Hospiscare Bereavement Lead

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Description

1. JOB DETAILS

Job Title: Bereavement Lead

Band: 6

Location: Exeter

Hours: 30/week, 4 days usually worked Monday to Friday

Team/Directorate: Supportive Care

Responsible To: Supportive and Spiritual Care Team Leader

Responsible For: Bereavement Team Volunteers

Accountable to: Head of Community Services

2. JOB PURPOSE

· To coordinate and lead the delivery of an evidence based grief and bereavement service for Hospiscare patients and those close to them.

· To provide professional supervision for Hospiscare’s team of volunteer listeners and bereavement counsellors.

3. KEY RESULT AREAS/PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

3.1 Main Responsibilities

• Manage a caseload of complex clients, identifying and assessing their psychological, social, cultural, spiritual and physical needs in order to make appropriate referrals and provide effective interventions that comply with Hospiscare’s procedures and bereavement service criteria.

· Provide counselling supervision to bereavement volunteers in line with professional body guidance, to ensure they are fully supported and deliver an effective service that meets Hospiscare’s requirements and the needs of patients and those close to them.

· Co-ordinate and delegate casework to volunteers, support workers, student and qualified counsellors, and members of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT), to ensure the assessed needs of patients and those close to them are provided for appropriately.

• Participate in multidisciplinary assessment and care planning, acting in an advisory capacity and liaising with external agencies when appropriate, to ensure safe and responsive service provision.

· Develop the team of volunteer listeners and counsellors, to ensure an appropriately skill-mixed service that meets the needs of bereaved adults.

· Lead in the planning and development of bereavement groups to provide structured and individual and group support for people experiencing significant psychological issues secondary to grief or bereavement.

· Act as a specialist bereavement resource to contribute to the continuing development of Hospiscare’s bereavement service, and to the organisation’s learning and development programme, providing consultative advice for operational and strategic planning.

· Develop and maintain a wide knowledge of local and national resources and services to ensure the adult bereavement care offered to Hospiscare’s patients and those close to them is in line with current legislation, research and best practice.

Infection Prevention and Control

Maintaining a safe environment for patients, visitors and employees is everyone’s responsibility. All staff are required to adhere to Hospiscare’s 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.

3.2 Key Contacts

Internal:

· Bereavement volunteers

· Supportive and Spiritual Care Team Leader

· Supportive Care team

· Head of Community Services

· Ward Managers and In-patient Unit (IPU) team

· Community Cluster Team Leaders (CCTLs) and Community teams

· Medical team

· Clinical Quality team

· Clinical Administration

· Learning and Development (L&D) team

· Volunteering team

· Students and Trainees

External:

· Patients and those close to them

· Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

· NHS Community Services

· General Practitioners

· Local voluntary sector bereavement services

· 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

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience of working within a palliative care/end of life environment
• Substantial experience of managing a caseload of complex clients
• Significant experience of facilitating clinical and/or counselling supervision (individual and groups)
• Significant experience of leading a team
• Demonstrable experience of working with volunteers

Desirable

• Experience of teaching/developing training sessions
• Experience of working in a variety of health and social care settings
• Experience of policy and/or standards development
• Experience of service evaluation/audit

Qualifications

Essential

• Degree or Diploma in Counselling or related discipline, or equivalent
• Registered with HCPC and/or relevant professional body
• Supervision/Mentoring qualification
• Evidence of ongoing professional development

Desirable

• Advanced Communication Skills training
• Teaching qualification

Knowledge

Essential

• Detailed understanding of the complexities of working with individuals at times of distress and conflict
• Advanced understanding of the theoretical frameworks, national and professional guidance, and research and evidence pertaining to grief and bereavement counselling
• Advanced understanding of Counselling training and practice requirements

Desirable

• Understanding of key issues relating to End of Life care including policy developments

Personal attributes

Essential

• Advanced ability to act as an expert practitioner
• 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
• Ability to network to create and develop connections with external individuals and organisations
• Flexible and adaptable with the ability to respond positively in a rapidly changing environment
• Commitment to continuous professional development
• Awareness of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in all aspects of work

Additional requirements

Essential

• Able to work and travel within the community setting throughout the area covered by Hospiscare
• Flexible to work outside normal working hours on occasion if required

Desirable

• Car owner and driver

Skills

Essential

• Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills
• Highly developed ability to manage challenging circumstances effectively, to understand and disseminate complex, sensitive and confidential information in an appropriate manner
• Highly developed skills in managing a complex caseload effectively
• Developed ability to demonstrate knowledge and expertise through formal/informal teaching and educational programmes, and to provide professional advice appropriately
• Developed IT skills

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

Employer's website

https://www.hospiscare.co.uk (Opens in a new tab)