About this role
Job summary
In this community-based role, you'll manage your own caseload, offering skilled clinical advice, thoughtful interventions, and meaningful support to patients and those close to them. You'll work closely with local GPs and Community Nurses to ensure everyone receives the right care, at the right time, from the people they trust.
You'll be based in Exeter and contribute to our seven-day service, helping us reach more people who need our specialist support.
Main duties of the job
As a Registered Nurse with experience in palliative care, you'll play a vital role in supporting people living with complex, life-limiting illnesses. Working as part of our friendly multi-disciplinary team, you'll provide compassionate, evidence-based care that's shaped around each person's needs, wishes and wellbeing.
About us
Hospiscare has been supporting people in Exeter, Mid and East Devon with terminal illnesses for over 40 years. Our services include support at home, a specialist palliative care ward, out-patients clinics, and supportive therapies.
We support close to 2,200 local people each year, in some of the hardest times possible. As a local charity, we raise around £10 million each year to continue to provide our care. Our staff, volunteers and supporters help us to care for people when they're most in need, no matter what their individual circumstances may be.
We're proud to be rated as 'five star' by patients and families and as 'outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission, to have been awarded a Mind Bronze Award for wellbeing at work and to be a Disability Confident employer.
Job description Job responsibilities
Job Description
1. JOB DETAILS
Job Title: Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Band: 6
Location: Community
Hours: As on contract, to include on-call
Team/Directorate: Community Cluster
Responsible To: Community Cluster Team Leader (CCTL)
Responsible For: N/A
Accountable to: Chief Nurse
2. JOB PURPOSE
To deliver an excellent standard of evidence-based specialist palliative nursing care and clinical advice.
To promote dignity, encompassing a person-centred approach, to positively enhance the lives of patients in the community with complex life-limiting illnesses.
3. KEY RESULT AREAS/PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES3.1 Main Responsibilities
Provide advanced specialist palliative care by contributing highly experienced clinical judgement and knowledge in complex palliative and end of life care in order to promote best practice for adults with life limiting illnesses.
Demonstrate advanced communication skills and professionalism in all interactions with patients and those close to them, carers and other professionals in order to promote and maintain Hospiscare values.
Contribute to the daily clinical leadership of junior staff within the community team to ensure team effectiveness, cover and cohesion.
Deliver education and learning, both internally and externally, for all those involved in palliative/end of life care, to ensure evidence based practice.
Attend and contribute to multi-disciplinary, complex care and Gold Standards Framework (GSF) or End of Life meetings to promote best practice.
Contribute to Hospiscares clinical governance and audit process in order to support continuing quality improvement and learning.
Assess and identify complex bereavement and effectively communicate with the Supportive Care team to enable a seamless handover into Hospiscares Bereavement Care Services.
Infection Prevention and Control
Maintaining a safe environment for patients, visitors and employees is everyones responsibility. All staff are required to adhere to Hospiscares Infection Prevention and Control Policy and make every effort to maintain high standards of infection prevention and control at all times. This includes ensuring personal and team compliance with all relevant policies and procedures, and acting upon or reporting any identified risks.
Disclosure and Barring Service
This role requires a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Enhanced level check with Adults and Children Barred Lists.
3.2 Key Contacts
Internal:
CCTL and Community teams Chief Nurse Ward Manager and IPU team Medical team Supportive Care Services Clinical Governance
Clinical Administration
Learning & Development team
External:
Patients and those close to them Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
NHS Community Services
General Practitioners
Residential and Nursing Homes
Social and Domiciliary Care Workers
Providers of out-of-hours services
3.3 Health & Safety
Ensure that Health and Safety guidelines and fire regulations are strictly adhered to
Comply with safe working practices as defined by Hospiscare
Complete online training as and when required
Take reasonable care for your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by acts or omissions at work
Report any accidents, incidents or near misses as soon as reasonably practicable
Manage own work life balance and general wellbeing, including any relevant pressures in respect of lone working, travel, difficult environments and challenging situations
3.4 General Be aware of and adhere to Hospiscare policies and procedures at all times
Take part in progress/performance reviews throughout the year
Cooperate with other Hospiscare departments
Attend training courses and complete online training modules as required to meet the requirements of the post
Take responsibility for own personal development, seeking out opportunities to learn new skills
Undertake any other duties as requested by management which are reasonably deemed to be within the scope of the role
3.5 Other
Apply the Hospiscare values and behaviours to every aspect of the role at all times
Promote and maintain the brand standards of Hospiscare
Person Specification
Knowledge Essential
Detailed understanding of the complexities of working with individuals at times of distress and conflict
Understanding of key issues relating to End of Life Care including policy developments
Detailed understanding of theoretical nursing models and of their impact on delivery of care
Skills Essential
Developed ability to act as an expert practitioner
Developed ability to manage a caseload effectively, including discharge planning Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills
Developed ability to demonstrate knowledge and expertise through formal/informal teaching and educational programmes
Developed ability to manage challenging circumstances effectively, to understand and disseminate multifaceted information Developed IT skills
Personal attributes Essential
Ability to lead and work as part of a team, prioritise workload and manage time effectively
Ability to work autonomously, problem solve and act on own initiative
Flexible and adaptable with the ability to respond positively in a rapidly changing environment
Commitment to continuing professional development
Awareness of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all aspects of work
Additional requirements Essential
Able and willing to contribute to the 7 days/week specialist palliative care service
Able to travel and work throughout the area covered by Hospiscare
Able to fulfil physical and manual handling aspects of the role
Desirable
Car owner and driver
Experience Essential
Substantial experience of working within a palliative care/end of life environment Significant experience of effective clinical governance, audit and standard setting
Desirable
Experience of policy and/or standards development Experience of multi-agency partnership working in order to deliver service improvements Experience of coaching/mentoring and of facilitating clinical supervision Experience of working in the community setting
Qualifications Essential
Registered Nurse with current Nursing and Midwifery Council registration Diploma in Palliative Care or diploma level qualification in associated field. Evidence of ongoing professional development.
Desirable
Advanced Communication Skills training Teaching and mentorship/supervision qualification
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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 Hospiscare
Address Searle House
Dryden road
Exeter
Devon
EX2 5JJ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.hospiscare.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)