Job summary
*Please note, we are unable to offer Sponsorships or Visas for this role currently. All applicants will be asked to provide proof of right to work in the UK*
Step into a rewarding leadership role where your compassion and clinical expertise
will truly make a difference.
As a Ward Sister within our inpatient unit, youll play a
key role in delivering outstanding, person-centred palliative and end-of-life care - supporting patients and those important to them at the most meaningful times.
Working closely with the Senior Ward Sister, youll lead by example - coordinating
day-to-day care, supporting your team, and ensuring the highest standards of
safety, dignity and quality. Youll also have the opportunity to develop your
leadership skills, contribute to service improvements, and help shape a positive,
learning-focused environment.
If youre ready to take the next step in your career and want a role where your
impact is felt every day, this is your opportunity to grow, lead and make a real
difference.
Main duties of the job
The Ward Sister is a key clinical leader within the inpatient unit, combining expert clinical practice
with operational and team leadership responsibilities.
The post holder will act as a role model,
ensuring care is delivered with compassion, dignity and respect, and is underpinned by best
practice and evidence-based standards.
Working as part of the multidisciplinary team, the Ward Sister will coordinate care delivery,
support clinical decision-making, and contribute to a positive, learning-focused environment.
The
role plays a vital part in ensuring high standards of patient experience, safety, and clinical
effectiveness are consistently achieved.
Key duties include:
- Acting as a role model and maintaining high clinical profile within the multi-professional
team.
- Providing clinical leadership for the nursing team, and create a supportive environment in which patient and family focused specialist palliative care can flourish
- Taking a proactive approach to effective admission and discharge planning, ensuring continuity of care for patients
- Providing advice and guidance related to symptom management
- Recognising and appropriately responding to changes in patients conditions
- Actively contributing to service development
- Being involved in the supervision and education of other health professionals
- Making recommendations for the development of and changes to working practices and processes as required
About us
As an award-winning employer, Pilgrims provides end of life care services to patients and their families across east Kent.
Our commitment is to provide open, compassionate care and expertise for patients and their families both in the community and in-patient units.
Our Vision
Of a community where people with a terminal illness, and their family and friends, are supported and empowered to live well in mind and body until the very last moment of their life.
Other Benefits
As an Employer of Choice, our commitment to supporting our employees and volunteers is a key priority.
Our hospices offer:
- Modern, friendly and highly professional working environments
- Opportunities for professional development through a range of extensive learning
- Alignment with NHS pay rates and continuity in membership of the NHS pension scheme
- A sense of achievement in supporting a worthwhile cause
- A sense of wellbeing
- A good work-life balance
- NHS and financial discounts i.e. Blue Light Card
This advert will be closed once sufficient applications have been received. This can happen quickly, so if youre interested, please apply as soon as possible.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Clinical Leadership and Quality of Care
- Provide visible, hands-on clinical leadership, acting as a role model for high
standards of palliative and end-of-life care.
- Deliver and oversee individualised, holistic, evidence-based care for patients and
their families.
- Coordinate the day-to-day management of the inpatient unit, ensuring safe, timely
and effective care delivery.
- Support effective admission and discharge planning to promote continuity of care.
- Demonstrate advanced clinical assessment, decision-making and prioritisation
skills in complex situations.
- Actively participate in ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings.
- Promote a culture of safety, identifying, managing and escalating risks
appropriately.
- Ensure patient experience is continuously evaluated through feedback, reflection
and quality improvement.
2. Professional Leadership
- Support the Senior Ward Sister in leading and developing the nursing team.
- Provide line management support, including supervision, appraisal, absence
management and performance review.
- Maintain high visibility across all shift patterns, providing consistent leadership
and support.
- Promote open, effective and compassionate communication within the team and
with patients and families.
- Ensure all clinical practice complies with professional standards, organisational
policies, and regulatory requirements (including CQC).
- Act as a clinical resource for colleagues and external professionals.
- Challenge and support practice development, ensuring care reflects current
evidence and best practice.
3. People Management and Development
- Support the development of a skilled and confident workforce through mentorship,
teaching and clinical supervision.
- Act as a mentor, assessor and preceptor for staff and students.
- Contribute to recruitment, induction and retention of staff.
- Identify training and development needs and support staff to achieve required
competencies.
- Promote a positive learning environment, encouraging reflective practice and
continuous improvement.
- Ensure compliance with statutory and mandatory training requirements.
4. Operational and Resource Management- Assist in maintaining safe staffing levels and appropriate skill mix across the
inpatient unit.
- Support effective use of resources, including staffing and equipment, within
agreed budgets.
- Monitor and escalate concerns regarding staffing or resource utilisation.
- Ensure clinical equipment is used safely, maintained appropriately, and faults are
reported promptly.
5. Audit, Research and Service Development
- Participate in audit, research and quality improvement activities to enhance
patient care.
- Support the implementation of audit findings and service improvements.
- Contribute to monitoring care quality using recognised end-of-life care tools and
outcome measures.
- Assist in the development and review of clinical policies and procedures.
6. Education and Practice Development- Contribute to creating a supportive learning environment within the clinical area.
- Deliver informal and formal teaching to staff, students and the wider
multidisciplinary team.
- Work in partnership with the education team to support workforce development
and competency frameworks.
- Maintain own professional development, ensuring practice remains current and
evidence-based.
- Participate in clinical supervision and reflective practice.
