Job summary
Were seeking a skilled and compassionate Registered Nurse with a passion for dementia care to join our growing Dementia Services Team at Dougie Mac.
This is a unique opportunity to work within a supportive, values-led hospice environment, providing holistic and proactive care to people with dementia and their families across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. Youll work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team and also manage your own caseload, delivering person-centred care and emotional support across all stages of the dementia journey.
This role is ideal for a nurse with experience in dementia, palliative care or community nursing who is looking to develop their specialist skills and make a meaningful impact.
Main duties of the job
As Dementia Services Nurse Specialist, you will:
Deliver holistic nursing assessments, triage, and evidence-based interventions
Provide emotional support, education, and advance care planning for families and carers
Manage your own caseload and contribute to MDT discussions
Offer specialist advice and training to colleagues and external professionals
Maintain accurate patient records on the shared electronic system
Identify and support patients at risk of delirium
Promote dignity, autonomy, and person-led care
Contribute to safeguarding, audit, and service development initiatives
Youll be a Registered Nurse (RGN, RMN or RNLD) with relevant dementia care experience, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work independently. A full UK driving licence and access to a car is required for community visits.
About us
Dougie Mac provides compassionate care and support for adults, young adults, and children with life-limiting conditions across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. As a values-driven organisation, we strive to deliver high-quality, person-led, and inclusive care across our inpatient, community, and supportive care services. Following our merger with Approach Dementia Support and expansion into children and young adult services, Dougie Mac now supports more people than ever before across all age groups and diagnoses.
Our team is made up of dedicated, skilled professionals who are committed to delivering responsive and meaningful care in line with our hospice values. We offer a collaborative working environment with access to professional development, reflective practice, and staff wellbeing support.
Dougie Mac is proud to be a financially independent local charity, offering a competitive salary and benefits package including generous annual leave, contributory pension scheme, funded study opportunities, hospice-paid healthcare cash plan, and free on-site parking.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
1.To provide specialist holistic nursing assessment, evidenced based intervention, practical advice, and emotional support for people with Dementia and their families at all stages including bereavement.
2.Provide clinical advice and support to patients, their families and other healthcare professionals.
3.Work with patients, their families and carers in a sensitive manner supporting them in an empowering way that enables them to recognise that it is possible to live well with dementia but also navigate the sense of loss and bereavement associated with the prognosis and behavioural changes associated with the dementia.
4.Provide specialist advice and direct and indirect training for other professionals in dementia interventions.
5.To use a proactive and sensitive approach with patients and relatives to enable involvement in advance care planning.
6.Participate in multi-professional meetings, acting as a patient advocate and represent Dementia Services.
7.Understand and utilise relevant clinical guidelines.
8.Takes professional responsibility for ensuring effective communication between all service providers across the care pathway.
9.Proactively identify patients at risk of delirium and provide advice and support on delirium management.
Clinical:
10.To meet the multiple and often complex needs of families affected by dementia through ongoing assessment of health and wellbeing, including risk assessment, developing, implementing and evaluating intervention plans.
11.Promote the rights, interests, needs and choices of carers and people with dementia when advising, planning, supporting and evaluating plan of care.
12.To maintain clinical records using a shared patient electronic database and provide verbal and written feedback appropriately and as required, to carers, people with dementia (as appropriate), referring agencies and professional colleagues.
13.To liaise with GPs, case managers, primary health care practitioners, statutory and voluntary agencies regarding the best possible care for the family affected by dementia.
14.To promote the health and wellbeing of families affected by dementia in line with health and social care policy, guidelines and legislation.
15.To recognise the limits of own competency and professional boundaries and to make appropriate and timely referral in respect of clients needs.
16.To work alongside your team to ensure the continued co-ordination of the content and delivery of the patients care plans and ensure the quality and provision of nursing care of patients and their families.
17.To assess the needs of patients and their carers and identify their respective physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual needs.
18.To work within a team framework, collaborating with colleagues and members of other disciplines across the hospice and externally.
19.To lead in supervision, debriefing and reflective practice sessions.
20.Undertake comprehensive triage activities to ensure that support is delivered in a timely way.
21.Act as role model for excellent advanced communication skills, expertise and on the delivery of evidence based practice in dementia care.
22.To take action in a timely way where there are safeguarding concerns inline with clinical guidelines and procedures.
23.To keep professionally updated with ongoing developments in dementia care through an evidenced based approach by evaluating, updating or participating in training, audit and research.
24.Caseload
25.Being able to prioritise workload as part of responding rapidly to crisis situations.
Professional:
26.To follow the hospice and Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) standards on Medicines Management.
27.To maintain professional registration in line with NMC guidance including re-validation.
28.To recognise and manage the potentially distressing effects of working with terminal illness, maintaining personal resilience while accessing the support, guidance, and resources available through the hospice.
29.To work positively with colleagues to maintain clinically effective relationships.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Principal Duties & Responsibilities:
1.To provide specialist holistic nursing assessment, evidenced based intervention, practical advice, and emotional support for people with Dementia and their families at all stages including bereavement.
2.Provide clinical advice and support to patients, their families and other healthcare professionals.
3.Work with patients, their families and carers in a sensitive manner supporting them in an empowering way that enables them to recognise that it is possible to live well with dementia but also navigate the sense of loss and bereavement associated with the prognosis and behavioural changes associated with the dementia.
4.Provide specialist advice and direct and indirect training for other professionals in dementia interventions.
