Day Hospice Staff Nurse

Job responsibilities

Overgate Hospice is an independent charity with a mission to ensure that patients and those close to them live with the best possible quality of life. This is enabled by provision of the highest standard of compassionate and evidence-based specialist palliative and end of life care for adults in Calderdale who have active, progressive life limiting illness.

However, the current constraints of our ageing facilities are making this more difficult than ever. Our ambitious redevelopment plans will modernise and expand our existing facilities to transform the environment in which we care for our patients, as well as meaning we can care for more people who need us. In April 2024, Overgate Hospice launched a capital appeal, the Big Build Appeal, to raise the funds needed to make these transformational plans become a reality.

Job Summary

Overgate Hospice has twelve Inpatient beds and a Day Hospice that provides the highest standard of compassionate & evidence-based specialist palliative care and end of life care for adults in Calderdale, who have active, progressive and life limiting illnesses.

The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team in providing a high standard of specialist palliative care to patients and their families.

Minimum Qualifications / Experience Required

Registered Nurse

The post holder must comply with all aspects of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and maintain own registration with the NMC

Key Working Relationships

Patients, their relatives, carers, and friends

All other nursing & medical staff, ward clerks, housekeeping & catering staff, clinical admin staff & volunteers.

Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical

Work with nursing colleagues to deliver skilled, practical, and compassionate nursing care both in the Hospice and Community settings.

Plan, assess and evaluate patients needs on initial assessment following referral to Day Hospice, either at the New Referral Group or Overgate Nurse led home visit.

Negotiate clinical options and decisions with the patient, family, and multidisciplinary team.

Identify hopes and goals of the patient and family and work with them towards their achievement.

Work with patients to identify their wishes for future planning and completion of My Future Wishes and ReSPECT forms if appropriate.

Monitor both physical and psychological symptoms of the illness.

Identify new problems and discuss options for resolving them.

Discover the extent to which carers wish to be involved, particularly with practical care.

Teach the skills of practical nursing care to enable carers to manage and develop confidence.

Anticipate the changing needs of patients and emotionally prepare the patient and family, exploring the patient and family awareness of the situation.

Ensure that nursing documentation is recorded accurately, concise and in a timely manner.

Be responsible for the organisation of patient care and the delegation of duties to junior team members. To participate in patient care activities, giving guidance and support as necessary to other team members.

Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure patients are effectively managed.

To provide support and guidance when dealing with advice call requests ensuring the On Call Consultant is contacted as appropriate in line with current procedure.

To ensure that the high standards of nursing care are given and maintained. To act when standards are not being maintained.

Educational

Act as a Link Nurse in designated areas as directed by Day Hospice Manager.

Participate in the induction, training and ongoing supervision of team members, new staff, students, and volunteers.

Participate in Overgate education and training programmes.

Act as a mentor or clinical supervisor to colleagues and visiting students as appropriate.

Professional

Work within the NMC Code of Professional Practice and within policies, procedure, and guidelines of Overgate Hospice.

Participate in regular staff meetings.

Be flexible to work across areas or services to meet the demands of changing service needs.

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with patients, relatives, and all visitors to the Hospice.

Take responsibility for own continuing professional development and performance, including identifying own development needs and maintain own portfolio in accordance with revalidation.

Ensure confidentiality is maintained to meet professional requirements.

Managerial

Support the Day Hospice Manager and Sister with risk assessment and minimisation, ensuring incidents and near misses are reported.

Manage verbal complaints, inform Day Hospice Manager and Sister, and refer on when unable to resolve.

Recognise, prevent where possible, and manage areas of conflict, reporting to the Day Hospice Manager and Sister if unable to resolve.

Participate in research programmes utilising agreed research findings to enhance the patient and their familys experience.

Participate in the development of practice by actively participating in benchmarking and auditing clinical practice.

Financial

Make effective use of resources, being mindful of costs

Managing Self

Undertake appraisals identifying, developing, and agreeing your own development plan with Day Hospice Manager and Sister.

Access support/ clinical supervision as appropriate.

This is not an exhaustive list of duties, and this job description will be reviewed with the post holder from time to time.

Overgate General Duties and Responsibilities

All employees must maintain a safe working environment in accordance with Overgate Hospices Health and Safety policies & abide by the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).

All employees must undertake relevant mandatory training.

All employees must comply with all Hospice policies and procedures and always maintain strict confidentiality within the guidelines of the General Data Protection Regulations.

All employees must adhere to the Hospices Standards of Behaviour Framework and Values in all aspects of their work.

This job description is not exhaustive and will be subject to periodic review. The employer and the employee share responsibility to review and amend it as appropriate.

Safeguarding Children and Adults at Risk

All Hospice staff are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and well-being of children and adults at risk. Familiarisation with and adherence to the Hospice safeguarding policies is an essential requirement of all employees as is participation in related mandatory/statutory training.

Valuing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

All employees should perform their duties in accordance with the values and principles of valuing equality, diversity, and inclusion. It is the responsibility of all employees to support the Hospice vision of promoting a positive attitude to equality, diversity, and inclusion of opportunity, to promote inclusion, eliminate discrimination and disadvantage in service delivery and employment, and to manage, support or comply through the implementation of the Hospices Equal Opportunities Policy.

Experience

Essential

• Multi-professional team working
• Ability to demonstrate an awareness of the impact of loss and grief on self and others
• A credible practitioner who demonstrates sound professional clinical and practical knowledge

Desirable

• Experience of palliative care
• Able to demonstrate palliative care knowledge including symptom control

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Experience of using databases
• Computer literate and proficient in the use of Microsoft Office
• Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing
• Ability to maintain confidentiality
• Ability to work effectively with minimum supervision
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to work in a team which includes volunteers
• Ability to assess and deliver care to meet complex patient needs/ issues
• Positive attitude to change, ability to demonstrate knowledge of how to implement change
• Awareness of evidence-based practice and the need for audit and research
• Current driving licence

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• The post holder must comply with all aspects of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and maintain own registration with the NMC

Desirable

• Post- registration palliative care qualification

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Ability to deal with conflicting demands and pressures
• Team player who earns the trust and respect of colleagues
• Positive professional approach and image
• Commitment to the purpose and values of Overgate Hospice
• Emotionally Resilient
• Excellent attention to detail
• Excellent telephone manner
• Good timekeeping

Desirable

• Understanding of, and empathy with, Hospice environment

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).