Hospice Support Nurse

Job responsibilities

Overview of general responsibilities. Within the Hospice to:

• To provide direct day to day clinical support to Hospice patients working collaboratively across all clinical departments.
• Actively integrate theory and practice.
• Promote and foster the Hospices reputation and standing within the community and with private, statutory and voluntary sector agencies and organisations.
• Put quality at the heart of practice by delivering evidence based individualised care through holistic needs assessment, care planning and evaluation of all care interventions; determines and follows agreed care pathways.
• Ensure quality nursing care and coordinated multidisciplinary care is provided in line with patient and family best interests.
• To take the role of Key Worker for an allocated caseload demonstrating nursing leadership in delivering episodes of care within a multidisciplinary approach.
• Act as a Key Worker for a clinical caseload, working to proactively manage care and provide easy access for ongoing support.
• Assess peoples information needs and provide relevant information to meet those needs through a variety of solutions e.g. the use of information prescriptions; supports people to understand and evaluate complex and new information, to enable them to determine their own future.
• Promote self-management, undertaking risk assessment to determine those patients who can self-manage, following education, those who will need guided support to self-manage and those who will require on-going, face to face support in coping with life limiting illness and its treatment.
• Act as a role model for excellent communication skills and hospice care expertise, to include managing emotional distress for patients and relatives in appropriate cases.
• Provide clinical expertise, advice and support across service/agency boundaries; refers to other professionals and sign-posts to other agencies as appropriate.
• Support the nursing contribution to service development, ensuring the pursuit of excellence in care.
• Promote the service and clinical excellence through innovation, audit/evaluation and research.
• Maintain accurate patient record systems.
• Our One Team approach aims to support creative and flexible responses from every member of our workforce in order to benefit each and every person using our services, from clinical care, retail, fundraising, and the support services. There is an expectation for everyone to support colleagues beyond their own team.
• Support patient and community involvement within the sphere of practice.
• Ensure accurate and thorough data collection to provide evidence of activity, outcomes and quality.
• Take professional responsibility for ensuring effective communication between all service providers across the care pathway.
• Support the development of patient focused education, including training to self-manage consequences of treatment.
• Act as mentor and support and coach junior staff members and students.
• Ensure that people affected by life-limiting illnesses know the full range of resources and services available.
• Develop skills in conflict resolution and negotiation skills when dealing with difficult or challenging situations.
• It will be expected that the postholder hold a full, valid driving license and is able to drive a hospice pool car or their own car if preferred.
• Co-operate and attend all appropriate mandatory and statutory training as required by the organisation and /or their professional bodies.
• Be proactive with discharge planning to ensure a smooth transition for the patient. Ensuring they are appropriately discharged, signposted to other services if required ensuring they are aware of how to contact us in the future.
• Recognise that this job description is not restrictive and needs to be flexible to cope with the changing needs of the job and the changing needs of Great Oaks.

Ongoing Development:

• Contribute to the clinical education and training to other professionals involved in patient care.
• Develop new skills in response to emerging knowledge and techniques.
• Work across professional boundaries using creative reasoning and problem-solving.
• Support and manage change and development of cross department holistic patient care.
• Develop clinical, technical and evaluation skills through breadth and depth of knowledge.
• Develop and use clinical expertise, clinical acumen, creative reasoning and experience to improve care; seeking help and cooperation from others as needed.
• Take personal responsibility for life-long learning and personal development through reflective practice, appraisal and actively engage with the learning and development opportunities offered by Great Oaks Hospice.
• Evaluate nursing practice and suggest changes as appropriate; using patient experience to inform and influence change and improvements to ensure we deliver high standards of person-centered care.
• All staff and volunteers in the Hospice are encouraged to contribute to identifying and meeting their own job-related development needs. This will be achieved through a variety of processes including regular 1-2-1s with Line Managers or senior colleagues, annual appraisal and development reviews.
• All employees are subject to an annual appraisal and to maximise the benefit from this process the employee must engage fully in the review and agree with their Line Manager organisational, team and personal objectives.
• Utilise Outcome Measures to assess the effectiveness of our care provision.
• Be able to use IT/Digital Platforms for delivery of service.
• Be proactive and flexible in your contribution to the promotion of Hospice care.

