Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join our friendly, close-knit team at Walsall Palliative Care centre, we are looking to appoint a Specialist Grade in Palliative Medicine to be an integral part of the team. The post will sit within the community services division within the department of Palliative Medicine.
Palliative Care has an exceptional team team across Walsall Healthcare who are keen to continue to develop their services for their patients across a 12 bedded Specialist Palliative Care inpatient unit, a day hospice and community Palliative Care patients. For the right applicant this is in an exciting opportunity to develop the post as it is one of the first of its kind at the Trust.
The job plan will be based on a 10 PA contract and the post holder will be expected to travel throughout the day conducting community visits in patients homes.
Main duties of the job
As a senior employee of Walsall Healthcare Trust, it is expected that the post holder will work in close co-operation with and support other clinical medical professional and managerial colleagues in providing high quality, safe health care to patients.
About us
Walsall Healthcare NHS Trustprovides integrated acute and community Healthcare in the West Midlands serving a population of 260,000 residents. Walsall Manor Hospital houses the full range of district general hospital services.
We provide high quality, friendly and effective community health services from multiple sites covering Walsall. Our multidisciplinary services include rapid response and homebased care, so that those with long term conditions and the frail elderly can remain in their own homes.
Walsall Healthcare is committed to equality , diversity and inclusion and recognise that there is under representation in our workforce and we particularly welcome applications from people from a Black Asian and Minority Ethnic background, people with a disability and people who identify as LGBTQ+. The Trust is also committed to providing apprenticeships in order to address under representation in certain sections of the workforce
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key roles and responsibilities
- Work with consultants and other professionals to provide integrated Palliative Medicine within an area of their special interest with responsibility for specialist medical care, advice, and support in order to provide high quality individualised care to patients / clients in line with local and national guidelines. This will include the planning and development, management, and delivery of these services.
- Provide effective leadership to all staff engaged in the specialty and related services.
- Undertake all work in accordance with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust policies and procedures and conduct clinical practice in accordance with contractual requirements and within the parameters of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust service plans.
- Have excellent communication and liaison skills and the ability to work within a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency team.
- Provide specialist medical care, advice and support in order to provide high quality individualised care to patients in line with local and national guidelines.
- Lead medical and holistic assessments and care for all patients on the inpatient unit, in line with patients care plan, as part of the multidisciplinary team ensuring medical care is evidence based and best practice.
- Ensure family members and other loved ones needs are assessed and addressed.
- Lead members of the medical team to ensure each patient is reviewed as frequently as their symptoms dictate and the whole MDT understand management plans.
- Be able to lead complex brave conversations e.g., about bad news, prognosis, complaints and errors.
- Participate in inpatient MDT meetings and others as required fostering a culture of compassion, collaboration, and respect.
- Lead team to carry out basic clinical procedures as necessary including phlebotomy and cannulation. Catheterisation of male patients is occasionally required. Perform / arrange other necessary procedures for patient comfort such as abdominal paracentesis and blood transfusions. The post holder or team member will not be expected to attempt procedures in which they do not feel competent.
- Maintain accurate and timely patient records.
- Ensure legible prescribing in accordance with local policy.
- Proactively communicate with primary and secondary care services (and other statutory and voluntary agencies) as appropriate to ensure continuity of medical care.
- Ensure team delivers consistently high standards of holistic assessment records, discharge letters, letters notifying death, TTO prescriptions and anticipatory prescribing in line with local guidance.
- Ensure team confirm and certify deaths, complete cremation paperwork in line with local protocol, liaising with the Coroners Office and Medical Examiner where required by law and local practice.
- As necessary, be available to assess patients in the palliative care centre, the day hospice or, the domiciliary setting.
- Provide supervision and support for more junior team members.
- Strong commitment to own & others emotional wellbeing including but not limited to participation in clinical supervision, reflection etc.
Teaching/Clinical Governance/Other
- To assume the role of educator, both formally and informally, to all those involved in the care of the patient to fulfil Walsall Healthcares strong commitment to training doctors, nurses & other professionals.
- Ensure good induction for new members of medical staff on ward.
- To take an active role in undergraduate and postgraduate medical and nursing teaching and training.
- Provide prospective cover for medical colleagues across the care group for purposes of annual, study and professional leave.
- Take responsibility for ensuring evidence-based practice and improving quality of service by participating in departmental clinical governance activities, audit program and QI projects, policy, guidelines and SOP development.
- Engage actively in the Trust appraisal, job planning and revalidation process.
- To adhere to the GMC code of professional conduct and always exemplify Trust Values.
- Proactively celebrate and consolidate excellence in care using principles of learning from excellence.
- Proactively identify risks to safety and quality and mitigate, escalate, and negotiate solutions as appropriate.