General Responsibilities- Act in accordance with organisational values, professional codes, and all relevant
legislation.
- Maintain high standards of integrity, confidentiality and accountability.
- Take responsibility for personal and professional development, including NMC
revalidation.
- Work flexibly to meet the needs of a 24/7 hospice service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Clinical Leadership and Quality of Care
- Provide visible, hands-on clinical leadership, acting as a role model for high
standards of palliative and end-of-life care.
- Deliver and oversee individualised, holistic, evidence-based care for patients and
their families.
- Coordinate the day-to-day management of the inpatient unit, ensuring safe, timely
and effective care delivery.
- Support effective admission and discharge planning to promote continuity of care.
- Demonstrate advanced clinical assessment, decision-making and prioritisation
skills in complex situations.
- Actively participate in ward rounds and multidisciplinary team meetings.
- Promote a culture of safety, identifying, managing and escalating risks
appropriately.
- Ensure patient experience is continuously evaluated through feedback, reflection
and quality improvement.
2. Professional Leadership
- Support the Senior Ward Sister in leading and developing the nursing team.
- Provide line management support, including supervision, appraisal, absence
management and performance review.
- Maintain high visibility across all shift patterns, providing consistent leadership
and support.
- Promote open, effective and compassionate communication within the team and
with patients and families.
- Ensure all clinical practice complies with professional standards, organisational
policies, and regulatory requirements (including CQC).
- Act as a clinical resource for colleagues and external professionals.
- Challenge and support practice development, ensuring care reflects current
evidence and best practice.
3. People Management and Development
- Support the development of a skilled and confident workforce through mentorship,
teaching and clinical supervision.
- Act as a mentor, assessor and preceptor for staff and students.
- Contribute to recruitment, induction and retention of staff.
- Identify training and development needs and support staff to achieve required
competencies.
- Promote a positive learning environment, encouraging reflective practice and
continuous improvement.
- Ensure compliance with statutory and mandatory training requirements.
4. Operational and Resource Management- Assist in maintaining safe staffing levels and appropriate skill mix across the
inpatient unit.
- Support effective use of resources, including staffing and equipment, within
agreed budgets.
- Monitor and escalate concerns regarding staffing or resource utilisation.
- Ensure clinical equipment is used safely, maintained appropriately, and faults are
reported promptly.
5. Audit, Research and Service Development
- Participate in audit, research and quality improvement activities to enhance
patient care.
- Support the implementation of audit findings and service improvements.
- Contribute to monitoring care quality using recognised end-of-life care tools and
outcome measures.
- Assist in the development and review of clinical policies and procedures.
6. Education and Practice Development- Contribute to creating a supportive learning environment within the clinical area.
- Deliver informal and formal teaching to staff, students and the wider
multidisciplinary team.
- Work in partnership with the education team to support workforce development
and competency frameworks.
- Maintain own professional development, ensuring practice remains current and
evidence-based.
- Participate in clinical supervision and reflective practice.
General Responsibilities- Act in accordance with organisational values, professional codes, and all relevant
legislation.
- Maintain high standards of integrity, confidentiality and accountability.
- Take responsibility for personal and professional development, including NMC
revalidation.
- Work flexibly to meet the needs of a 24/7 hospice service.
Person Specification
Other requirements
Essential
- Flexible approach to working patterns, including a 24/7
- service
- Ability to travel across sites if required (Driving license)
- Right to work in the UK, not requiring sponsorship
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (NMC)
-
- Degree or diploma in nursing
-
- Practice assessor and or supervisor qualification
Desirable
- Additional training in palliative care or advanced
- communication skills
Experience
Essential
- Post-registration nursing experience, including experience in
- palliative or end-of-life care or a related field
-
- Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
-
- Experience of teaching, mentoring or supporting learners in
- practice
-
- Experience of contributing to quality improvement or audit
Desirable
- Experience of service improvement or change initiatives
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Strong clinical assessment and decision-making skills
-
- Compassionate and effective leadership abilities
-
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
-
- Ability to prioritise workload and manage competing
- demands
-
- Competence in IT systems, including electronic patient
- records
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of palliative and end-of-life care principles and
- practice
-
- Understanding of clinical governance, audit and quality
- improvement
-
- Awareness of professional standards and regulatory
- requirements (e.g. CQC, NMC)
Person Specification
Other requirements
Essential
- Flexible approach to working patterns, including a 24/7
- service
- Ability to travel across sites if required (Driving license)
- Right to work in the UK, not requiring sponsorship
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (NMC)
-
- Degree or diploma in nursing
-
- Practice assessor and or supervisor qualification
Desirable
- Additional training in palliative care or advanced
- communication skills
Experience
Essential
- Post-registration nursing experience, including experience in
- palliative or end-of-life care or a related field
-
- Experience of working within a multidisciplinary team
-
- Experience of teaching, mentoring or supporting learners in
- practice
-
- Experience of contributing to quality improvement or audit
Desirable
- Experience of service improvement or change initiatives
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Strong clinical assessment and decision-making skills
-
- Compassionate and effective leadership abilities
-
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
-
- Ability to prioritise workload and manage competing
- demands
-
- Competence in IT systems, including electronic patient
- records
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of palliative and end-of-life care principles and
- practice
-
- Understanding of clinical governance, audit and quality
- improvement
-
- Awareness of professional standards and regulatory
- requirements (e.g. CQC, NMC)
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).
