
To actively support the ethos of palliative care in all healthcare settings.
Participate in clinical audits and quality improvement initiatives under the direction of the Matron
To collect and analyse information related to patients, carers, and other healthcare professionals satisfaction of the service. Utilise information as a means of effectively evaluating the service and informing future developments.
Person Specification
Skills and experience Essential
Committed to the development of palliative care skills in others Calm and objective Commitment to the aims and charitable objectives of St Lukes Hospice Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and understanding of how this applies to own area of work Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines. Highly developed analytical and judgemental skills to deal with complex cases
Qualifications Essential
Registered Nurse with NMC registration Post registration qualification in community nursing, oncology, palliative care or other relevant area of practice Mentorship qualification. Recent community experience at least 2 years
Desirable
Education to degree level or willingness to progress to this Post registration qualification in palliative care Advanced Assessment Skills
Experience Essential
Proven experience at a suitable level of seniority of managing complex cases in either the community or an institutional setting Specialist up to date knowledge of palliative care Extensive experience of working in palliative care setting or caring for palliative patients. In-depth understanding of relevant care pathways Understanding of services in both primary and secondary care and the interface between these and with social care Ability to work unsupervised and make decisions related to care planning Ability to prioritise issues and tasks Committed to working in partnership with patients, their relatives and carers and other organisations and agencies Ability to delegate tasks to appropriately trained staff Understanding and commitment to multi disciplinary team working Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Desirable
Ability to lead and influence change Experience of audit and research Experience of telephone triage
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name St Luke's Hospice
Address St Luke's Hospice
Kenton Ambulance Station
The Mall, Kenton, Harrow
Harrow
Middlesex
HA3 9TD
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.stlukes-hospice.org/join-our-team/current-vacancies/ (Opens in a new tab)