About this role
Job summary
As an employee, you will be offered a range of benefits, including 27 days holiday (pro rata for part time staff), access to our Employee Assistance Programme, high-quality, low-cost meals at our Dalton site and complementary therapies. NHS Pensions are also transferable for those already contributing.
The postholder should have advanced communication skills, proven teaching skills, excellent organisation, planning and interpersonal skills, as well as hold a full UK driving licence, with access to a personal vehicle for work purposes.
This is exciting opportunity to make a real difference and help The Kirkwood Support Life across Kirklees.
Please note, we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications.
Main duties of the job
Provide a clinical leadership and role model to the nursing team by delivering high quality care as an expert practitioner.
Set, monitor and seek to continuously improve standards and the quality of patient care utilising benchmarks.
Maintain a safe working environment.
Supervise and maintain accurate records in accordance with NMC guidance and auditing standards.
Ensure that all nursing staff follow current and up to date safeguarding practices including MCA and best interest practice and decision making.
Support and inspire all members of the Multidisciplinary team in its widest sense and ensuring development of advanced/specialist palliative knowledge skills and competent professional practice within and across the team.
Work collaboratively with the Multidisciplinary team promoting and utilising a leadership approach to empower and ensure shared accountability for shared clinical decisions.
To effectively engage and involve patient, families and carers in its widest sense and at every opportunity encouraging a co design approach to service development.
Ensure the safe use and efficient management of equipment and supplies.
Promote evidence-based practice, wherever possible.
Work with the Matron to ensure that clinical governance processes at unit/dept level encompass measures to ensure the quality of the fundamental and essential aspects of care.
About us
The Kirkwood provide specialist care, free of charge, to adults in Kirklees with advanced, progressive illnesses at any time from diagnosis to the end of life, respecting their individual needs and wishes. Care and support are also provided for their family members, friends, and carers, both during the illness and after death. Through education, training, and partnership with others, we improve care for everyone affected by a life limiting illness.
Job description Job responsibilities
The Specialist Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner will carry continuing responsibility for the effective and efficient management of The Kirkwoods Specialist palliative care team, providing professional leadership and clinical expertise with a lead portfolio
A key element of this role is to personalise individual patient care based upon the needs and wishes of the patient and their family and support community services in delivering this care. The post-holder will also be directly involved in developing and supporting staff in specialist palliative care.
The post-holder is responsible for ensuring the assessment of care needs and that the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care are maintained to a high standard. You will support and empower staff to lead and develop services and promote a multi-professional approach with shared care and accountability, with the aim of further developing models of care across the hospice setting that support delivery of the highest standards of personalised patient care. There will be a focus on the closer integration of the Community clinical nurse specialists and the inpatient unit to support continuity of care and a sharing of skills and knowledge.
The Specialist palliative care nurse practitioner will focus on patient and service user involvement to ensure services are inclusive and codesigned with patients families and staff to ensure services meet the needs of patients across all communities in Kirklees.
THE KIRKWOOD SUPPORT LIFE VALUES
Our values are part of what make us different from other hospices, so we see this as a strength, as well as a responsibility. They have been developed by our staff and set out what they see as important to how we work.Our six values are:
Respectful & Inclusive
Passionate & Determined
Open & Honest
Kind & Compassionate
Forward Thinking
Strive for Quality and Excellence
All our actions and endeavours will be guided and evaluated through these values
CORE VALUES
Commitment to delivering high quality evidence-based care
Commitment to working in a multi-disciplinary team
Commitment to the clinical area, valuing the contribution of all team members, encouraging a positive and creative working environment
Commitment to own personal and professional development and to the development of others within the team.
CORE BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS
Communication skills
Teaching and assessment skills
Preceptorship skills
Organisational skills
Time management skills
Change management skills
Understanding of research-based practice research conscious
Team player
Learns from lessons learnt in users complaints and all feed back
Conflict management
Managing stress
Uses initiative to resolve issues within their own control
Ability to act professionally at all times
CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
Understanding of the local and national nursing agenda
Understanding of organisational structures
Understanding knowledge interaction with Hospice UK
Collaborative partnership working with all centres
PRINCIPLE DUTIES AND AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Clinical
Provide a clinical leadership and role model to the nursing team by delivering high quality care as an expert practitioner
Set, monitor and seek to continuously improve standards and the quality of patient care utilising benchmarks.
Maintain a safe working environment
Supervise and maintain accurate records in accordance with NMC guidance and auditing standards.
Ensure that all nursing staff follow current and up to date safeguarding practices including MCA and best interest practice and decision making,
Support and inspire all members of the Multidisciplinary team in its widest sense and ensuring development of advanced/specialist palliative knowledge skills and competent professional practice within and across the team.
Work collaboratively with the Multidisciplinary team promoting and utilising a leadership approach to empower and ensure shared accountability for shared clinical decisions.
To effectively engage and involve patient, families and carers in its widest sense and at every opportunity encouraging a co design approach to service development.
Ensure the safe use and efficient management of equipment and supplies
Promote evidence-based practice, wherever possible
Work with the Matron to ensure that clinical governance processes at unit/dept level encompass measures to ensure the quality of the fundamental and essential aspects of care
Support the implementation of benchmarking
Prioritise their workload and that of the wider team within agreed objectives deciding when to refer to others as appropriate
Acts in accordance with the Nursing & Midwifery code of conduct
Act on behalf of the Specialist Palliative Care Team Leader to ensure a consistent approach.
