Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist @ Keech Hospice Care

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced clinical and operational leader to drive excellence, innovation and high-quality patient care within a respected hospice organisation. Join our senior clinical team as a compassionate and visionary leader, helping us to shape the future of adult patient services and make a lasting difference to people facing life limiting illness, whilst inspiring our teams and colleagues to grow and develop and be a part of our success.

Main duties of the job

Act as a Senior Nurse role model, leading by example and demonstrating compliance with NMC requirements and Keech values

Main point of contact for inpatient referrals managing all aspects of the process Management oversight for Adult Services ensuring service needs are met and addressing situations as they arise

Actively participate in referral and multidisciplinary team meetings

Act as a mentor to junior colleagues, providing guidance and support

About us

Keech Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end of life care for people of all ages. We support adults in Bedfordshire. Children and their families in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Milton Keynes. At home, in hospice, or wherever were needed.

As a teaching hospice, our exceptional people, training, and facilities are helping local communities to live and die well.

Job description

Job responsibilities

• 1. Deputise for/represent the Lead Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist -Adults, as requested
• 2. Provide unit management support to the Lead Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Adults, and act as a resource for shift leaders and guide them in their management development.
• 3. Have management oversight for the service whilst on duty, ensuring service needs are met safely, initiating actions to address situations as they arise, and ensuring competent, reasoned judgement to achieve this.
• 4. Actively participate in providing robust communication to senior colleagues after on-call or OOH duties, to ensure smooth transition and continuity of support.
• 5. Participate in the appropriate clinical and non-clinical meetings as part of the wider multidisciplinary team.
• 6. Actively participate in leading the Keech Hospice referral and multidisciplinary team meetings, supporting the signposting of services available, and the on-going care management to achieve effective and smooth discharge planning.
• 7. Lead on parallel planning discussions with patients and families as agreed at MDT meetings.
• 8. Participate in service development initiatives, leading when opportunities present.
• 9. Act as mentor to junior colleagues, undertaking probationary, planned 1:1, mid-year and annual reviews as delegated.
• 10. Provide guidance and support to ensure team members work towards and achieve annual objectives and learning development plans.
• 11. Proactive management to ensure all staff achieve mandatory training compliance.
• 12. Professionally respond to complaints in line with Hospice policy.
• 13. Undertake investigation into complaints, incidents or accidents as requested.
• 14. Act appropriately in the event of any accidents and emergencies and to report any incidents according to hospice policy.
• 15. Participate in recruitment and development of staff within Adult Services.
• 16. Participate in the support of staff, individual or group, managing conflict and escalating concerns as needed
• 17. Create and promote a learning environment by maximising teaching and learning opportunities for all nursing and care staff.
• 18. Actively coach and develop junior staff and ensure that competency programmes become a fundamental part of staff mentoring and support.
• 19. Participate in education programmes within and outside the Hospice as required.
• 20. Maintain an expert working knowledge of current developments in specialist palliative care.
• 21. Maintain own clinical skills competencies to be able to fulfil the teaching requirements needed for team development and growth.
• 22. Participate in the hospice audit programme as requested.
• 23. Initiate and participate in relevant audit and research to promote and increase the evidence base of palliative care.
• 24. To be involved in producing, evaluating, and auditing policies, procedures and standards relating to the role of the non-medical prescriber within Keech Hospice.
• 25. Act as a Senior Nurse role model, leading by example and demonstrating compliance with NMC, organisational and legislative requirements, and promoting Keech Hospice values.
• 26. Work collaboratively with the Hospice Senior Clinical Team to ensure that all patient services are safely and appropriately staffed.
• 27. Work flexibly with colleagues to ensure continuity of PCCNS cover during periods of absence.
• 28. To positively promote the role of the PCCNS at Keech Hospice to other agencies/disciplines.
• 29. To mentor the Band F clinical team and junior staff, helping them develop and maintain clinical skills such as venepuncture, cannulation, IV therapy, ECGs etc.
• 30. Inpatient Referrals: Act as the point of contact for inpatient referrals, organising admission to the inpatient unit as required. Manage all aspects of the inpatient referral process including appropriateness, urgency, and level of priority, always ensuring that new referrals are assessed according to the patients level of need/phase of illness. Coordinate admissions to the Adult Inpatient Unit (AIPU) to maximise bed utilisation in close liaison with clinical managers. Undertake patient assessment in their own home or place of care as required. Where appropriate, initiate an individualised plan of care and ensure transfer of care responsibility is communicated effectively. Maintain appropriate contact with the patient and/or carer during the period between referral and admission, to ensure continued support and ability to escalate care needs as required.
• 31. To work with the Duty Doctor at weekends, Bank Holidays and during periods of absence, providing direct patient assessment support and reviews as delegated
• 32. Act as a specialist resource for other healthcare professionals, patients, and carers, liaise directly with referrers, the primary care teams and others as appropriate to ensure that the patients needs are met.
• 33. With the other PCCNSs provide specialist outpatient nurse led symptom control clinics on a 5-day rota, signposting, and triaging to the range of different clinical services provided by the hospice and to other external organisations as required.
• 34. When duty Outpatient PCCNS, attend the Keech Hospice Outpatient MDT and participate in the rota to chair the meeting with other senior MDT colleagues.
• 35. As weekend/BH Duty PCCNS provide senior clinical support across Adult Services.
• 36. Undertake follow up appointments for patients discharged from the inpatient unit as appropriate.
• 37. Help support the transition of young adults with life limiting illnesses from Childrens to Adult Hospice Care.
• 38. Work in conjunction with the family support service to offer pre and post bereavement support to families.

