Job responsibilities
Clinical Responsibilities
Work clinically with members of staff in the acute setting, providing expert advice and skills to facilitate learning and development.
- To participate in a 7day palliative care visiting service that includes weekends and bank holidays.
Act as an expert practitioner and work autonomously to provide highly specialist advice, support and mentorship to health and social care professionals caring for patients with long term conditions and cancer (and their carers/family) in order to facilitate the implementation of the End of Life Care plans and thereby influence related clinical care for patients.
Explore more effective mechanisms for staff to provide appropriate support for bereaved families liaising with Trust bereavement office.
Support health and social care professionals to develop communication skills appropriate to dealing with patients and the sensitive issues around the dying process.
Act as a leadership role model for excellence, empowering others through education, support and demonstration of expert knowledge and understanding around end of life care.
Provide specialist knowledge of end of life care in a variety of clinical settings and disciplines.
As a member of the palliative care team, support team activity in end of life care issues.
Ensure that end of life care information is available and to provide specialist advice and support, for healthcare professionals caring for patients with cancer and benign disease, this will often include communicating sensitive information regarding diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options and outcomes of illness, including future care, terminal illness and bereavement.
Offer specialist emotional, psychological, psychosexual and practical advice, support to healthcare professionals caring for patient and their carers/families throughout the treatment pathway from pre-admission to community follow-up.
Ensure all practice conforms to current written protocols and policies and take a lead on the establishment of specialist nursing protocols and procedures and be responsible for the setting, monitoring and maintenance of quality standards of care for own areas of specialist responsibility.
Work with the lead clinician to promote, develop and manage End of Life Care information/tools, in the specialist area in line with local and national guidelines.
Ensure patient and carers views are sought by facilitating patient carer involvement in the development of new services.
Educational Responsibilities
Works in conjunction with the Consultant in Palliative Medicine to provide education and training to rotational specialist registrars and the induction of medical and surgical house officers.
Provides placements/mentorship for professionals studying palliative care/oncology at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Ensure staff are adequately trained to use the End of Life care tools in appropriate circumstances
Identify the learning needs of health and social care professionals in relation to caring for patients at the end of life and develop up to date educational programmes to meet those needs, in conjunction with the palliative care team.
Develop learning resources for use within the clinical areas.
Coordinate with the palliative care team to provide formal and informal teaching to staff members of all grades and disciplines on best practice in end of life care.
Establish procedures for the maintenance of on-going education programmes so that expertise necessary to use the care plans becomes self-sustaining.
Serve as an expert resource for healthcare professionals, including health and social care professionals in relation to end of life care, bereavement and the use of the advanced care planning.
Teach on end of life care and the use of advanced care planning on specialist modules (undergraduate and postgraduate).
Develop personal knowledge, skill and expertise to inform development of specialist care pathways across Worcestershire.
Professional and Managerial Responsibilities
On behalf of the End of Life care project team, lead on the development of a project plan for the implementation of appropriate end of life care across Worcestershire.
Participate in own Clinical Supervision sessions as needed, and that of others within the department.
Collect accurate records. Submit statistical returns and audit as defined in project plan
Show leadership and flexibility in realigning the project plan, should external forces alter it e.g. ward closures, staff changes
Work autonomously and take responsibility for the day to day running of EOL workflow whilst working collaboratively with the palliative care team members and clinical staff
Take responsibility for ensuring all documentation and information is accessible to staff as needed
Support health/ social care professionals to understand and interpret complex and emotive situations experienced by dying patients and their carers and how to act appropriately in each situation.
Demonstrate advanced communications skills to manage the possible challenges from practitioners in authority e.g. consultants, senior nurse managers, which may result from this emotive and sensitive area of end of life care.
Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical/ legal principles associated with the effective delivery and implementation of end of life care plans.
Negotiate, manage conflict, persuade and motivate staff who may be resistant and provide reassurance to those who find the subject too sensitive and overwhelming.
Maintain effective links with care group and department leads (including medical, nursing and management leads) to ensure timely implementation of and to engage continuing support for end of life care
Demonstrate computing skills in order to develop / alter complex forms and documents, accurately input data onto and manage a large database and produce corporate reports as appropriate.
Responsible, in conjunction with appropriate stakeholders, for the development of relevant policies, standards, protocols and procedures that are linked to service delivery and that influence end of life care and support for carers.
Organise own work, identifying and maintaining supportive networks for self and other relevant health/ social care professionals.
Represent Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust as an expert practitioner in using the end of life care plans as a method for organising and providing end of life care in external situations e.g. conferences, committees etc.
Ensure that nursing practice is in keeping with NMC Code of Professional Conduct and Standards and reflects Trust Policy and Procedures.
Provide leadership and act as a credible role model in delivery of end of life care plans, encouraging and empowering staff to develop personally and professionally to achieve their maximum potential.
Develop links and collaborative working relationships with other services e.g. Dieticians, Cancer Information Services, Clinical nurse specialist services and Oncology/Palliative Care Services,
Keep up to date with professional issues and ensure they are reflected in practice.
Participate in opportunities to share good practice and innovations with colleagues both locally and nationally.
- To contribute to the Divisions Clinical Governance Framework, ensuring that all aspects of service provision are to the highest clinical standard.