Support all aspects of practice when all other senior nurses are absent
Hold a specialist palliative care portfolio i.e. Frailty, Admission Avoidance, Vulnerable adults, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.
Education and Training
Ensure all staff have an individual performance development plan
Ensure all nursing staff maintain mandatory training requirement
Ensure implementation of the Hospices Study Leave policy
Ensure the induction and development of staff
Promote a positive learning environment within the clinical area
Maintain detailed and accurate records regarding staff education and attendance management
Actively participate in the palliative care education programme provided by the hospice.
Leadership
Provide leadership to the clinical team and working with Matron and colleagues, develop new roles/ways of working
Delegate and empower staff
Support the nursing team, including recruitment, performance management and workforce planning
Supervise staff rostering, ensuring adequate skill mix in the absence of the Team Manager
Investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events whilst allocating responsibility to ensure these are managed effectively and all learning is shared.
Work with Matron to promote the development of all staff.
Deliver an effective quality service.
Deputise for Team Manager/Matron in their absence.
Monitor and evaluate through clinical audit and formal evaluation the standard of care provided by the Palliative Care team.
EMPLOYEE INFORMATION
The Kirkwood is smoke free; the only exception being for in-patients who may smoke in a designated smoking room. However, a designated smoking area is allocated for employees and volunteers.
This job description is not exhaustive therefore the employer and employee share responsibility to review and amend this job description in order to reflect any changes in role/development.
The employee must undertake annual mandatory training provided by The Kirkwood.
The employee must maintain a safe working environment in accordance with the Hospice fire and health & safety policies.
All employees have a responsibility to identify and assess risk. Employees are actively encouraged to report all incidents including near misses. In order to ensure all incidents are reported, an open culture operates in which employees are free to report incidents in the knowledge that they will be supported.
The post holder will be required to maintain complete confidentiality as a condition of employment. Information relating to patients, other members of staff and volunteers or which is acquired for the purposes of employment may only be disclosed with the express permission of the appropriate manager.
The employee is requested to respect the ethos and values of The Kirkwood and its services and comply with its policies, procedures and regulations.
The post holder requires a satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS).
HEALTH AND SAFETY/RISK MANAGEMENT
All staff are responsible for working with their colleagues to maintain and improve the quality of services provided to our patients and other service users. This includes complying at all times with local Policies, including Health and Safety policies, in particular by following agreed safe working procedures, and reporting incidents using the Kirkwood Reporting system.
INFECTION CONTROL
The jobholder must comply at all times with the adopted policies and procedures in place, in particular by practising Universal Infection Control Precautions.
EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY
The jobholder must comply with all policies and procedures designed to ensure equality of employment and that services are delivered in ways that meet the individual needs of patients and their families. No person whether they are staff, patient or visitor should receive less favourable treatment.
PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
The Trust has a statutory duty to involve patients and public in evaluating and planning services. All staff have a responsibility to listen to the views of patients and to contribute to service improvements based on patient feedback.
TRAINING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The jobholder must take responsibility, in agreement with their line manager, for their own personal development by ensuring that Continuous Professional Development remains a priority. The job holder will undertake all mandatory training required for the role.
RESPECT FOR PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY
The job holder should respect patient confidentiality at all times and not divulge patient information unless sanctioned by the requirements of the role.
COMMUNICATION AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Matron
All grades nursing staff
Allied Health Professionals
Medical staff
Facilities staff
Members of Clinical Management Team
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Extensive experience of palliative care experience at NHS AfC band 6 or 7 or equivalent Experience of leading and managing a team Experience of teaching (formal and informal), mentoring and assessment Evidence of utilising evidence-based practice including promoting research and audit Experience of roster and effective resource management Previous involvement in quality initiatives, experience of implementing audit and evaluating care delivery through audit Evidence of developing innovative practice and being proactive in managing change Experience of recruitment and retention Demonstrates awareness and understanding of current developments in Specialist Palliative care Basic IT and computer skills Ability to implement apersonalised and holistic approach to care based upon accepted models A credible practitioner who demonstrates sound professional, clinical and practical knowledge Demonstrable leadership skills, confident, competent and compassionate practitioner Demonstrates commitment to very high standards of patient care and service delivery Able to demonstrate sound, up to date specialist palliative care knowledge including specialist symptom control Excellent verbal and written communication skills Demonstrable organisational skills and ability to prioritise competing demands Excellent interpersonal skills, motivational and a Team player Innovative and creative and assertive Flexible and adaptable Ability to recognise stress in self and others and utilise resilience approaches to well -being Sensitive and non-judgmental approach to service users and colleagues Emotionally resilient to work in the hospice environment Full valid UK driving licence and access to a personal vehicle for work purposes First level registered nurse with specialist palliative care knowledge gained through further education and experience First degree in a relevant subject area Supporting learners in practice (SLIP) or equivalent teaching qualification and assessing qualification Willingness and commitment to study to Masters level Accredited advanced communication skills qualification Non-Medical Prescriber Qualification or willingness to work towards
Desirable
Advanced Clinical Assessment Skills Post registration academic study in palliative care Qualification in management and/ or leadership
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 The Kirkwood
Address 21 Albany Road
Dalton
Huddersfield
HD5 9UY
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.thekirkwood.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)