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St Nicholas Hospice Care

Palliative Care Out of Hours Community Healthcare Assistant

The closing date is 27 March 2026

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Job summary

An exciting and rare opportunity has arisen for a Palliative Care Out of Hours Community Healthcare Assistant to join our Community team, here at St Nicholas Hospice Care.

Would you like to be part of pioneering service expanding the Out of Hours provision for specialist palliative care services supporting patients across West Suffolk and Thetford.

We are looking for a driven healthcare assistant with palliative care and community experience to work alongside our registered clinician.

You will be able to support patients where they call home. This includes providing support and education to family carers and patients in variety of areas such as mouth care and re-positioning. Supporting care needs and communicating with families and carers about key changes in the patients conditions.

(Clinical support is provided out of hours).

This is a fixed term (contract hours negotiable) working 20.00-08.00 across 7 days per week.

Post 1: 37 hours per week

Post 2: 30 hours per week

Working alongside the Early Intervention Team within West Suffolk Hospital out of hours to facilitate an effective response and to those with unmet palliative care needs.

You would be joining a passionate and committed team, supporting a seven day a week community service, delivering often complex symptom control, emotional support and family education. Working as a part of an integrated team you would work closely within a broad MDT, including our medical team, Allied Healthcare Professionals and Psychological Support

Main duties of the job

Under the direction of registered clinical staff, provide high quality palliative and end of life care for patients across West Suffolk and Thetford, primarily in their own homes, as delegated by a registered health care professional

Provide formal and informal training and education for families and carers

Work collaboratively with colleagues across other organisations

Drive or navigate the OOH vehicle, allowing the registered professional to continue to triage calls and offer clinical advice

Actively support and model the SNHC Values: Compassion, Accountability, Respect and Equity

About us

St Nicholas Hospice Care is an independent charity, providing palliative and end of life care across West Suffolk and Thetford, both in the community and at our Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds site.Our vision is: Everyone in our communities has choice, dignity and support when facing dying, death and bereavement.

As an employee you will receive the following benefits:

  • Working in our beautiful hospice surroundings, including our therapeutic gardens
  • Social events (such as photography group, quiz nights, picnics, book club, St Nics Sings, and more)
  • Access to our annual Norburn Awards ceremony, in support of our organisational values
  • Occasional opportunity for some home working, on negotiation
  • Health Cash Plan & Wellbeing programme (dentistry, optical, emotional wellbeing support)
  • 25 days annual leave increasing to 29 with service (pro rata for part time employees)
  • Enhanced Occupational sick pay scheme
  • Home-made meals available in our onsite bistro
  • Access to a group pension plan or continuation of NHS Pension (subject to criteria)
  • Life assurance
  • Free onsite parking
  • Access to Blue Light Card scheme discounts

Details

Date posted

17 March 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£25,429.72 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

B0142-26-0006

Job locations

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

IP33 2QY


Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

Under the direction of the registered professional, provide personal care and comfort measures to meet the needs of people in their own homes who require palliative and end of life care, including interventions to maintain skin integrity, and pressure relief, reporting matters of concern to the registered practitioner

Measure, observe and record clinical observations as required, reporting matters of concern to the registered practitioner

Provide care after death

Obtain specimens, as directed by the registered practitioner

Support the care of catheters and other devices to manage continence, ensuring that SNHC policy is followed

Assist individuals to undertake care related activities independently, enabling choice

Assist individuals to maintain mobility to promote independence

Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of care

Sign post or refer to other services, as required working within own competence

Under the direction of the registered practitioner, collaborate with the assessment and provision of environment support, aids or technology, liaising with specialist services as required

Support the autonomy and independence of patients, with awareness of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005)

Demonstrate a sound understanding of safeguarding, escalating matters of concern appropriately

Provide a telephone answering service for the registered practitioner as required, ensuring accuracy and acting within the bounds of own competence

Under the direction of the registered practitioner, undertake clinical audits as required

Promote best clinical practice as per agreed national, professional and local standards and policies

Leadership

Act as a role model at all times

Work collaboratively with registered and non-registered staff, including West Suffolk Alliance partners, ensuring that care is coordinated

Innovation

Promote user, carer and public experience by collecting patient experience data, as required

Actively engage in new ways of working, under the direction of the registered practitioner

Education and Research

Maintain own continuous professional development

Utilise opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills of other healthcare professionals, both by formal and informal means

Provide education and training for informal carers and family members to enable them to deliver appropriate and safe care for people at the end of life

Special Features of the Role

The OOH role will be a one year fixed term post, working 22.00-08.00 Friday Monday

Post holders may be required to work across a number of settings and locations, in West Suffolk and Thetford

The service provides care over 52 weeks of the year and clinical roles are rostered to provide this coverage. Whilst rosters are created 2 3 months in advance, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the post holder may be asked to change a scheduled rota at short notice in times of service need

