Advanced clinical practitioner (palliative care)

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be part of the hospital palliative care team however they will be expected to work in all settings if the service requires. They will also provide medical support in and out of hours to the IPU. This will be reflected in their job plan.

The post holders line manager will be the Lead Consultant in Palliative Medicine.

The post holder will be expected to participate in the medical on call rota which is nominally one weekend per month covering the IPU, and one evening/overnight per week (telephone cover +/- face-to-face assessment as appropriate).

Role requirement and person specification

Criteria

Essential

Qualifications, training, knowledge and experience

The 4 pillars of ACP must be met:

Clinical practice: masters level qualification (or experience) and non-medical prescribing qualification

Leadership and management

Education

Research

For RCN registrants this is achieving credentialing for RCN Advance level Nursing practice and for non-RCN registrants evidence they meet the credentialing criteria.

Once a nationally agreed multi-professional register is agreed this will become the standard requirement.

Extensive experience in the delivery of specialist palliative care across pathologies

Communication skills

Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information

There may be barriers to understanding and acceptance exacerbated by disease progression, or its speed, in a highly emotive atmosphere. Negotiation, education, empathy and re-assurance will be needed to reach agreement or understanding

Information maybe received from or given to patients, family or other health and social care professionals in own organisation or externally

Liaising and advising hospital inpatient teams who have overall responsibility for the patient, and delivering shared care with patient at the centre of care

Communicating with other health professional colleagues, including completion of Fast Track Assessment forms, and discharge planning to home or hospice, and onward referral

Promotion of Palliative and End of Life Care within the Acute Hospital Trust with attendance and representation at appropriate Board meetings

Analytical and judgemental skills

Ability to make assessment and subsequent decision in a complex presentation where there is an element of uncertainty and risk

Planning and organisational skills

Plan and organise complex activities or programmes, requiring Formulation and adjustments

Includes changing in priorities through a shift across settings. Will often involve delegation of tasks

Physical skills

Ability to use medical equipment to complete assessments and review treatment plans

Responsibility for patient care

Develops specialist treatment plans for palliative patients across settings.

Provides advise to other professionals on the treatment plans for patients in their care. This may be within the organisation, primary care or acute trust.

Accountable for decision making

Responsibility for policy and service development

Proposes changes and develops protocols which may impact on other professionals within service and rest of organisation, and within the Acute Hospital Trust.

Financial and physical resources

Responsible for safe use of expensive equipment

Human resources

Develops and delivers educational packages to a wide range of professionals on end of life and palliative care topics. E.g. Verification of expected death, symptom management, referral pathways, medical, nursing and therapy interventions.

Training can be delivered across health economy including private and voluntary sectors

Information resources

Records personally generated patient records

Research and development

Regularly undertakes research activities including complex audit, often across service or pathways, recruiting to research projects, involved in evaluation and write up of research.

Freedom to Act

Freedom to act based on own interpretation of policies and patient assessments; works autonomously and is fully accountable for all decisions made.

Effort factors

Inputting at keyboard daily

Travelling to various sites across the organisation

Frequent concentration required for assessment of patients, evaluation of others work, report writing, giving advice face to face or via telephone

Frequent interruptions for advice and queries, may require change in activities

Frequently dealing with difficult situations/circumstances regarding imparting unwelcome news to patients and families, provides care of the terminal ill, includes withdrawal of treatment

Dealing with staff with emotional or challenging behaviour

Travelling between various MCH sites

Occasional exposure to aggressive and/or verbal behaviour

Occasional exposure to unpleasant working conditions

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Healthcare Professional
• Masters Level Qualification or Experience
• Non-Medical Prescribing Qualification
• Leadership and Management Qualification
• Education Qualification
• Research Qualification
• Advanced Communication Skills Training
• Advanced Clinical Assessment Skills qualification

Desirable

• Post-Registration Specialist Palliative Care Qualification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience in the delivery of specialist palliative care across pathologies
• Experience in working in acute medical/emergency medicine

Skills

Essential

• Application form clearly evidences ability to expertly clinically assess and make subsequent decisions in complex palliative care presentations
• Application form clearly evidences ability to develop specialist treatment plans for palliative patients across acute inpatient settings.
• Application form clearly evidences ability to develop and deliver educational packages to a wide range of professionals on end of life and palliative care topics.
• Application evidences ability to deliver highly complex, sensitive or contentious information to patients and families

MCH Values

Essential

• Good understanding of the MCH values

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

Medway Community Healthcare

Address

Wisdom Hospice

Rochester

ME1 2NU

Employer's website

https://www.medwaycommunityhealthcare.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)