Job responsibilities
KEY PRIORITIES
Provide clinical and professional leadership in order to ensure staff have the relevant skills to deliver high quality holistic care to patients and families. Develop a patient and family centred service, advocating for patients.
Work closely with community colleagues, St Helena and Hospital staff in order to ensure that patients requiring end of life care receive an integrated service in a timely manner.
Identify areas where existing standards should be updated and highlight new developments in practice to colleagues both internal and external.
Manage the SinglePoint clinical team including supervision, absence management, rostering and supporting the absence of the Clinical Nurse Manager or Team Lead
Undertaking direct assessments of patients and their families and dealing with sensitive situations relating to dying patients in their own homes as part of a 24 hour service.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical Leadership
To holistically assess the supportive and care needs of patients and provide clinical and professional advice
To provide an expert resource to community staff for the clinical and supportive care of patients at end of life, particularly around symptom control
To actively prevent unnecessary hospital admission by providing rapid response for patients in symptom control crisis when appropriate
Act as a resource for patients families, carers, MDT members and for junior members of staff
To assess patients who are considered to be at the end of their lives and seek teir consent if appropriate to be placed on the MCCR
Ensuring that palliative and end of life care patients receive appropriate support and advice and are offered documentation of choice at all stages
Demonstrate awareness of the emotional needs of patients and families and the sensitivity and communication skills to meet these needs.
Liaise with colleagues across health and social care and commissioning, to access care packages.
To communicate sensitively and effectively both verbally and in writing with patients, families and
colleagues including volunteers. In some cases there may be barriers to understanding or highly sensitive communication required. In the absence of district nursing colleagues assess the needs of patients entering the service.
To work closely with a range of clinical, patient, Social Care and voluntary groups to ensure that patients and carers receive information on support services, adapting communication style to the needs of the relevant group. Identify and overcome potential barriers to communication such as language differences, varying levels of understanding or disabilities
To act as an advocate safeguarding the patients and familys rights and interests, abilities and aptitudes, encouraging empowerment and informed choice
Facilitate meetings as required with patients and their families, including other agency professionals as is relevant
Ensure you follow all policies and procedures in relation to prevention and infection control
Management and leadership
Provide clinical leadership to the SinglePoint service, including direct and indirect management of individuals and resources, including managing sickness absence, compassionate leave, study leave, return to work interviews and rosters in the absence of the CNM or team lead
Use patient experience feedback to influence the quality of care delivered
Motivate and encourage junior staff to provide the highest standards of holistic patient care
Undertake Staff Development Reviews
To work with the Heads of Community Services and SinglePoint Team Lead to oversee the implementation of National and Local End of Life Care strategies within the community and to meet the KPIs set by NEE CCG
Enhancing communication between services and actively encouraging multi- disciplinary working
Lead on service planning in conjunction with the Heads of Community Services and SinglePoint Team Lead.
Operate and manage the service within the operational policy
Participate in the audit process and encourage all staff to embrace the opportunities gained from audit.
Help to maintain an awareness of Health and Safety and staff welfare issues (including infection control and risk assessment and management) for all staff working within the service.
Ensure that all staff follow St Helena policy and participate in the development of policy and procedure as required for service delivery
Participate in Clinical Supervision both as a recipient and a provider
Ensure the service complies with external regulators.
Comply with NMC guidelines
Organise own work load.
Assist in the appointment and development of new staff
Be aware of own emotional needs, relating to the palliative care environment, and how to meet them.
Enable staff to work as part of a team to provide physical, emotional, spiritual and social support to patients and families whose lives are affected by illness, loss and grief.
The post holder will be required to deal with staff issues, patient complaints and deal with complex and often emotive information and situations. The post holder will be required to undertake extensive periods of work at a keyboard.
Education & Research
Assist in the identification and meeting of educational needs of staff. Identify training needs and provide training to the team in order to meet service needs
Facilitate an effective and open learning environment
To facilitate training and development programmes for community staff engaged in end of life care delivery alongside St Helena colleagues.
To continue own professional development and to keep up to date with relevant research in palliative and end of life care and ensuring the implications for practice are communicated to clinical and commissioning staff.
To work with appropriate partners to raise the level of education, skills and competencies among