5.To use a proactive and sensitive approach with patients and relatives to enable involvement in advance care planning.
6.Participate in multi-professional meetings, acting as a patient advocate and represent Dementia Services.
7.Understand and utilise relevant clinical guidelines.
8.Takes professional responsibility for ensuring effective communication between all service providers across the care pathway.
9.Proactively identify patients at risk of delirium and provide advice and support on delirium management.
Clinical:
10.To meet the multiple and often complex needs of families affected by dementia through ongoing assessment of health and wellbeing, including risk assessment, developing, implementing and evaluating intervention plans.
11.Promote the rights, interests, needs and choices of carers and people with dementia when advising, planning, supporting and evaluating plan of care.
12.To maintain clinical records using a shared patient electronic database and provide verbal and written feedback appropriately and as required, to carers, people with dementia (as appropriate), referring agencies and professional colleagues.
13.To liaise with GPs, case managers, primary health care practitioners, statutory and voluntary agencies regarding the best possible care for the family affected by dementia.
14.To promote the health and wellbeing of families affected by dementia in line with health and social care policy, guidelines and legislation.
15.To recognise the limits of own competency and professional boundaries and to make appropriate and timely referral in respect of clients needs.
16.To work alongside your team to ensure the continued co-ordination of the content and delivery of the patients care plans and ensure the quality and provision of nursing care of patients and their families.
17.To assess the needs of patients and their carers and identify their respective physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual needs.
18.To work within a team framework, collaborating with colleagues and members of other disciplines across the hospice and externally.
19.To lead in supervision, debriefing and reflective practice sessions.
20.Undertake comprehensive triage activities to ensure that support is delivered in a timely way.
21.Act as role model for excellent advanced communication skills, expertise and on the delivery of evidence based practice in dementia care.
22.To take action in a timely way where there are safeguarding concerns inline with clinical guidelines and procedures.
23.To keep professionally updated with ongoing developments in dementia care through an evidenced based approach by evaluating, updating or participating in training, audit and research.
24.Caseload
25.Being able to prioritise workload as part of responding rapidly to crisis situations.
Professional:
26.To follow the hospice and Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) standards on Medicines Management.
27.To maintain professional registration in line with NMC guidance including re-validation.
28.To recognise and manage the potentially distressing effects of working with terminal illness, maintaining personal resilience while accessing the support, guidance, and resources available through the hospice.
29.To work positively with colleagues to maintain clinically effective relationships.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (RMN/RGN/RNLD) (A)
- Post resignation clinical experience of working with people with dementia OR qualification/training in dementia care (A/I)
- Ability to travel independently throughout the locality with access to suitable vehicle for business purposes (A)
Desirable
- Relevant teaching qualification or experience (A/I)
- Mentorship qualification (A)
- Advanced Communication Skills (A)
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience and knowledge of palliative/terminal care (I)
- Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner (A/I)
Desirable
- Caseload management skills (I)
- Experience in Audit (A)
- Experience in formal teaching (A/I)
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Ability to work with a multi-disciplinary team (A/I)
- Ability to build and maintain key relationships and networks (I)
- Must be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills. (I)
- IT skills including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint)
- (A/I )
- Knowledge of evidencing the use of clinical guidelines (A)
- A good knowledge of the dementia pathway from assessment and diagnosis through all stages (I)
- The ability to adapt to change (A/I)
- Use own Initiative (A/I)
- Ability to prioritise tasks, appropriately delegate and manage time effectively (I)
- Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands (I)
- To be able to meet the requirements of the post
- Flexible working to meet shift requirements
- Present a professional appearance appropriate to the role
Desirable
- Awareness of relevant policies, national strategy in relation to dementia care (A/I)
- To understand the external influences that affect the delivery of dementia care (A/I)
- Management of delirium in dementia (A/I)
- Demonstrate leadership qualities (I)
- Ability to motivate others (A/I)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (RMN/RGN/RNLD) (A)
- Post resignation clinical experience of working with people with dementia OR qualification/training in dementia care (A/I)
- Ability to travel independently throughout the locality with access to suitable vehicle for business purposes (A)
Desirable
- Relevant teaching qualification or experience (A/I)
- Mentorship qualification (A)
- Advanced Communication Skills (A)
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience and knowledge of palliative/terminal care (I)
- Experience of working as an autonomous practitioner (A/I)
Desirable
- Caseload management skills (I)
- Experience in Audit (A)
- Experience in formal teaching (A/I)
Additional Criteria
Essential
- Ability to work with a multi-disciplinary team (A/I)
- Ability to build and maintain key relationships and networks (I)
- Must be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal and communication skills. (I)
- IT skills including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint)
- (A/I )
- Knowledge of evidencing the use of clinical guidelines (A)
- A good knowledge of the dementia pathway from assessment and diagnosis through all stages (I)
- The ability to adapt to change (A/I)
- Use own Initiative (A/I)
- Ability to prioritise tasks, appropriately delegate and manage time effectively (I)
- Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands (I)
- To be able to meet the requirements of the post
- Flexible working to meet shift requirements
- Present a professional appearance appropriate to the role
Desirable
- Awareness of relevant policies, national strategy in relation to dementia care (A/I)
- To understand the external influences that affect the delivery of dementia care (A/I)
- Management of delirium in dementia (A/I)
- Demonstrate leadership qualities (I)
- Ability to motivate others (A/I)
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).
Additional information
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).
