Job responsibilities
Basic Function
To provide operational management of the above services at St Josephs Hospice, and clinical case supervision and line management to the staff team. The patient and family therapists work within a multi-disciplinary team setting to provide psychological and emotional support to patients and their families at the end of life. Our patients have a range of life-limiting illnesses, including cancer, neurological and respiratory conditions.
The patient and family counselling team offers support to:
- Anyone aged 18+ who is under the care of the hospice and individual family members
- Couples and family groups
- Children and young people by way of family consultation, individual counselling and art therapy
The team consists of five part-time therapists, a part-time administrator, qualified therapy volunteers and trainees.
The manager will maintain the highest quality of service and, in conjunction with the Head of Supportive Care, actively create opportunities to develop the service with a view to widening access and improving quality of life for palliative patients, their families and carers.
The manager will be a senior clinical member and leader within the hospice, working in close partnership with hospice managers, Heads of Department and clinical colleagues.
To provide leadership and expertise in relation to the emotional and psychological wellbeing of staff within the hospice; including incident de-briefings, forums for reflective practice and consultation to staff teams.
To hold a small clinical caseload and provide support to patients, families and groups as required.
Leadership responsibilities & Service Development
Actively contribute to the achievement of the Hospice Care Strategy and strategic plan, working with the Head of Supportive Care and senior management team to identify opportunities for service development and their implementation, engaging staff members as appropriate.
In collaboration with the Patient & Family Counselling Team, plan for and review the delivery of service, which sets priorities, targets and quality standards for service development in line with the hospice strategy, Care Quality Commission and other relevant regulations.
Initiate, lead and actively contribute to interdisciplinary projects within the hospice and external colleagues, to widen access to and improve quality of counselling provision for all that may benefit from it.
In conjunction with Head of Supportive Care, provide leadership, coordination and expertise in relation to the Hospice-wide reflective practice forum (Schwartz Rounds)
Establish links with other hospices to share developments and initiatives in relation to STJH psychological care services, and to learn from others.
Support and where necessary lead the development and delivery of specific therapeutic events for staff and patients.
Managerial Responsibilities
Provide high quality and supportive clinical case supervision and line management to the staff team in accordance with individual needs and STJH procedures. Coordinate team meetings.
Working closely with the Psychological Therapies Administrator; receive, triage, allocate and manage referrals from inpatient, community, day services and patient self-referrers. Work with team to prioritise according to need, manage team workloads and respond to urgent requests.
In conjunction with Head of Supportive Care, ensure that the Patient & Counselling Service structure is fit for purpose in terms of mix of professions, experience, use of volunteers and trainees. Supporting business case proposals where appropriate.
In conjunction with Head of Supportive Care, lead on recruitment of new staff, undertaking interviewing, appointment, induction, probationary support and assessment, taking proactive steps to ensure optimum service cover is in place at all times.
Hold overall responsibility for the co-ordination and delivery of patient & family counselling services to patients under the care of St. Josephs Hospice, ensuring a consistent, transparent, equitable approach to the receipt of referrals, assessment, planning and evaluation of care.
Lead on the development and review of service literature, operational frameworks and procedures, working closely with team members to ensure a consistent approach.
In conjunction with Head of Supportive Care, hold management responsibility for externally funded projects; City & Hackney CYP Bereavement Service. Ensure the projects are on track to meet KPI requirements, provide reports, liaison with commissioners and provide robust governance.
Provide leadership and expertise in relation to the emotional and psychological wellbeing of staff within the hospice. Facilitate incident de-briefings, forums for reflective practice and consultation to staff teams as required.
As per the policy or at the request of the Head of Supportive Care, investigate accident and incident occurrences and resolve as the investigation indicates.
Ensure all equipment procured or held by the team is well maintained and replaced when required
Budgetary
In conjunction with the Head of Supportive Care, support the setting, management and review of the Patient & Family Counselling budget.
In conjunction with Head of Supportive Care, identify, propose and agree proposals and bids to source funding from external grants and agencies wherever appropriate.
In conjunction the with Head of Supportive Care, manage the budget for externally funded projects; City & Hackney CYP Bereavement Service, including provision of regular financial reports in line with project requirements.
Clinical Responsibilities
Maintain clinical practice and skills through taking responsibility for a limited clinical caseload.
Engage in the assessment and provision individual support, making referrals to other services, both internal and external as appropriate.
Participate in an interdisciplinary approach to care, through joint working, attending multidisciplinary team meetings, case reviews and family meetings to offer specialist clinical advice when appropriate.
Education, Training and Staff Development
Maintain an overview of individual training and development needs for all team members.
Ensure that members of the team are compliant with STJH mandatory training requirements.
Provide opportunities for team members to design, lead and participate in the provision of both in-house and external multi-disciplinary training events.
Take an active leadership role to champion initiatives across the hospice relevant to Patient & Family Counselling provision e.g. Child Bereavement Week.
Actively engage and support staff to contribute to education and professional development initiatives relevant to their expertise and experience.
Keep up to date of research, national guidance and policy relevant to palliative care and psychological provision and, where relevant, ensure practice is adjusted in accordance with best evidence-based practice.
Where appropriate, lead the team in the active participation in quality improvement projects and research initiatives relevant to service and strategy.
Professional Development
Abide by the rules of professional conduct laid down by the appropriate professional body.
Act as a representative for psychological therapies professionals, both within St Joseph's Hospice and in the wider health community.
Identify own learning and development needs in order to meet the key requirements of the post.
Take responsibility for own continuing professional development receiving regular line management and supervision. Actively seek to develop skills and knowledge through a process of reflection with peers inside and outside the department.
In agreement with the Head of Supportive Care, identify appropriate training and development opportunities appropriate to the post.
Reporting
Produce reports, and statistics for the Head of Supportive Care, senior management team (SMT) and for the Board of Management, as required.
Manage the integrity, availability, communication and confidentiality of computer and paper-based information resources, ensuring the safekeeping and confidentiality of all patient/client records.
Investigate, follow up, and resolve accidents, incidents, and complaints within the department, following hospice policies and procedures. Take part as required in grievance / disciplinary proceedings.
