Palliative Helpline (Pall24) Senior Nurse / Pall24 Paramedic

Job responsibilities

Job Purpose and scope

To be able to provide professional telephone advice

To receive and triage referrals.

To work closely with Hospice at home team for arranging care packages for patients who require urgent bridging.

To provide face to face visit in crisis or urgent situation.

Provide support and direction to Healthcare Assistants to ensure the delivery of a high quality service to palliative care patients in their own homes.

Be responsible for recording activities and maintaining accurate and complete patient notes

The post holder will play a key role in the raising of clinical standards and quality for patients with life limiting illnesses and in monitoring and improving standards of care.

To be able to update care plan and register patient on UCP (urgent care planning)

2. Main Duties & Responsibilities Clinical

Be confident and competent to manage telephone contacts and triage calls appropriately

Be able to receive, register referrals and make a telephone contact or visit the patient.

Visit patients at home to assess their needs, putting together packages of care, order equipment, using a risk assessed approach that are appropriate, flexible and patient focused.

Liaise closely with Hospice at home and other care agencies involved in the care of the patient encouraging effective and efficient use of resources (Social Services, Continuing Care Teams and Hospital Discharge Liaisons teams).

Deliver direct care to patients and provide day-to-day clinical support to the Health Care Assistants and volunteers in their delivery of care to patients at home

Liaise with the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT) involved in the individuals care to ensure the appropriate care is arranged.

Work with the wider professionals to ensure the patients shared record is kept up-todate and that key information is available in a timely way Job Description

Work with the team to ensure clinical documentation and all care plans are reviewed and evaluated at regular intervals.

Make additional visits to patients at home if requested to do so by the patient / family, another healthcare professional or at key stages of their care pathway that have been agreed.

Respond to urgent requests for care ensuring the appropriate professional attends to deliver care and that needs are met within the required timeframe

Provide specialist palliative telephone advice and support to patients, families and other health and social care professionals, signpost them, complete appropriate referrals for continuity of care.

Be responsible for updating the icare patient data system regularly and manage patient information sensitively and confidentially.

Ensure the dignity of patients and families is respected at all times

Ensure confidentiality in the best interest of the patient is maintained at all times. Management and People

Act as a role model and expert resource to the team, wider hospice services and teams / services in primary and acute care on the delivery of high quality end of life care

Be accountable for your professional practice in accordance with the NMC Code.

Work with volunteers to ensure they understand their role within the service providing them with support and advice as required

Liaise with third party care providers and work with them to ensure care is delivered to our expected standards

Ensure the service provided is in accordance with Hospice policies and procedures and key aspects of the pilot service.

Promote and maintain positive working relationships with all members of the team to ensure positive outcomes with each patient.

Be aware of the Health and Safety aspects of the service with particular reference to the implications of working in a patients home and lone worker issues. Governance, Quality and Service Improvement

Implement clinical audits of records to measure and evaluate all aspects of care.

Ensure sensitive data is stored and transferred securely.

Promote effective evidence based clinical practice.

Communicate and liaise effectively with hospice and community colleagues, promoting and consistently marketing the Palliative Helpline (Pall24) service and the Hospice philosophy.

Liaise with external agencies regarding day-to-day issues in relation to packages of care and undertake spot inspections of notes and care delivery as a routine in every care package and provide feedback to the agencies involved raising concerns when required.

Increase awareness of Hospice provision by representation of Palliative Helpline (Pall24) service at public events. Education and Professional Development

Participate in the arrangement of induction programs for all new Hospice at Home staff.

Work with the Hospice home care manager to facilitate Health Care Assistants with their professional development.

Maintain an up-to-date knowledge of professional developments in Palliative Care and Community Care.

Attend relevant courses, meetings and conferences ensuring own practice and development.

To take responsibility of own professional and clinical growth and be prepared to attend mandatory training sessions requested at St. Lukes.

Assist in the education of colleagues in end-of-life care issues

Skills / Personal Attributes

Essential

• In-depth understanding of relevant care
• pathways
• Understanding of services in both
• primary and secondary care and the interface between these and with social
• care
• Understanding of palliative and end of life
• care

Experience

Essential

• Proven experience at a suitable level of
• seniority of managing complex cases in
• either the community or an institutional
• setting
• ability to implement change
• Extensive experience of working in
• palliative care setting or caring for
• palliative patients.
• In-depth understanding of relevant care
• pathways
• Understanding of services in both primary
• and secondary care and the interface
• between these and social care
• Understanding of palliative and end of life
• care

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Flexibility to meet the needs of the
• service.
• Car driver and owner
• Able to clearly communicate over the
• phone
• Has understanding of telephone advice
• lines and direct support required.
• A good team player
• Able to work in stressful situation

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse with NMC registration
• or Registered Paramedic (HCPC)
• Post registration qualification in
• community nursing, oncology, palliative
• care or other relevant area of practice
• Mentorship qualification.
• Recent community experience at least 2
• years

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).