Job responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Communication and relationships
Effective communicate with all members of the organisation. Communicate
sensitive information with patients and relatives within a clinical context.
Effective use of pacing, appropriate language, summarising, reflecting back,
clarifying and challenging;
Effective communication skills, particularly around the management of fear,
anger, collusion, denial;
Develop and sustain good working partnerships with other professionals both
internally and externally to the organisation.
Produce concise, non-judgemental written skills in documentation and report
writing
Participate and contribute to debates in the multi-disciplinary team to inform
management care plans
Analytical and judgement skills
Assess patient and family needs on admission;
Negotiate clinical options and decisions with the patient, family and multidisciplinary team;
Critically assess clinical situations; prioritise needs and plan appropriate care.
Identify hopes and goals of the patient and family and work with them towards
their achievement;
Discover the extent to which carers wish to be involved, particularly with
practical care;
Anticipate the changing needs of patients and emotionally prepare the patient
and family, exploring the patient and family awareness of the situation;
Planning and organisational skills
Facilitate family meetings and case conferences
Co-ordinate the ward environment
Prioritise and delegate work to junior members of staff to ensure and promote
effective and efficient service delivery
Manage and prioritise their own work time to meet service needs
Contribute to effective discharge planning
Identify and contribute towards ongoing education opportunities for peers and
colleagues as appropriate around their area of specialism.
Physical skills
Standard keyboard skills to input data onto patient database.
Ability to have physical skills required to manage complex patients with
advanced progressive diseases ie use of appropriate hoists and other
equipment to assist with manual handling.
Physical dexterity for clinical procedures such as intravenous infusions and
venepuncture.
Patient/Client Care
Provide a seamless specialist palliative nursing service, ensuring a high
standard of nursing care across all clinical areas.
Deliver patient centre care within a palliative care context, promoting patient
autonomy, independence, inclusion, respect and dignity and choice by
ensuring that the patient/carers are involved and are central to all aspects of
decision making processes
Ability to recognise all aspects of holistic care including physical, emotional,
spiritual and social aspects and to respond appropriately.
Recognise needs of families and carers and to support as appropriate, by
identifying potential significant others, assessing for their level of risk with
regards to anticipatory and post bereavement and referring to Family Support
Teams for involvement and follow up.
Responsible for the nursing delivery of management care plans as appropriate
to patient needs.
Policy and Service Development
Support the introduction and maintenance of systems and processes in own
work area.
Understand and adhere to all Hospice Policies and procedures.
Contribute towards procedures in own work area in order to promote
continuous service improvement
Financial and Physical Resources
Report as necessary any faults re: equipment or office accommodation and
ensure the safety and security of the building is met.
Contribute to the maintenance of clinical stocks and supplies
Contribute to the security of stock including controlled drugs and drug
cupboards
Human Resources
Attend any appropriate training requirements both statutory and mandatory to
comply with current Health and Safety legislation and in line with the Hospices
responsibility to comply with Government Directives
Preserve confidentiality of any information regarding patients, staff, volunteers
and the business of St Cuthberts Hospice
Identify own learning needs and seek support to ensure that individual learning
needs are met.
Participate in St Cuthberts appraisal system
Teach the skills of practical nursing care to enable carers to manage and
develop confidence;
Familiarise and act in accordance with all relevant clinical and non clinical
Hospice Policies and Procedures.
Responsible for the supervision and on the job training for HCA and volunteers
working within clinical areas
Information Resources
The ability to document and store relevant information utilising computerised
and paper based systems in friendly accessible formats
Maintain accurate and contemporaneous clinical records, using the current
electronic patient recording system.
Research and Development
To actively engage in clinical audit as appropriate to promote ongoing service
improvements to benefit care given to patients, families and carers
Continually look for ways to improve the quality of the service one provides to
patients, families and carers.
Freedom to Act
Work within defined policies and procedures
Recognise limitations of knowledge, skills and competencies and to seek
guidance from senior colleagues when appropriate
The Post Holder also has a responsibility to act in accordance with the NMC
rules and regulations including code of Conduct
EFFORT & ENVIRONMENT
Physical
Physical skills required frequently to manage complex patients with advanced
progressive diseases i.e. manoeuvring patients into position for personal care
or using mechanical aids such as hoists
Mental
Occasional required to concentrate whilst examining and assessing patients
Emotional
Frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances
Recognise difficulties in relation to dealing with situations within palliative care
in self and other colleagues and to engage and encourage other colleagues to
participate in clinical supervision for support
Working Conditions
Frequent requirement to deal with body fluids when caring for patients
To be flexible in approach across all clinical areas in order to meet the
changing needs and for the improvement of service delivery and care.
Data Protection and Confidentiality
All employees have a responsibility in line with information governance to
maintain confidentiality and ensure the principles of the Data Protection Act
1998 are applied to patients, clients, staff, volunteers and Hospice business
information, including electronic information. Only information required to fulfil
the duties of the role should be accessed by the post holder.
All employees have a responsibility to use electronic systems in a way that
preserves the dignity and privacy of people, helps to ensure services of the
highest quality, and is compliant with the law and Hospice policies and
procedures
Health and Safety
The Hospice will take all reasonably practical steps to ensure the health, safety
and welfare of its employees while at work. Employees will familiarise
themselves with the Health and Safety Policy and procedure as well as the fire
procedures and ensure a safe working environment for self and others in line
with these.
Safeguarding
All employees within the Hospice have a responsibility for, and is committed to,
safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and
ensure they are protected from harm.
All employees should make themselves aware of the policies and procedures
of safeguarding, take personal responsibility as far as is reasonably
practicable, to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, complete statutory
and mandatory training and take appropriate action as set out in the Hospices
policies and procedures.
Infection Control
All employees have a responsibility to ensure the risk of infection to themselves,
colleagues, patients, relatives and visitors is minimised by:
Attending mandatory training and role specific infection prevention education
and training
Challenging poor infection prevention and control practices
Ensuring their own compliance with Hospice Infection Prevention and Control
policies and procedure.
Equal Opportunities
The Hospice welcomes all persons without regard to race, religion or belief,
age, gender re-assignment, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity,
marriage or civil partnership, physical or mental disability. The Hospice aims
to provide services in a manner that enables all members of the community to
access them.
Employees must behave in a non-judgemental manner that respects the
differing needs and cultures of others.