- To complete mandatory training.
- To commit to continuing professional development including sharing learning with team and proactively implementing QI or changes practices.
PROPOSED JOB PLAN
A ten programmed activities job plan and work schedule will set out agreed arrangements for how work is organised, where it is located, what in general terms the work comprises and when it is to be performed.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Key roles and responsibilities
- Work with consultants and other professionals to provide integrated Palliative Medicine within an area of their special interest with responsibility for specialist medical care, advice, and support in order to provide high quality individualised care to patients / clients in line with local and national guidelines. This will include the planning and development, management, and delivery of these services.
- Provide effective leadership to all staff engaged in the specialty and related services.
- Undertake all work in accordance with Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust policies and procedures and conduct clinical practice in accordance with contractual requirements and within the parameters of Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust service plans.
- Have excellent communication and liaison skills and the ability to work within a multi-disciplinary and multi-agency team.
- Provide specialist medical care, advice and support in order to provide high quality individualised care to patients in line with local and national guidelines.
- Lead medical and holistic assessments and care for all patients on the inpatient unit, in line with patients care plan, as part of the multidisciplinary team ensuring medical care is evidence based and best practice.
- Ensure family members and other loved ones needs are assessed and addressed.
- Lead members of the medical team to ensure each patient is reviewed as frequently as their symptoms dictate and the whole MDT understand management plans.
- Be able to lead complex brave conversations e.g., about bad news, prognosis, complaints and errors.
- Participate in inpatient MDT meetings and others as required fostering a culture of compassion, collaboration, and respect.
- Lead team to carry out basic clinical procedures as necessary including phlebotomy and cannulation. Catheterisation of male patients is occasionally required. Perform / arrange other necessary procedures for patient comfort such as abdominal paracentesis and blood transfusions. The post holder or team member will not be expected to attempt procedures in which they do not feel competent.
- Maintain accurate and timely patient records.
- Ensure legible prescribing in accordance with local policy.
- Proactively communicate with primary and secondary care services (and other statutory and voluntary agencies) as appropriate to ensure continuity of medical care.
- Ensure team delivers consistently high standards of holistic assessment records, discharge letters, letters notifying death, TTO prescriptions and anticipatory prescribing in line with local guidance.
- Ensure team confirm and certify deaths, complete cremation paperwork in line with local protocol, liaising with the Coroners Office and Medical Examiner where required by law and local practice.
- As necessary, be available to assess patients in the palliative care centre, the day hospice or, the domiciliary setting.
- Provide supervision and support for more junior team members.
- Strong commitment to own & others emotional wellbeing including but not limited to participation in clinical supervision, reflection etc.
Teaching/Clinical Governance/Other
- To assume the role of educator, both formally and informally, to all those involved in the care of the patient to fulfil Walsall Healthcares strong commitment to training doctors, nurses & other professionals.
- Ensure good induction for new members of medical staff on ward.
- To take an active role in undergraduate and postgraduate medical and nursing teaching and training.
- Provide prospective cover for medical colleagues across the care group for purposes of annual, study and professional leave.
- Take responsibility for ensuring evidence-based practice and improving quality of service by participating in departmental clinical governance activities, audit program and QI projects, policy, guidelines and SOP development.
- Engage actively in the Trust appraisal, job planning and revalidation process.
- To adhere to the GMC code of professional conduct and always exemplify Trust Values.
- Proactively celebrate and consolidate excellence in care using principles of learning from excellence.
- Proactively identify risks to safety and quality and mitigate, escalate, and negotiate solutions as appropriate.
- To complete mandatory training.
- To commit to continuing professional development including sharing learning with team and proactively implementing QI or changes practices.
PROPOSED JOB PLAN
A ten programmed activities job plan and work schedule will set out agreed arrangements for how work is organised, where it is located, what in general terms the work comprises and when it is to be performed.
Person Specification
Education and Training
Essential
- Commitment to specialty specific CPD via good agreement with relevant Palliative Medicine courses, conferences, or meetings
- An understanding of the current NHS environment, particularly in relation to initiatives and issues in Palliative Care and clinical governance.
- Ability to plan, evaluate and provide teaching training for a wide variety of audiences
- Function as role model, educator, supervisor, coach, or mentor for medical and non-medical practitioners
- Ability to identify learning or development needs of teams.
Desirable
- Ability to foster safe and supportive working and learning environments.
Qualifications
Essential
- Full GMC registration
- MBBS or equivalent
- Evidence of CMT competences or GP training or equivalent training or completion at start of post.
Experience
Essential
- Completed a minimum of 12 years' medical work.
- Six years minimum in Palliative Medicine.
- Broad range of general Palliative Medicine knowledge and experience at middle grade level or higher in different settings; community and inpatient.
