Clinical Nurse Specialist - Hospice Band 7

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job title:

Clinical Nurse Specialist

Department:

Community

Hospice band:

Clinical Band 7

Reports to:

Clinical Nurse Specialist Team Leader

Responsible for:

DBS required

Enhanced with Adult and Child Barring Lists

Job purpose

To provide specialist palliative care nursing service to patients, carers, and health care professionals. The role supports and enables safe and effective strategic community palliative and end of life care service development. The role will involve working in a community setting.

Main duties and responsibilities

Expert Clinical Practice

Give encouragement, support, empathy, time, reassurance and advice to patients, families and carers to enable them to explore and express feelings and issues of concern promoting informed choice.

Demonstrate advanced practice in holistic assessment, development and evaluation of individual specialist nursing care programmes involving patients, families, and carers as appropriate.

Facilitate the management and support of palliative care patients to ensure the pathway is seamless and of a high quality

To promote autonomy and advocacy to ensure the delivery of appropriate care

Working as an autonomous CNS, demonstrating a high level of empathic and interpersonal communication skills for patients and carers needing palliative care

Demonstrate advanced knowledge as an expert practitioner in palliative care by use of innovative practice and skills

Maintain accurate records using a system of nursing documentation and appropriate information systems which reflect on advanced assessment and practice

Act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care, promoting clinical excellence and clinical leadership

Identify and apply innovative care and practice to ensure best clinical outcomes to benefit the patients, families, carers and organisational needs.

Analyse complex situations and develop action plans to improve the quality of patient care

Ability to use a range of strategies to improve and lead patient care and management

Contribute to effective multidisciplinary team working and discussion

Attendance multidisciplinary team meetings

Provide initial support to bereaved families, friends and carers and referring to the Hospice bereavement service as appropriate.

Assess out of hours calls received, interpreting the information given and responding appropriately, offering advice and support as appropriate.

Liaison with GP and DN teams to advise and implement appropriate treatment regimens for the treatment of symptoms.

Recognise the emotional commitment involved in providing a service out of normal working hours.

Ability to function as an independent nurse prescriber safely prescribing anticipatory medications and other medicines as required

Education, Research and Audit

Recognise the importance of knowledge and learning to maintain standards in palliative care

Utilise advanced knowledge of specialist palliative care to ensure all opportunities are taken to advise, educate and share information.

Deliver formal and informal education initiatives to colleagues, patients, and carers to achieve effective clinical outcomes

Contribute to clinical design and education strategy development together with the Hospices education department to ensure effective training programmes are available

Supervise the development of healthcare professionals on placement

Support practice development through the facilitation of complex case discussion/reflection with District Nurses and other health care professionals as appropriate.

Participate in meetings, conferences and education sessions to promote the services provided by the Hospice.

Encourage individual practitioners and teams to participate in the education strategy to develop palliative care knowledge and competence in their own practice

Utilise up to date research/evidence to deliver patient care and disseminate knowledge to all members of the multidisciplinary team

Participate in research studies as agreed by the Hospice

Initiate, monitor and regularly audit aspects of service to continuously improve care

Identify and act upon opportunities for sharing practice development initiatives and examples of good practice

Role model effective clinical practice

Management and Leadership

To act as a role model, adhering to the values of the hospice kindness, togetherness, positivity, openness, respect and innovation

Guide the CNS team in efficient assessment of referral and allocation of first assessment visits

Recommend and implement initiatives to improve effectiveness of Hospice services

Contribute to the development and review of Hospice-wide policies and procedures

Investigate, record and report accidents/untoward incidents and complaints through the required governance processes.

Support the development and effectiveness of Gold Standard Framework meetings through appropriate attendance and participation

Support the use of reflective skills and facilitation skills to evaluate and improve current practice

To receive clinical supervision and provide clinical support to others

Manage time effectively and respond creatively to situations within the resources available to support in caseload management across site.

Effective management of change by understanding group development needs in order to maintain good working relationships across organisational and professional boundaries to enhance and improve team working

To maintain optimum multidisciplinary team working and effective communication between healthcare teams, patients and families

Contribute to strategy and business planning in order to define and implement service developments and objectives

Participate in the induction of new staff

Work within the Hospices policies, procedures and guidelines

Contribute to the formation of relevant policies and procedures

Clinical Effectiveness

Ensure practice is research based by implementing evidence, research, policy and standards that are relevant to specialist palliative care

Promote an environment where enquiry is valued as a means to improve patient care

Identify areas of palliative care practice or service provision which could be developed through audit or research and actively participate in audit and other reviews to improve clinical care

Demonstrate continual evaluation of practice, make agreed changes and work within the multidisciplinary team to enhance service provision

Monitor quality initiatives in line with local and national guidelines by assessing, monitoring and reviewing own and others practice ensuring safe delivery of care, reduce risks and effectively use resources

Participate in the development and implementation of the Hospices Clinical Strategy

Contribute to a questioning and open culture in practice to enable a higher standard of care allowing patients, families, and carers to participate in this process

Participate in/contribute to relevant research projects

Evaluate research which is appropriate and relevant to specialist palliative care provision

Demonstrate a proactive approach to the development of policies, protocols, and clinical guidelines in order to develop and adapt the role to the healthcare needs of patients, families and carers

Assess and monitor risks in own and others practice ensuring safe delivery of care, which is evidence-based and adheres to good practice guidance

Complete all mandatory training according to Hospice guidelines

Participate in the Hospice appraisal system setting realistic objectives in order to main a personal professional profile and demonstrate a high level of specialist practice

Flexibility to work in other areas/sites of the Hospice

Person Specification

Personal Skills and Attributes

Essential

• Clinical skills underpinned by advanced clinical knowledge of palliative care and current issues
• Ability to work effectively as a member of a team and in isolation
• Ability to work across site as needed
• Excellent communication skills
• Change management skills
• Knowledge of principles of research and audit
• Ability to translate evidence into practice
• Basic IT competency with email, internal, word and PowerPoint
• Commitment to the hospice values
• Ability to work weekends
• Full UK driving licence and access to own vehicle

Desirable

• Experience of undertaking research/audit
• Intermediate/advanced IT competency
• Experience of being a clinical supervisor

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered first level adult nurse
• Relevant nursing degree or modules at degree level.
• Nurse prescribing qualification or currently on the NMP course

Desirable

• Recognised teaching qualification or working towards

Experience

Essential

• Substantial experience at Band 6 in Palliative care.
• Substantial experience at a senior nurse level
• Experience in clinical informal and formal teaching

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham Hospice

Address

76 Grange Road

Erdington

Birmingham

B24 0DF

Employer's website

https://www.birminghamhospice.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)