About this role
Job summary
At Southern Hospice Group and Chestnut Tree House, we believe every child with a life-limiting condition deserves outstanding, compassionate care, wherever they are.
Following the successful contract award for 24/7 Consultant led childrens palliative and end of life care services for Sussex, Southern Hospice Group is recruiting for an exceptional Nurse Consultant in Specialist Paediatric Palliative Care to lead the mobilisation and delivery of COAST (Childrens Outreach & Symptom Team).
Working with our Director of Nursing and Care, this is a rare opportunity to shape and deliver a fully integrated 24/7 paediatric palliative care service across Sussex, working across home, hospice, community and hospital settings to improve continuity of care, reduce avoidable hospital admissions, and ensure families can access expert support whenever they need it.
As the senior nursing expert for paediatric palliative care within COAST, you will combine advanced clinical practice, strategic leadership, education, research and service development to influence care across the wider system.
Main duties of the job
You will play a pivotal role in mobilising COAST, following the successful proof-of-concept service that has run for the past two years, into a sustainable, fully operational 24/7 model in line with NICE guidance.
Approximately 60% of your role will remain clinically focused, delivering expert care for children and young people with highly complex needs, including symptom management and end-of-life care. The remaining 40% will focus on organisational leadership, workforce development, governance, partnership working and innovation.
You will also directly lead and support the newly established multidisciplinary COAST team, including Clinical Nurse Specialists, pharmacy and administrative colleagues.
About us
Southern Hospice Group is the largest group of hospices in Sussex and one of the largest in the UK. We are committed to providing exceptional and compassionate care to adults, children and their families across Sussex. Bringing our teams and resources together as one organisation means we can focus on new and exciting visions and plans for our people and patients and provide even greater opportunities for our workforce.
Chestnut Tree House is the childrens hospice for East and West Sussex and South East Hampshire, providing specialist palliative care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post holder will deliver highly specialist paediatric palliative and endoflife care (approx. 60% of the role), providing clinical leadership across home, hospital, hospice and community settings.
Hold a defined caseload and provide highly specialist paediatric palliative and endoflife care across all settings.
Undertake advanced assessment, clinical decisionmaking, prescribing and management of complex symptoms.
Provide clinical reviews, manage outpatient consultations (if developed), and coordinate referrals.
Work closely with the OutofHours team and wider MDTs to ensure seamless 24/7 care.
Deliver care in line with NICE guidance, APPM formulary and evidencebased practice.
Maintain accurate clinical documentation and practice within NMC standards.
Support development of advanced clinical skills within the nursing workforce.
Demonstrate autonomy, critical thinking and safe decisionmaking in complex or uncertain situations.
Communicate effectively with children, families and professionals, supporting shared decisionmaking and advance care planning.
Professional Leadership and Consultancy Function
The post-holder will:
Provide visible, inspirational leadership and act as a specialist resource across the organisation.
Build effective relationships across teams and partner organisations.
Represent paediatric palliative care at local, regional and national forums.
Lead or contribute to service evaluation, complaints reviews and serious incident investigations.
Promote a culture of safety, quality improvement and professional accountability.
Negotiate and maintain an agreed scope of practice within governance frameworks.
Participate in the review of complaints and serious incidents and lead the development and implementation of action plans.
Education, Training and Development
The post holder will:
Identify personal learning needs and maintain a professional development plan.
Support education and capability building across COAST, hospice teams and partner organisations.
Act as a mentor, supervisor and role model for advanced practice development.
Contribute to the Learning & Development Framework for advanced nursing roles.
Represent paediatric palliative care services at local, regional, and national forums.
Practice and Service Development, Research and Evaluation
The post holder will:
Lead or participate in audit, research and service improvement projects.
Evaluate clinical practice and service outcomes, acting on findings to improve care.
Identify gaps in evidence and contribute to research activity or funding applications.
Develop and maintain robust governance systems and documentation.
Share best practice through presentations, publications and professional networks.
The balance of these functions may vary from time to time in consultation with the Consultant in Paediatric Palliative Medicine and Director of Nursing and Care.
The post holder is responsible for the collaborative development and management of all associated policies and procedures related to the scope of the role. In addition, the post holder must ensure the organisation abides by CQC standards, legislation, and best evidence-based care.
The role will be:
60% Clinical leadership
40% Organisational Leadership
Person Specification
Experience Essential
Senior leadership/management experience Demonstrable service development and quality improvement Proven people and team leadership and management Experience working across organisational boundaries Leadership experience in palliative care Experience practising at advanced level in paediatric palliative care
Qualifications Essential
Registered Nurse (Child) Relevant degree (e.g., palliative care, oncology) Masters degree (completed or within 3 months of completion) Non medical prescriber (V300) Evidence of advanced clinical assessment training Evidence of advanced communication skills training
Desirable
A current PhD holder, working towards a PhD, or an interest in undertaking a PhD
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 Southern Hospice Group
Address Chestnut Tree House
Dover Lane
Arundel
West Sussex
BN18 9BX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.stbarnabas-hospice.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)