Registered Nurse - IPU

Job responsibilities

The role reports to: IPU Team Leader

The contract is: Permanent

Grade: 5

The hours are: 37.5hrs per week to include internal rotation

Location: Our Head Office is at St Barnabas House

Job Purpose

The postholder will assess, plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based specialist palliative nursing care for in-patients whilst under the care of the team.

At Southern Hospice Group, we are committed to Safeguarding and consider that it is everyones responsibility. Most Southern Hospice Group colleagues are considered to be People in a Position of Trust. This is because you are employed in a position where you may have direct or indirect access to children, vulnerable adults or information in relation to those persons.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as a Key Worker to allocated patients, coordinating their care alongside the multi-professional team, from admission to discharge.
• Discuss and establish patients objectives for coming into the hospice on and throughout the admission and evaluate as appropriate.
• Ensure the safe administration of medications, adhering to NMC and organisational policies and procedures.
• Recognise and report any errors or omissions in the administration of medications.
• Assess the needs of patients and relatives requiring intervention from other professionals/therapies and refer appropriately.
• Base clinical practice on current research-based evidence.
• Act as a clinical lead as appropriate i.e. infection control, wound care or diabetes.
• Verify when a death has occurred, notifying relatives and carers as appropriate.
• Care for the deceased patient by administering care after death and ensuring the safe and timely removal of the body from the hospice.
• Communicate effectively with patients, carers and the bereaved to establish and maintain trusting relationships.
• Establish and maintain effective communication and working relationships with multi-professional teams within the Hospice and in the community.
• As a key worker, to present patients and contribute to discussion at the multi-professional team meeting if working day shift.
• Offer a high level of emotional support to patients and/or carers particularly during admission, breaking of bad news and around time of death.
• Contribute to bereavement care offered to families by facilitating bereavement interviews and assessing risk factors for bereavement, referring to the bereavement service as necessary.
• Provide advice on symptom control/care management to other health care professionals out of hours.
• Sensitively handle out of hours enquires from community patients and carers.
• Take responsibility for the efficient running of the Inpatient Unit in the absence of a Team Leader or Ward Manager.
• Attend the admissions meeting as needed on early shifts, and contribute to decision-making regarding the number of agreed admissions.
• Allocate staff, taking into account skill mix, to ensure continuity of care for the patients and their relatives.
• Ensure the ward is appropriately staffed to agreed staffing levels in the event of unexpected absence, including the booking, or cancelling of bank staff.
• Facilitate, welcome and sensitively handle feedback including concerns and complaints from patients or relatives and act upon or refer to senior nurses as appropriate.
• Be responsible for the ordering (alongside the Pharmacy team), safe storage and use of pharmaceutical supplies and hazardous substances.
• Be the Fire Warden in absence of the Ward Manager.
• Be aware of the security of the building out of office hours, including the checking of doors and windows prior to the setting of alarms as appropriate.
• Contribute to the development of care provision by participating in standard setting and clinical audit in accordance with the Hospice clinical governance framework.
• Contribute to (Health and Safety) risk assessments as appropriate, ensuring identified actions are completed as a result.
• Inform, advise and teach patients, carers and staff on aspects of the patients condition and care required.
• Develop and maintain own knowledge and skills in palliative care.
• Maintain and extend management knowledge and skills.
• Attend all mandatory training identified as requirement of role.
• Actively contribute to both formal and informal, unit based clinical education as appropriate.
• Contribute to the development of nursing assistants, student nurses and junior staff nurses by ensuring delivery of effective induction programmes and continuing development through appraisal and education.
• Act as a mentor for students.
• Teach clinical and non-clinical staff as part of the educational activities of the Hospice.
• Keep and monitor accurate, timely and relevant patient records.
• Contribute to the written assessment of patients during discharge planning to supply relevant services with necessary information.
• Complete a written assessment of bereavement vulnerability.

Flexibility

This job description is intended to provide a broad outline of the role. The post holder may be required to carry out other duties commensurate with their banding and competence.

The post holder may have tasks or responsibilities delegated to them, appropriate to their level of competence. They may also be expected to delegate tasks or responsibilities to other employees within the team, as appropriate.

Other

Essential

• Enhanced DBS
• A valid UK driving licence and the ability to travel frequently throughout the working day across the catchment area for the hospice
• To undertake any other duty within your ability and within reason, as may be required from time to time, at the direction of your line manager.
• Personal grief must be resolved sufficiently to perform and cope in the palliative care setting.

Desirable

• The work is physically labour intensive, on feet for most of each shift and sometimes continuously.
• Regular safe manual handling of patients and equipment, including beds, mattresses, chairs and deceased bodies necessary. Regular bending and stretching involved.
• Mentally tiring due to prolonged episodes of listening and support for patients/relatives.
• Job involves initiating own activities.
• Job involves working independently within the remit of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct
• Routinely exposed to patients with infections, infected linen and body fluids.
• Regular exposure to hazardous substances including chemicals, medical gases and medications.
• Recognised protective clothing including aprons and gloves to be worn as required.
• Daily contact with distressed patients, carers and relatives requiring a high level of emotional support.
• Constant involvement with the dying process and death.
• Regular exposure to distressing scenes and occasionally verbal, rarely physical abuse from patients or relatives.
• Professional accountability and responsibility for patients and their care.
• Responsible for the handling of patients valuables and property. Can organize manning including the arranging of bank staff to agreed staffing levels.
• The level of responsibility is variable according to senior resources available.
• Decisions made regularly about appropriate staffing levels, admissions to the inpatient unit, discharging patients.

Qualifications

Essential

• A good standard of general education to GCSE level
• RGN or RN Adult Branch
• Diploma level qualification or willingness to attain
• Teaching qualification/experience

Desirable

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to facilitate individualized evidence based care
• Leadership insight with the evidence of effective team co-ordination skills
• Ability to prioritise work load and be flexible to changing demands
• Ability to share knowledge with others to develop and influence practice
• Able to maintain active and contemporaneous records
• Well-developed coping strategies
• Good understanding of palliative care principles and philosophy
• Basic pain and symptom control knowledge

Experience

Essential

• Experience of using a palliative care approach to patient care
• Experience of supervising junior staff

Desirable

• The full Person Specification is included in the Job Description

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).