Advance Care Planning Facilitator - Palliative Care

Job summary

Advance Care Planning Facilitator - Palliative Care

Are you a motivated and experienced nurse?

Do you have proven experience of leading care for patients with a palliative diagnosis?

If so, the Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Team has developed a new role to focus on advance care planning. The successful applicant will support patients in prioritising their wishes and plans about their care, helping them and their families navigate through complex decisions about their place and type of care, all while co-ordinating complex discharges out of the hospital for palliative patients.

This is a core post within the palliative care team, working closely with the ward and multidisciplinary teams across the hospital, as well as with colleagues in the community.

We are a busy, well established and highly motivated multidisciplinary hospital based team, delivering a 7 day service to Croydon University Hospital.

We are committed to providing excellent palliative care for patients and their families in Croydon, and to supporting our colleagues across the Trust to do the same.

We are looking for a skilled and experienced nurse with a similar commitment to their patients to join us.

If this role sounds like it could be of interest, we'd love to hear from you!

Main duties of the job

As a core member of the specialist palliative care team, the successful applicant will:

• Support patients with cancer and other progressive life limiting illnesses to make decisions about their future, treatment and care in line with advance care planning best practice
• Offer patients, and their families, a clear process for transfer out of hospital that aligns with their preferences and wishes

• Co-ordinate the discharge plan for patients eligible for a funding application to Continuing Healthcare via the Fast Track process, by multidisciplinary and multi-team working
• Work alongside ward staff to improve the experience for all patients and their families affected by advanced progressive illness, with particular reference to supporting safe and timely transfer out of hospital
• Enhance palliative care provision across Croydon University Hospital for patients with advanced progressive illness
• Improve the end of life care experience for patients and their families across the Trust

About us

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust provide hospital and community services from a number of community and specialist clinics throughout Croydon.

The Trust was formed on 1st August 2010 through the integration of Croydon Community Health Services and Mayday Healthcare NHS Trust.

Around 4,100 staff provide services for a population of over 360,000 people who are relatively young with a high level of ethnic diversity.

Our main hospital site, Croydon University Hospital is one of the busiest in London.

We're also leading the way in providing more healthcare outside hospitals at clinics, specialist centres and in people's homes.

Our experienced district nursing teams, Allied Health Professionals and community matrons look after people of all ages across Croydon and our Children's Hospital at Home cares for children with long-term conditions without them having to come to hospital.

Across the NHS everyone is working hard to meet growing demand and we're no exception. And with the right people on board, we are rising to this challenge, putting our people in the driving seat, encouraging innovation and transforming our services to give local people the quality of care they deserve.

Croydon Health Services puts a great deal of importance on education and training throughout the careers of all of our staff, as well as offering access to a wide range of core skills training and professional development.