The post holder will need to hold a full, valid driving licence, lease car is available for us

Follow lone working principles at all times

Job description

Job responsibilities

Clinical

Under the direction of the registered professional, provide personal care and comfort measures to meet the needs of people in their own homes who require palliative and end of life care, including interventions to maintain skin integrity, and pressure relief, reporting matters of concern to the registered practitioner

Measure, observe and record clinical observations as required, reporting matters of concern to the registered practitioner

Provide care after death

Obtain specimens, as directed by the registered practitioner

Support the care of catheters and other devices to manage continence, ensuring that SNHC policy is followed

Assist individuals to undertake care related activities independently, enabling choice

Assist individuals to maintain mobility to promote independence

Maintain accurate and contemporaneous records of care

Sign post or refer to other services, as required working within own competence

Under the direction of the registered practitioner, collaborate with the assessment and provision of environment support, aids or technology, liaising with specialist services as required

Support the autonomy and independence of patients, with awareness of the principles of the Mental Capacity Act (2005)

Demonstrate a sound understanding of safeguarding, escalating matters of concern appropriately

Provide a telephone answering service for the registered practitioner as required, ensuring accuracy and acting within the bounds of own competence

Under the direction of the registered practitioner, undertake clinical audits as required

Promote best clinical practice as per agreed national, professional and local standards and policies

Leadership

Act as a role model at all times

Work collaboratively with registered and non-registered staff, including West Suffolk Alliance partners, ensuring that care is coordinated

Innovation

Promote user, carer and public experience by collecting patient experience data, as required

Actively engage in new ways of working, under the direction of the registered practitioner

Education and Research

Maintain own continuous professional development

Utilise opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills of other healthcare professionals, both by formal and informal means

Provide education and training for informal carers and family members to enable them to deliver appropriate and safe care for people at the end of life

Special Features of the Role

The OOH role will be a one year fixed term post, working 22.00-08.00 Friday Monday

Post holders may be required to work across a number of settings and locations, in West Suffolk and Thetford

The service provides care over 52 weeks of the year and clinical roles are rostered to provide this coverage. Whilst rosters are created 2 3 months in advance, there may be exceptional circumstances in which the post holder may be asked to change a scheduled rota at short notice in times of service need

The post holder will need to hold a full, valid driving licence, lease car is available for us

Follow lone working principles at all times

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable palliative or end of life care experience
  • Previous experience of working in a care role, preferably in a community setting
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
  • Experience of working autonomously within lone working principles, supporting the care needs of people with complex conditions and symptoms

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, engaging in interactions with empathy at all times.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the principles of advance care planning and the ReSPECT process
  • Demonstrable palliative or end of life care experience
  • Understanding of holistic and person centred care delivery
  • Ability to use a range of IT systems and software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Office 365 and electronic patient record systems (such as SystmOne) as well as virtual systems e.g. Zoom, MS Teams
  • Driving licence
  • Ability to motivate self and others and to lead by example
  • Excellent oral/written communication and interpersonal skills
  • Able to recognise the value of working as part of a team across settings and organisations
  • Ability to work under pressure, manage own stress and emotional responses, and be aware of stress in others

Qualifications

Essential

  • Completion of the Care Certificate or NVQ Level 2 in a related subject
Person Specification

Experience

Essential

  • Demonstrable palliative or end of life care experience
  • Previous experience of working in a care role, preferably in a community setting
  • Experience of multi-disciplinary team working
  • Experience of working autonomously within lone working principles, supporting the care needs of people with complex conditions and symptoms

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, engaging in interactions with empathy at all times.
  • Demonstrate understanding of the principles of advance care planning and the ReSPECT process
  • Demonstrable palliative or end of life care experience
  • Understanding of holistic and person centred care delivery
  • Ability to use a range of IT systems and software, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Office 365 and electronic patient record systems (such as SystmOne) as well as virtual systems e.g. Zoom, MS Teams
  • Driving licence
  • Ability to motivate self and others and to lead by example
  • Excellent oral/written communication and interpersonal skills
  • Able to recognise the value of working as part of a team across settings and organisations
  • Ability to work under pressure, manage own stress and emotional responses, and be aware of stress in others

Qualifications

Essential

  • Completion of the Care Certificate or NVQ Level 2 in a related subject

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.

Employer details

Employer name

St Nicholas Hospice Care

Address

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

IP33 2QY


Employer's website

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

Employer details

Employer name

St Nicholas Hospice Care

Address

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

IP33 2QY


Employer's website

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

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Advanced Clinical Practitioner/OOH Project Lead

Daisy Jacobs

Daisy.jacobs@stnh.org.uk

01284766133

Details

Date posted

17 March 2026

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£25,429.72 a year

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

12 months

Working pattern

Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Reference number

B0142-26-0006

Job locations

Hardwick Lane

Bury St Edmunds

Suffolk

IP33 2QY


Supporting documents

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