Community Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job responsibilities

JOB SUMMARY

To provide specialist palliative nursing care to patients and their families within a service that works every day, by phone, by visits and advising and teaching others within the community and at our community unit locations.

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To work within a team providing specialist palliative care to patients, within a community setting, community care units and care homes.

Supporting carers and other providers delivering care, through the advice line, training and education.

To undertake in-depth holistic assessments of patients with palliative care needs, regardless of their diagnosis, and plan care to meet patient outcomes. To provide information, advice, psychological and spiritual care to patients, their families and carers, liaising and referring on as necessary to appropriate healthcare professionals in the Hospice, hospital and community.

To visit patients and families when a specialist consultation is needed and the patient is unable to travel, or seeing patients in the community clinic.

To provide telephonic support to patients, families and other professionals provided during working hours.

To attend and participate in multi-disciplinary palliative care meetings around patient care management, and present patients at the community MDT and to the caseload reviewer.

Provide a rapid response service for patients needing urgent specialist care. Providing care as needed such as drugs, position changes and interventions, if appropriate to improve the comfort of the patient, or advising others to do so.

To represent the Hospice and patients at meetings, as required.

To maintain and promote effective and efficient working and communication with all involved in the patient, to ensure appropriate sharing of information.

To provide support and expertise to other professionals, as required, acting as a role model and a resource providing expert knowledge and support.

To supervise junior roles to be responsible for supervision, annual appraisals and delegation of workload.

To comply with relevant drug policies, including Non-Medical Prescribing and legislation concerning drugs and administration.

To attend Gold Standard Framework (GSF) meetings.

To have an understanding of safeguarding principles and be able to apply these within everyday practice and intervention/within your role.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

To work with the Community CNSs and Team Leader, to plan and implement change and development within the Community Service where this would increase effectiveness and efficiency of practice.

To work with the Head of Therapy & Community Care Units and the Community Team Leader, to plan and implement change and development within the Community.

To work as part of a team to ensure the priorities of the service are met especially in times of absences and high demand. To adapt to the pressures of changing demands, day-to-day.

To manage patient caseloads, ensuring good communication, planning and reviews.

To participate in education and training.

To maintain patient statistics, and comprehensive patient records. Making sure that other nurses are able to carry on with the caseload easily in your absence, when needed.

To participate in the development of clinical standards, research and clinical audit, working within the Clinical Governance Framework of the Hospice and in palliative care in general.

To record all equipment loaned out, ensuring records are kept up to date and that equipment is returned.

To work autonomously making decisions, but seeking advice from colleagues or/and senior clinical team, as needed.

PERSONNEL RESPONSIBILITIES

To participate in professional staff placements and lay persons to the community service.

To participate in education and training e.g. syringe drivers

To recognise indications of staff stress and to facilitate staff support.

EDUCATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To work with the Community Team Leader and Head of Therapy & Community Care Units, identifying own educational needs.

To update own specialist skills and knowledge in cancer and palliative care, through continuous professional development

To demonstrate a research-based approach to nursing and work in conjunction with the multi-professional team towards applying this to practice.

To participate in internal and external education programmes as required.

To give feedback from attended education programmes/study days to the Multi-professional Team.

To participate in supervision sessions/peer support, as required.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

To devise a personal development plan with the Community Team Leader in line with the Hospice objectives and personal needs.

To maintain and increase personal, clinical and managerial skills.

ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

To work at all times within the policies and guidelines of the Hospice, participate in the ongoing review and update of the policies and guidelines within the community team and act within NMC guidelines at all times.

To ensure effective use of resources.

To play an active part in the development and maintenance of good relationships with all who have business with the Hospice.

To respect at all times the confidentiality of information covering patients, staff and volunteers.

To promote the Hospice philosophy of care towards patients, relatives and visitors.

To uphold the hospice and individual team values at all times

Specific Skills

Essential

• High level of organisational skills.
• Able to prioritise and time manage work.
• Good problem solver.
• Ability to support others to reach their own decisions.
• Able to work independently and within a team.
• Able to analyse complex patient information.
• IT literate.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Work well under pressure.
• Problem solver.
• Reflective in order to improve own practise.
• Highly motivated team player.
• Own transport and current driving licence.

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 2 years experience in palliative care/oncology/or community nursing.
• Experienced in providing palliative advice and support to end of life patients, families and other professionals.
• Experienced in assessing patient needs that may be complex and subject to change.
• Knowledge of the wider palliative care agenda.
• Negotiation skills.
• Good knowledge of community care.
• Have an understanding of safeguarding principles and be able to apply these within everyday practice and intervention/within your role.

Desirable

• Advanced communication skills.
• Project Management.
• Service Development.
• Working in the community and in the patients own home.

Qualifications

Essential

• State Registered Nurse with current NMC registration.
• Educated to degree level.
• Educationalist qualification or proven teaching experience.

Desirable

• Educated to Masters level or working towards, in palliative care or a similar related qualification.
• Advanced communication course.
• Nurse prescriber.

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).