Registered Nurse IPU

Job responsibilities

Clinical

To be a safe practitioner and work within the NMC Code of professional standards of practice and behaviour.

Provide holistic assessment of patients and families care needs, plan interventions

required and ensure those interventions are actioned and their effectiveness evaluated.

To communicate effectively with patients and families, ensuring they are actively involved with their own care planning.

To support patients and families through grief and loss and the life changing consequences of a palliative diagnosis.

To liaise with appropriate members of the multi-professional team (internal and external to the organisation) in order to ensure co-ordination and continuity of care on discharge and a smooth transition between different care settings.

To maintain clear, accurate and legible patient documentation.

To work across the 24-hour service, including weekends, nights and bank holidays as required.

Education

To supervise and support junior colleagues, volunteers and students working on the IPU.

To actively participate in ward meetings and ensure that accurate information is fed back to the appropriate members of the multi-disciplinary team.

To take responsibility for own ongoing education and professional development plan.

To support and participate in the education and development of colleagues.

To be involved in the training programme of professional visitors/learners where appropriate.

To mentor new staff members and students.

Management

To act as a role model for all colleagues, providing encouragement and motivation to achieve goals for the service.

To take charge of a shift, maintaining high standards of care escalating issues as required.

To take responsibility for the care of their allocated patients.

To maintain a safe environment for those within the IPU.

To be aware of cost implications and make effective use of resources.

To apply evidence-based practice in their own nursing care and to encourage colleagues to do the same.

To work within other clinical areas within the Hospice as required.

To actively participate in multidisciplinary team meetings and ensure that accurate information is shared with IPU team.

Quality

To actively participate in, quality improvement, clinical audit, and research as a means of monitoring and improving standards of care.

To take responsibility for a link nurse role on the IPU e.g., tissue viability, infection control etc.

Qualifications

Essential

• First level Registered Nurse
• Evidence of personal professional development

Desirable

• Qualification in specialist palliative care

Experience

Desirable

• Experience of working in a palliative care environment.
• Experience of teaching/presenting

Knowledge

Essential

• Awareness and understanding of the needs of patients receiving palliative and end of life care

Other requirements

Essential

• Ability to work shift patterns including night shifts and weekends as internal rotation

Skills and Abilities

Essential

• Ability to assess complex needs of patients and plan, implement and evaluate appropriate nursing interventions
• Ability to lead team by acting as nurse in charge for shifts
• Ability to cope effectively with the demands of working in a specialist palliative care unit
• Excellent verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills
• Good time management skills
• Ability to motivate nursing team and take initiative when appropriate

Personal Qualities and Attributes

Essential

• Commitment to equality and valuing diversity and understanding of how this applies to own area of work
• A positive, can-do attitude to work
• Commitment to the aims and charitable objectives of St Clare Hospice

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).