Job summary
We are on the lookout for an exceptional 8B Nurse Consultant in Palliative Care to join our established service. This post was one of the first Nurse Consultant posts to be created in the UK back in 2000. The role has worked exceptionally well, and we want to recruit someone who can carry on the thread of nursing excellence in specialist palliative care.
We are an ambitious, compassionate team trying to have as much of a positive impact as possible on people's lives as they move towards death. We are a diverse team who blend together to bring new ideas, and give it our all to get things done. We embrace a growth mindset, are curious and open-minded in pursuit of the answers, we all roll up our sleeves and are passionate about our purpose.
Main duties of the job
The Palliative Care Nurse Consultant role supports the leadership and the ongoing development of the Camden, Islington ELiPSe and UCLH & HCA Palliative Care Service. Whilst this role leads nursing across the service, the post holder will undertake their clinical sessions as part of the community palliative care team and will act as a nursing expert reference point, and is expected to support work and projects across Goodall Division and the wider trusts as appropriate.
In addition to clinical care, all consultants are each closely involved with strategic development and service improvement, as well as the advancement of relationships with key colleagues. We all also have presence on key committees, boards and groups relevant to our primary areas. However, the consultant body also works closely together as a mutually-supportive whole and provide cross cover for each other when this is needed.
Responsibility for non-clinical work, i.e. service improvement, clinical governance, peer review, audit, education and research, is also shared amongst the consultants and with our clinical operations lead; named individuals take responsibility for different elements of the clinical governance portfolio and the education programme delivered by the service.
About us
The Camden, Islington ELiPSe and UCLH & HCA Palliative Care Service is a well-established specialist palliative care service that has gained recognition for its innovative, integrated and comprehensive care provision. The service delivers a Specialist Palliative Care (SPC) Service throughout University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) at UCLH, and within the local communities of South Camden, North East Westminster and Islington. The service has a robust programme of clinical governance, service improvement, audit/QI and education. There is an annual general meeting and team away days each year.
The service works closely with primary care and other specialist palliative care providers at Marie Curie Hospice Hampstead, Whittington Health, Royal Free Hospital, St John's Hospice and St Joseph's Hospice and is a member of the North Central and North East London Palliative Care reference group, PallE8, and the UCL Palliative Care Research Consortium. It is a training unit for specialty registrars.
The service operates a 7 day a week 9am- 8pm visiting on-call service that covers Camden and Islington Communities, UCLH and HCA wards. The 1st on-call practitioner is either a clinical nurse specialist or specialty trainee from within the team, and the 2nd on-call practitioner is either a medical consultant or this nurse consultant postholder (the frequency of 2nd on-call is normally 1 in 8 with internal cover).
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will have an appropriate freedom of practice appropriate to seniority of the role and the job plan has the four traditional pillars of focus, namely:
- expert practice
- professional leadership
- service development
- research and education
The post holder will provide strategic clinical leadership for palliative nursing and work with the operational management (in conjunction with the other clinical leads, consultants, team leaders and the Head of Service) of the palliative care service and other Goodall services. The post will support the development of palliative and end of life nursing, linking closely with relevant ICPS as well as educational commissioners and providers when required. This will include promoting improved health outcomes and quality of life.
The post holder will be a key member of the Palliative Care Service in Goodall, working as part of the Palliative Care Senior Management Team and with other professional leads. They will provide advice and support at the highest level for colleagues and patients in order to maintain clinical excellence and quality.
They will take an active part in the development of governance arrangements across palliative care in order to ensure the highest possible clinical standards are delivered and that the care is proactive, innovative and progressive.
They are also expected to have an overview of competencies and to deliver specialist training to ensure that nursing staff are clinically competent. We are therefore looking for a very strong leader who is visible, with a high level of emotional intelligence and an expert-level of Palliative Care knowledge, extensive drive and focus to be able to quickly deliver innovative solutions to the ambitious outcomes expected across the division.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will have an appropriate freedom of practice appropriate to seniority of the role and the job plan has the four traditional pillars of focus, namely:
- expert practice
- professional leadership
- service development
- research and education
The post holder will provide strategic clinical leadership for palliative nursing and work with the operational management (in conjunction with the other clinical leads, consultants, team leaders and the Head of Service) of the palliative care service and other Goodall services. The post will support the development of palliative and end of life nursing, linking closely with relevant ICPS as well as educational commissioners and providers when required. This will include promoting improved health outcomes and quality of life.
The post holder will be a key member of the Palliative Care Service in Goodall, working as part of the Palliative Care Senior Management Team and with other professional leads. They will provide advice and support at the highest level for colleagues and patients in order to maintain clinical excellence and quality.
They will take an active part in the development of governance arrangements across palliative care in order to ensure the highest possible clinical standards are delivered and that the care is proactive, innovative and progressive.
They are also expected to have an overview of competencies and to deliver specialist training to ensure that nursing staff are clinically competent. We are therefore looking for a very strong leader who is visible, with a high level of emotional intelligence and an expert-level of Palliative Care knowledge, extensive drive and focus to be able to quickly deliver innovative solutions to the ambitious outcomes expected across the division.
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior clinical level in specialist palliative care
- Extensive community and hospital clinical experience working in an 8A/B in specialist palliative care in a community and acute hospital setting
- Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
- Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
- Member of relevant professional body
Skills
Essential
- Developed expert communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level.
- Able to lead an integrated specialist team and lead complex MDT decisions.
- Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time
- Financial and staff management abilities
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills
- Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales
Other
Essential
- Self-motivated
- Ability to move between details and the bigger picture
- Demonstrates positive attitude to change, viewing it as an opportunity to learn and develop
Desirable
Person Specification
Knowledge, Training and Experience
Essential
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior clinical level in specialist palliative care
- Extensive community and hospital clinical experience working in an 8A/B in specialist palliative care in a community and acute hospital setting
- Extensive knowledge of specialist areas, acquired through post graduate diploma or equivalent experience or training plus further specialist knowledge or experience to master's level equivalent
- Evidence of post qualifying and continuing professional development
- Member of relevant professional body
Skills
Essential
- Developed expert communication skills for delivering key messages to a range of stakeholders both internal and external (including outside the NHS) to the organisation, some at very senior level.
- Able to lead an integrated specialist team and lead complex MDT decisions.
- Evidence of planning and delivering programmes and projects and services on time
- Financial and staff management abilities
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills
- Ability to work without supervision, providing specialist advice to the organisation, working to tight and often changing timescales
Other
Essential
- Self-motivated
- Ability to move between details and the bigger picture
- Demonstrates positive attitude to change, viewing it as an opportunity to learn and develop
Desirable
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.
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