Requirement and Skills:

• Ability to be aware of the emotional effect the role can have on yourself and seek support when required.
• Demonstrate leadership through clinical expertise, delivering high standards of person-centered care and using the underpinning philosophy of co-creating care with people affected by life-limiting illnesses.
• To maintain an awareness of the charitable status of the organisation and its reliance on donations and fundraising.
• To work within the guidance of all Great Oaks Policies, Procedures and Risk Assessments and ensure you have read, understood, and comply with this guidance.
• To work within the guidance of your professional competence, NMC guidance and guidance set out by the Care Quality Commission.
• Ability to carry out Risk Assessments within the building and for patients, as required.

Equality and Diversity:

• Be aware that all Hospice services are provided within the resources available to adults with life limiting conditions wishing to be remain at home during their illness within the context of End-of-Life Care regardless of gender, culture, age, ability
• Challenge behavior which infringes the rights of others

Management of Resources:

• Practice within the constraints of budgetary limitations and available resources and be flexible as needed to get the job done.
• Work closely with the Finance Lead, Clinical Leads, and the Chief Executive Officer to support the development and management of the Clinical budgets, ensuring cost effectiveness and resource optimisation.
• Support the provision, security, maintenance, and care of all clinical equipment.
• Support adequate supplies of consumable items are always available.
• Allocate work appropriately maintaining responsibility for delegated works.

• Actively participate in multi-professional meetings, acting as patient advocate and representing nursing views.

Experience

Essential

• 2 years plus experience in palliative/end of life care within a community setting such as:
• Hospice environment
• Community nurse service
• Community hospital
• Be able to work independently without direct supervision

Desirable

• Further experience in any of the following:
• Elderly care
• Neurological care
• Stroke care
• General medical care
• Chronic disease management

Managerial Knowledge

Essential

• Ability to organise and prioritise workload
• Ability to create solutions to changing needs
• Mentorship/role model

Desirable

• Ability to empower a team
• Advance communication skills

Professional Knowledge and Attributes

Essential

• Knowledge and experience in use of Shared
• Care Record for Last Few Days of Life
• Competent in managing medical devices including a syringe driver
• Ability to assess changes in condition and need for symptom control
• Be competent to give PRN medication as required
• Awareness of infection control issues
• Knowledge of Community Nursing
• Knowledge of keyworker role as a care delivery strategy
• Professional portfolio to demonstrate professional qualifications and experience
• Knowledge of evidence-based care
• Clear and concise documentation skills
• Awareness of Ambitions for Palliative and End of Life Care and the Gloucester end of Life

Desirable

• Multi-disciplinary Team working
• Research/ Audit
• Knowledge of the GSF in End of-Life Care
• Knowledge of current symptom management

Personal Skills and Attributes

Essential

• Good interpersonal skills
• Effective team worker
• Flexible, innovative, and motivated
• Sound clinical skills
• Insight into the needs of the patient group
• Holistic approach to care
• Professional manner
• Emotional maturity
• Openness to new ways of working
• Willingness to develop within role
• Empathy

Desirable

• Ability to empower a team
• Advance communication skills

Other Requirements

Essential

• Willingness to develop within role
• Empathy
• Driver's license needed as will be required to carry out home visits.
• Occupational Health screening is required for this role. There will be an expectation to be fit for role and carrying out light to moderate nursing duties such as manual handling.

Desirable

• Flexibility within rota to meet the needs of the organisation

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse level 1 and 2
• Registered Nurse (Adult)

Desirable

• Recognised qualifications in any of the following: -
• Palliative Care
• Diploma in Nursing
• Care of the Elderly

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).