Job responsibilities
To support the nursing team to deliver a high standard of nursing care to terminally ill patients. You will be committed to providing compassionate, personalised, and holistic care, maintaining patients dignity and offering support and care to their families and those important to them. Includes In-Patient Ward, Cottage Hospice, Hospice Outreach Service and Living Well.
Deliverables/Outcomes
- Deliver high quality care as agreed with registered nursing staff or line manager.
- Maintain a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for patients in the setting in which they are being cared for where relevant.
To encourage a one team approach to working at the Hospice and promote our full service offer to patients ensuring patients and those important to them are aware of the services we offer and how they can be accessed
- Be able to respond calmly to practical crisis/emergencies. Maintaining patients comfort, safety, and dignity always.
- Assist in the welcoming, assessment and orientation of patients and those important to them always promoting the values of our care where relevant.
- Assisting and encouraging therapeutic and holistic delivery of care. Including end of life care and care after death.
- Complete base line observations e.g., TPR/BP blood sugar recordings reporting findings appropriately.
- Undertake selected clinical procedures i.e., venepuncture
- Be responsible for ordering, replacing, and maintaining effective and safe storage of clinical supplies ensuring that stock levels are adequate and regularly replenished.
Undertake bereavement support in the form of face-to-face meetings and/or telephone calls following completion of appropriate communication training.
Advise patients and those who are important to them on the range of services offered by the Hospice, including Living Well, Counselling and Support Service and the Cottage Hospice
Management & Leadership
To lead and line manage volunteers in their duties and responsibilities of patient care, inspiring them to make real the Hospice values in all they do and to advance the mission, aims and objectives of the organisation
Communications and Teamwork
- Actively listen and communicate with patients and those important to them in a sensitive manner. Recognising the need to pass on information to line manager when necessary.
- Contribute to the on-going development of the nursing service across all areas of the Hospice.
Participate in Multidisciplinary Team Meetings (MDTs) and collaborative meetings
Working with due diligence
Completion of accurate patient notes and record keeping in support of the clinical and medical staff.
To recognise when to work autonomously and when to seek advice and guidance.
To be responsible for own personal health and safety and that of the wider HITW.
Training and Development
Undertake Mandatory Training as required by Hospice in the Weald and participate in additional required training and development activities.
Take an active role in identifying gaps in knowledge and skills and how to address these.
Take responsibility for setting own goals and achieving them.
Partner registered nursing staff in developing an area of interest e.g. tissue viability.
Working across Services
Nursing Assistants may work across any of the Services provided by Hospice in the Weald and when doing so need to be aware of and follow the differences between those Services. At the time of writing this includes the Services set out below, but this may change as our Services grow to meet the needs of our patients and those important to them.
Cottage Hospice
- Deliver care in a homely environment, ensuring that patients and those important to them are aware of all facilities and services available.
To promote the home from home environment and actively encourage and promote patients and family caregivers making the whole Cottage Hospice space their own.
Take part in, or deliver (when required) After Death Meetings
Hospice Outreach Service
- Undertake bereavement telephone calls following completion of appropriate communication training.
To promote the Cottage Hospice and the Ward in line with expectations around occupancy ensuring patients and those important to them are aware of these services and everything about them.
In-Patient Ward
- Deliver care in a homely environment, ensuring that patients and those important to them are aware of all facilities and services available.
Present patients and contribute to weekly ward Multidisciplinary team meeting.
Take part in, or deliver (when required) After Death Meetings
Offer telephone advice to Hospice Outreach Service patients and those important to them out of hours.
Living Well
Living Well is a non-clinical service and does not have any registered members of staff.
Work with patients and those important to them to understand what is important to them and support them in designing their individualised Living Well programme, empowering and supporting them to achieve their goals
Assist patients when required with their nutritional needs.
Assist patients with their moving and handling requirements, such as transfers.
Assist patients with their personal care needs when required.
Provide support for the Living Well Leadership Team, Therapies Team and Living Well Volunteers
Complete patient Risk Assessments, Moving and Handling and Falls
Support users of the Living Well Service to represent the Living Well Service in meetings and complete tasks assigned.
Complete Safe Administration of Medications training.
General
Maintain professionalism through adherence to recognised codes and guidelines and work within the boundaries of Hospice in the Weald policies.
Maintain personal development through the Hospice Annual Review process, continuously updating and improving knowledge and skills and applying that knowledge.
Engage in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) and achieve the required level of competence.
- Demonstrate Our Values through day to day interactions between colleagues as well as patients and those important to them.
Strive for excellence at all times.
- Any other duties that may be reasonably requested.