- Extensive knowledge of NHS and social care services to work effectively with people requiring support from multiple agencies or moving between care settings.
- Extensive understanding of MCA, Best Interests, Safeguarding, and other relevant legal frameworks.
- Excellent ethnical reasoning & judgement.
- Outstanding compassionate communication skills in person & in writing.
- oAbility to make good judgments in face of clinical uncertainty & complexity.
Leadership
Essential
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and within a multi-disciplinary team.
- Ability to critically appraise, reflect on self, and colleagues' practices in an open and constructive way.
- Demonstrates understanding of leadership principles, approaches, and techniques. Can appreciate and adapt leadership behaviors to improve engagement and outcomes and how this impact on others.
- Demonstrate ability to challenge others, escalating concerns when necessary.
Desirable
- Ability to function as a line manager, educational superior, and role model for juniors.
- An understanding of equality within the workforce and how it can impact on staff, teams, patients, and families.
- Experience of setting or influencing strategy.
Management and Administrative Experience
Essential
- Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively.
- Ability to plan strategically and to exercise sound judgements when faced with conflicting pressures.
- Ability to look after own wellbeing and that of colleagues in context of pressured and emotional work.
Desirable
- Computer literacy, and ability and willingness to learn new systems.
Research, Innovation and Service Quality Improvement
Essential
- Ability to use the evidence base and clinical audit to support decision-making.
- Able to take prompt action, raise concerns and issues in relation to safety or quality of patient care.
- Ability to evaluate own and others clinical practices and acts on findings using tools such as audit and multisource feedback.
- Experience of producing, updating, improving SOPS, policies, and guidelines.
Desirable
- Understanding of budget planning, business cases, project planning, rotas & recurrent processes.
- Experience responding constructively to feedback compliments and complaints including supporting both families & affected staff.
- Ability to support others to grow skills, clinical governances, and QI.
Person Specification
Education and Training
Essential
- Commitment to specialty specific CPD via good agreement with relevant Palliative Medicine courses, conferences, or meetings
- An understanding of the current NHS environment, particularly in relation to initiatives and issues in Palliative Care and clinical governance.
- Ability to plan, evaluate and provide teaching training for a wide variety of audiences
- Function as role model, educator, supervisor, coach, or mentor for medical and non-medical practitioners
- Ability to identify learning or development needs of teams.
Desirable
- Ability to foster safe and supportive working and learning environments.
Qualifications
Essential
- Full GMC registration
- MBBS or equivalent
- Evidence of CMT competences or GP training or equivalent training or completion at start of post.
Experience
Essential
- Completed a minimum of 12 years' medical work.
- Six years minimum in Palliative Medicine.
- Broad range of general Palliative Medicine knowledge and experience at middle grade level or higher in different settings; community and inpatient.
- Extensive knowledge of NHS and social care services to work effectively with people requiring support from multiple agencies or moving between care settings.
- Extensive understanding of MCA, Best Interests, Safeguarding, and other relevant legal frameworks.
- Excellent ethnical reasoning & judgement.
- Outstanding compassionate communication skills in person & in writing.
- oAbility to make good judgments in face of clinical uncertainty & complexity.
Leadership
Essential
- Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues and within a multi-disciplinary team.
- Ability to critically appraise, reflect on self, and colleagues' practices in an open and constructive way.
- Demonstrates understanding of leadership principles, approaches, and techniques. Can appreciate and adapt leadership behaviors to improve engagement and outcomes and how this impact on others.
- Demonstrate ability to challenge others, escalating concerns when necessary.
Desirable
- Ability to function as a line manager, educational superior, and role model for juniors.
- An understanding of equality within the workforce and how it can impact on staff, teams, patients, and families.
- Experience of setting or influencing strategy.
Management and Administrative Experience
Essential
- Ability to organise and prioritise workload effectively.
- Ability to plan strategically and to exercise sound judgements when faced with conflicting pressures.
- Ability to look after own wellbeing and that of colleagues in context of pressured and emotional work.
Desirable
- Computer literacy, and ability and willingness to learn new systems.
Research, Innovation and Service Quality Improvement
Essential
- Ability to use the evidence base and clinical audit to support decision-making.
- Able to take prompt action, raise concerns and issues in relation to safety or quality of patient care.
- Ability to evaluate own and others clinical practices and acts on findings using tools such as audit and multisource feedback.
- Experience of producing, updating, improving SOPS, policies, and guidelines.
Desirable
- Understanding of budget planning, business cases, project planning, rotas & recurrent processes.
- Experience responding constructively to feedback compliments and complaints including supporting both families & affected staff.
- Ability to support others to grow skills, clinical governances, and QI.
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.
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).
Additional information
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).
