Palliative Care Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Duties of the role.

Duties will be varied but will include working as part of the medical team on the inpatient unit, undertaking clinical reviews, admissions and supporting safe discharges. You will also provide specialist palliative care input to our outpatient/daycare services and undertake community visits to patients in their own homes.

More specifically, this will include undertaking holistic assessments of patients using examination and diagnostic skills and where appropriate, prescribing. Your excellent communication skills will be utilised to support families and carers, liaise with other healthcare professionals, and mutually agree upon plans of care. With support from colleagues, you will manage a caseload of patients with varying needs.

You will provide specialist advice and support to patients and carers, both face to face and via telephone. With the support of the multidisciplinary team, you will be pivotal in the co-ordination of care for palliative patients across East Cheshire, and link in closely with specialist palliative care colleagues.

You will be acting as a role model and resource for other staff, having a visible clinical profile and being supportive of other team members requesting advice. Where appropriate, you will act as a mentor to other clinical team members.

It is essential that you uphold the standards of your profession and act accordingly to always maintain the excellent reputation of the hospice. You will take responsibility for and remain accountable for maintaining and updating your professional development, knowledge, skills and competencies. In addition, you will maintain your required organisational mandatory training requirements.

You will be required to support ongoing hospice development and quality assurance measures via audits, policies, procedures and review of services. You will be required to participate in research projects as required by the organisation. Your role will also include leading on the development, planning and delivery of education to peers and colleagues.

And to undertake other duties as may be required and which are commensurate with the post and grade of the role. 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

Experience

Essential

• A minimum of 2 years palliative care experience working at Band 6 or above

Desirable

• Experience working as a Band 7 in a palliative care setting

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered nursing qualification.
• Adult nursing degree.
• Level 7 modules in non-medical prescribing, clinical examination and diagnostics.
• NMC registered Independent Non-Medical Prescribing qualification (or working towards)

Desirable

• MSc in Advanced Clinical practice or equivalent.
• Advanced Communication Skills training.
• Palliative care qualification.

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent holistic patient assessment skills
• Leadership skills
• Advanced communication, negotiation and listening skills
• Ability to effectively prioritise workload
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team
• Ability to cope under pressure
• Proactive, taking own initiative
• Supportive team member
• Comprehensive IT skills
• Keen appreciation of clinical governance
• Can demonstrate practical application of evidence-based knowledge
• Keen appreciation of clinical governance
• Can demonstrate practical application of evidence-based knowledge

Desirable

• Knowledge of EMIS
• Experience in completing audits, writing policies and involvement in research
• Knowledge of recent strategic developments in palliative and end of life care
• Cannulation/Venepuncture

Other Requirements

Essential

• Commitment to professional development.
• Flexible approach to meet the needs of the service.
• Ability to travel freely/ daily across the East Cheshire Hospice catchment area.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).