Job summary
If you
are ready for an exciting opportunity that will not only impact on patient care
but will be motivating and rewarding on a personal level this could be the post
for you. We believe in putting our patients first – that means allowing you to
provide the highest standards of care, to have time for your patients, and to
experience the real satisfaction of a job well done. You will be patient centred, striving for
excellence to achieve the best quality of life for our patients, their families
and carers.
You will
demonstrate our values and possess excellent communication skills, enjoy
working as part of a multidisciplinary team with a passion for palliative and
end of life care.
Main duties of the job
- Assess patient and family needs on admission;
- 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;
- Contribute to effective discharge planning
- 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
- Responsible for the nursing delivery of management care plans as appropriate to patient needs.
About us
St Cuthbert’s Hospice
provides holistic care for patients with life limiting illnesses. We are highly
regarded for our quality of service and the first Adult Hospice in the country
to be graded “outstanding” by the Care Quality Commission. Our 10 bedded palliative
care In Patient Unit provides individualised care planned to support the total
wellbeing of each person, taking into account their physical, psychological,
social and spiritual needs. Our Living Well Centre delivers a 12 week programme
offering advice and strategies to enable people with life limiting illnesses
cope better with their health and wellbeing and support them to regain control
of their life. We value the contribution of all our workforce comprising of
over 90 staff and 395 volunteers. We are
an equal opportunities employer and believe in treating everyone with dignity
and respect, encouraging applications from all sectors of the community.
Our Values: Compassionate,
Respect, Integrity, Professionalism, Choice, Reputation. These define who we are and guide what we do to ensure the highest quality
care for those accessing our services and the highest quality experience for
staff working here. We are committed to
safeguarding and promoting the welfare of adults at risk and children.
Job description
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 multi-disciplinary 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 Hospice’s responsibility to comply with Government Directives
- Preserve confidentiality of any information regarding patients, staff, volunteers and the business of St Cuthbert’s Hospice
- Identify own learning needs and seek support to ensure that individual learning needs are met.E
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 Hospice’s 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.
Job description
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 multi-disciplinary 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 Hospice’s responsibility to comply with Government Directives
- Preserve confidentiality of any information regarding patients, staff, volunteers and the business of St Cuthbert’s Hospice
- Identify own learning needs and seek support to ensure that individual learning needs are met.E
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 Hospice’s 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.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered nurse at degree level or relevant experience
Desirable
- Post registration experience
- Palliative Care qualification
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Self aware
- Confident and self assured
- Motivated and enthusiastic
- Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Evidence of ongoing continuous development
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team
- Able to evidence behaviour consistent with the Hospice values of professionalism, compassion, respect, choice, integrity and reputation,
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable
- Specialist Palliative Experience
- Experience of nursing terminally ill patients and caring for their families
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to articulate in a clear and sensitive manner
- Good interpersonal skills
- Demonstrable resilience to working with those facing loss and bereavement
- Ability to work effectively in a demanding environment
Desirable
- Computer skills
- Ability to contribute to the learning environment
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered nurse at degree level or relevant experience
Desirable
- Post registration experience
- Palliative Care qualification
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Self aware
- Confident and self assured
- Motivated and enthusiastic
- Excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills
- Evidence of ongoing continuous development
- Ability to work effectively as part of a team
- Able to evidence behaviour consistent with the Hospice values of professionalism, compassion, respect, choice, integrity and reputation,
Experience
Essential
- Experience of working effectively in a multi-disciplinary team
Desirable
- Specialist Palliative Experience
- Experience of nursing terminally ill patients and caring for their families
Skills and Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to articulate in a clear and sensitive manner
- Good interpersonal skills
- Demonstrable resilience to working with those facing loss and bereavement
- Ability to work effectively in a demanding environment
Desirable
- Computer skills
- Ability to contribute to the learning environment
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).
Additional information
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).
