Job responsibilities
. Duties
Professional
duties include:
To
assess, plan and evaluate the individual requirements of patients and carers
referred to the Hospice@Home Service. Recognise uncontrolled symptoms -
especially in palliative care.
To
provide and document a high standard of evidence-based nursing care to patients
in the Community.
To
delegate work to members of the Nursing Team, considering; Scope of
Professional Practice, and nursing skill mix.
To
be responsible for daily co-ordination, appropriate delegation and organisation
of workload within the team whilst maintaining a safe number of patients on the
caseload.
To
take on the senior roles and responsibilities for the building when on night
duty working as part of H@H as well as being the line management support for IPU
and taking responsibility
for the 24/7 advice line.
To
work within Nursing and Midwifery Councils Guidelines relating to Code of
Conduct, Confidentiality, Accountability and Scope of Professional Practice.
To
facilitate effective communication, written, verbal and electronic, whilst
acting as the patients advocate. Be able to empathetically communicate
sensitive and/or distressing information to patients and their carers, e.g.
relating to patients entering the end stage of life.
To
liaise and communicate with own and the wider primary healthcare team, outside agencies
and voluntary organisations in the delivery of care.
To
be aware of human rights and cultural issues. Actively seek to promote health,
to patients, carers and work colleagues by providing evidence-based information
in a sensitive and empathetic manner.
To
administer medications in line with Nursing and Midwifery Council & East
Cheshire Hospice (ECH) policy, including controlled drugs.
To
attend team briefing and staff meetings and disseminate the information and
implement changes when appropriate within the team.
To
keep the manager aware of any factors which may affect the care given to
patients and produce appropriate written reports when requested. Report and
assist in investigation of patient complaints.
To
facilitate achieving measurable standards of care and to participate in
clinical audit and caseload review.
To
establish and maintain accurate records in line with NMC guidelines and local
policy using paper based and electronic systems.
To
implement policy changes within own area of practice and represent the team or
service if requested on policy groups relating to the service in the absence of
clinical manager.
To
initiate and participate in case conferences.
To
ensure the East Cheshire Hospice Safeguarding policy is adhered to by being
committed to safeguarding the patients, staff and volunteers from harm, and
upholds the responsibility as a member of staff, to ensure that any concerns
are raised and acted upon immediately. Staff are expected to report concerns,
participate in enquiries, and where appropriate develop a protection plan,
reflecting on outcomes to develop further.
And to
undertake other duties as may be required and which are commensurate with the
post and grade for example attending Hospice meetings and generally undertaking
senior clinical
duties in the absence of
the manager.
Educational
duties include:
To
actively develop own knowledge in line with NMC revalidation; be aware of
current trends, professional matters and new developments in community nursing.
To
participate in research and quality initiatives in areas agreed with the
manager.
To
participate in staff training sessions and implement knowledge gained within
the team.
To
participate in training and formal assessment of undergraduate, diploma, N.V.Q.
trainees and others.
To
encourage reflective practice by helping team members make effective use of
professional portfolios and critical incident analysis.
To
facilitate and participate in clinical supervision within an environment which
is conducive to professional development and that reflects the needs of the
team and service overall.
To
undertake appraisals, identify development needs of team members, and formulate
personal development plans.
People:
To manage
staff daily including induction, recruitment, appraisal, performance
management, absence management and first level discipline and grievance.
To lead,
motivate, develop, and retain the nursing team utilising mentorship, objective
setting, and appraisal, enabling educational needs of nurses to be met.
To complete
incident reports within twenty-four hours or in the case of weekends and Bank Holidays
as soon as is practicable.
To
adhere to all policies and procedures of East Cheshire Hospice.
To
ensure that all statistical returns, time and expense sheets are submitted
promptly.
To
be aware of duties and responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act
and C.O.S.H.H. Regulations.
To complete
any return to work interviews for staff absent up to one month.
To
support the organisation of duty rotas, off duty and holidays in order to
facilitate the continuity of provision of care.
To
have the ability to stand in as Hospice@Home manager if required.
Health and
Safety
Positive
management of Health and Safety is a requirement of the post.
Control of
Infection
Prevention and
management of infection is the responsibility of all members of staff and
volunteers working at East Cheshire Hospice and forms an integral element of
patient safety programmes. Where control of infection regimes are in force they
are to be complied with at all times and staff are reminded of the importance of
maintaining a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene and to follow
local protocols.
