Specialist Lymphoedema Practitioner

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

1. To work as an autonomous practitioner, an ambassador for LMHC and specialist lymphoedema practitioner, governed by evidence-based practice and professional code of conduct.

2. To manage clinical lists and delegate duties appropriately to other members of the team.

3. To line manage a Lymphoedema Assistant with responsibility for 6 weekly one to one meetings, yearly appraisal and quality assurance in practice/ Learning and development opportunities for the assistant.

4. To participate in quality improvement, service development and commit to a learning culture, with engagement in research and awareness of evidence-based practice. This will include travel and study to gain qualification and expertise where appropriate.

5. To educate patients in the self management of their lymphoedema, monitoring as required and encouraging compliance with treatment regimens to achieve optimum results and improved quality of life.

6. To ensure symptom control of lymphoedema in patients with advanced disease is prioritised to ease symptom burden in end-of-life care.

7. To ensure personal and professional development through reflective practice, clinical supervision and personal appraisal.

8. Observe and continually promote equal opportunities in compliance with LMHC policies on Equality and Diversity and Dignity at Work.

9. Ensure the benefits to patients are maximised through careful, economical, and appropriate use of charity resources including equipment, property, money, time, etc

10. You should be aware of the confidential nature of this position. Any matter of a confidential nature relating to patients, carers, relatives, staff, volunteers or Hospice business must not be divulged to any unauthorised person.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties and you may be required to perform additional tasks within the organisation.

Health and Safety.

It is the responsibility of all staff to:

Take reasonable care for the Health and Safety of themselves, colleagues, patients and visitors

Report (without delay) any accidents, incidents, near-miss events, risks, faults or defects

Use all work equipment (medical devices, dangerous substances, machinery, transport, means of production, and safety equipment) in accordance with training and instructions provided

Not use such items or equipment unless they have received appropriate information and training

Infection Control

It is the responsibility of all staff to:

Take individual responsibility for the prevention of infection

Ensure high level of personal hygiene, hand hygiene in particular

Safeguarding

Lewis Manning Hospice is fully committed to safeguarding the welfare of all vulnerable adults, children, and young people, by taking all reasonable steps to protect them from harm. All staff will receive appropriate training and induction so that they understand their roles and responsibilities and are confident about carrying them out.

Confidentiality and GDPR

Any matters of a confidential nature, including individual staff records must under no circumstances be divulged or made available to any unauthorised person(s).

Disclosures of confidential information or disclosures of any data of a personal nature can result in prosecution for an offence under the Data Protection Act 1998 and GDPR regulations 2018, or an action for civil damages under the same Act in addition to any disciplinary action taken by the organisation which might include dismissal. You should consult your line manager if you consider that there is a need to breach such confidentiality. You are advised that throughout your employment the organisation will collate information to support performance management.

It is the responsibility of all staff to be aware of their obligations in respect of the Data

Protection Act 1998 and the GDPR regulations 2018

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

It is the responsibility of all staff to:

Recognise the importance of peoples rights and act in accordance with legislation, policies and procedures.

Support people who may need assistance enabling them to make best use of their abilities.

Acknowledge and recognise peoples expressed beliefs, preferences and choices, respect diversity, value people as individuals and encourage others to do so.

Promote a can do approach and an open and fair culture throughout the organisation.

Training and Development

All our employees are provided with training development opportunities.

Performance Review commitment

The organisation is committed to ensuring all staff receive an annual review, participate in the review scheme, and develop, in conjunction with their line manager an agreed personal development plan. All staff are expected to participate in the review scheme.

Our Values:

• We are person centred
• We listen to what matters
• We are kind
• We are accountable

This is an outline job description and may be subject to change, according to the needs of the service, in consultation with the post holder. It should be taken as the current representation and consequently a job description review will automatically take place as part of the annual appraisal.

This organisation is committed a policy of equal opportunities and is a smoke free working environment.

Attitudes and Values

Essential

• Flexible and adaptable
• Self-motivated
• Compassionate with an enabling and empowering approach
• Active listening
• Committed to confidentiality and equal opportunities
• Understand the importance of What Matters
• Team worker
• Committed to self-development and learning
• Commitment to excellent person-centred care
• Commitment to the values and ethos of Lewis-Manning Hospice Care.
• Able to act as an advocate and ambassador for the Charity

Qualifications

Essential

• First Level RN or equivalent Allied Health Professional Qualification with at least 3 years relevant experience.

Desirable

• Specialist Lymphoedema accreditation
• Level 7 post qualification academia in lymphoedema care.
• Scar Therapy certification.

Experience

Essential

• Good experience of managing a caseload.
• Leadership skills.
• Good communication skills with patients and significant others.
• Good all-round experience of caring for patients with varied types of disease.
• Awareness of Gold Standards Framework and Mental Capacity Act
• Responsibility to maintain Professional Registration

Desirable

• Oncology experience and knowledge of Palliative & End-of-life care.
• Knowledge of Secondary Lymphoedema.
• Knowledge of Cancer Care Ethics.
• Experience in promoting public health.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• Ability to work in a team
• Ability to assess, plan and implement individual holistic care for patients
• Ability to work in a potentially stressful environment
• Ability to judge when decisions need to be escalated to a senior colleague
• Ability to travel within local area and to attend training courses further afield as necessary.

Desirable

• Advanced Communication Skills training.

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).