Clinical Non-Medical Prescriber (if/once qualification held)

• 39. With the duty doctor, and within your scope of competence, take responsibility for the day-to-day management of inpatients, including initial assessment, planning and daily review, and preparation for discharge.
• 40. Participate in the clinical multidisciplinary handover to agree plans of care and patient allocation, taking the lead in the absence of the duty doctor.
• 41. In the absence of a duty doctor, refer to the doctor on call for guidance and support, escalating concerns to the service lead or clinical director as required.
• 42. As a non-medical prescriber, always work within your scope of knowledge and competence.
• 43. Close liaison with and support of the clinical team and other members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure patient care needs are delivered.
• 44. Effective communication with the clinical team to ensure that patient plans of care are achieved and evaluated.
• 45. Demonstrate advanced communication skills and the ability to maintain a calm and confident approach on matters relating to sensitive subjects.
• 46. Supportive communication with patients and their carers, regarding their disease and its management.
• 47. Effective end-of-shift communication with the AIPU Shift Leader and verbal/written handover for the next PCCNS on duty for inpatient, outpatient, and community services.
• 48. Timely, succinct, and accurate entries on to the patients electronic record.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• RN 1 NMC registered
• Degree in Healthcare or relevant subject
• Palliative Care Qualification or significant relevant experience
• Principles of Physical Assessment and Diagnosis skills or willingness
• to undertake
• Non-medical prescriber or willingness to undertake

Desirable

• Teaching qualification
• Management Training

Experience

Essential

• Understanding of the Specialist
• Palliative and End of Life Care
• Philosophy.
• Team management
• Service Management
• Experience of Clinical Audit
• Experience of teaching health &
• social care professionals
• Presentation experience to wider
• audience
• Identified specialism of clinical
• expertise.

Desirable

• Service Development
• Change Management
• Current NMP palliative
• practitioner

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Advanced nursing skills in assessment and care planning
• Advanced symptom management skills
• Advanced communication skills
• Excellent organisational and time management skills
• Leadership skills
• Good IT and presentation skills
• Competent in catheterisation (male & female), CSCI, IV
• administration, venepuncture, cannulation and blood transfusion
• (or willingness to achieve competency)

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

Keech Hospice Care

Address

Keech Hospice

Great Bramingham Lane

Streatley

LU3 3NT

United Kingdom

Employer's website

https://www.keech.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)