Palliative Care Nurse

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• To encourage patients to maintain their independence and achieve quality of life and self-esteem whilst coping with aspects of deteriorating condition and difficult treatment.
• Maintaining patient safety and providing physical, emotional and psychological support to patients and carers, including the appropriate and safe moving and handling of patients.
• To provide high quality nursing care and participate in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care needs for patients in a palliative care setting to current guidance.
• Full compliance with professional, ethical patient assessments, care plans and note taking are clear and accurate by both self and the wider team.
• Taking a wider view to patient care by supporting community teams in their practise of patients requiring palliative care and referring appropriately to other in-house services and to external services.
• Actively comply and demonstrate the implementation of good infection prevention control in accordance with policy and procedures.
• Work with the team, using a patient-centered approach and evidenced based practice, assess, plan, implement and evaluate patient care and co-ordinate care from initial assessment admission to discharge.
• Administer medication and treatment as prescribed in accordance with the NMCs and the Charitys policies and guidelines if the patient is unable to self-medicate.
• Liaise with the multi-disciplinary team regularly to ensure timely delivery of care and foster good working relationships.
• Liaise and communicate with external services e.g. District Nurses, Specialist Palliative Care nurses and Health and Social Service Departments to arrange discharges and/or support within the community.
• Adhere to the Care Quality Commission five key principals. Well-led, Responsive, Effective, Safe and Caring.
• Maintain a pleasant and safe environment for patients visitors, staff and volunteers.
• Responsible for the assessment of care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of patients care plans without supervision.
• To liaise with the Lead Palliative Care Nurse on all developments relating to patient care, staff and volunteers.
• Oversee the department in the absence of the Lead Palliative Care Nurse.
• Understanding of the referral process to the Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH).
• Support a positive learning environment for junior staff, new colleagues and students.

Qualifications

Essential

• Appropriate Palliative Care Nursing Qualification and minimum of two years experience within a similar
• position.

Experience

Essential

• Good understanding of palliative and end of life nursing care.
• Demonstrate a consistent high standard of work and attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal skills.
• Basic computer skills including Excel and Word skills with appropriate training.
• Punctual and presentable.
• Approachable and accessible.
• Willing to learn.
• Communicate with empathy and understanding towards patients and staff.
• Ability to listen and act appropriately.
• Effective Communications with colleagues and Management team.
• Calm temperament under pressured conditions

Behavioural Values

Essential

• Appreciates the impact that decisions and actions have on the business and makes appropriate decisions
• Acting as a positive role ambassador ensuring safe, effective, responsive, caring and well-led practise
• Consistently operates at a high level with behaviour expected of a health professional
• To be an active participant in any meetings you are required to attend.
• Ability to ensure that objectives or tasks are delivered on time and to an agreed quality
• Front line operational nursing role as part of Hospice team that delivers high quality services to a range of
• clients.
• Pro-active and responsive to requirements of patients, peers, the team and the hospice; a team player.
• Fully understands internal and external delivery expectations and requirements and works to ensure these
• exceed and delight.
• Works co-operatively and productively with others, to achieve results.
• Demonstrate knowledge and interest in Palliative and End of Life Care and maintains own personal
• development including the attendance at CPD events and supervision.
• Takes the initiative to work across boundaries to resolve challenges.
• Demonstrates commitment and loyalty to South Bucks Hospice.
• Self-motivated individual with strong patient focus.
• Able to choose a method of communication that is appropriate and effective for a given situation, to
• incorporate the difference mediums of listening, verbal and written.
• Uses original and creative thinking to make improvements or support the initiation of new approaches.
• Works with honesty and integrity and maintains the reputation of South Bucks Hospice.
• Does the right thing for the long term success of South Bucks 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).