Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job responsibilities

POST: Senior Clinical Nurse Specialist

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Community Manager

JOB PURPOSE:

To provide senior nursing clinical leadership, within Phyllis Tuckwells community service with practice underpinned by advanced skills and knowledge.

To proactively support the pathway into PT clinical services, ensuring that referrals are responded to effectively and in a timely way and to provide a responsive service as part of our access and referral team. To lead within a locality, providing case load management, decision making, partnership working and ensuring that care is coordinated around patient, carer and family needs through close working with other community services.

To provide and lead skilled holistic assessment of needs for patients with advanced and terminal illness and deteriorating health in oncological and / or non-oncological practice. To optimise symptom management, provide advance care planning and support across all domains of palliative care. To work as part of an effective MDT ensuring that the patient and those closest to them are at the centre of their care. To ensure high quality service provision for Phyllis Tuckwell patients and support improvement and governance.

To act as a specialist resource and support to external health and social care professionals involved in providing palliative care and within Phyllis Tuckwell (PT), through sharing expertise and information, providing advice, advancing practice, and delivering palliative and end of life care education.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.0 Clinical Leadership

1.1 To provide clinical leadership for the locality and throughout Phyllis Tuckwell through the provision of evidence based expert clinical practice.

1.2 To undertake assessments, plan, implement and evaluate palliative care interventions and support delivered to the patient and family or carer within the community setting.

1.3 To provide expertise and support on pain and symptom management and strategies to enable psychological health, through advanced communication, to enhance quality of life.

1.4 To work closely with locality GPs, District Nurses, other health care colleagues and members of the primary health care team to ensure effective continuity of care irrespective of the care setting.

1.5 To provide effective decision making and proactive caseload management, arranging for appropriate cover when on leave for continuity of patient care.

1.6 Use advanced communication skills to negotiate, influence and ensure best practice takes place focusing on the needs of the patient through advance care planning.

1.7 To prescribe where appropriate and within own competency, in line with PT policy.

1.8 To maintain competencies in medication administration and nursing care to ensure a seamless experience for patients and families.

1.9 Participate in a 7-day a week service across the area covered by PT demonstrating flexibility and rotation into the Advice and Referral team.

1.10 To line manage others and support their learning and development.

2.0 Professional

2.1 To act as an ambassador for PT on all occasions in the general public arena, for example by giving educational talks and to ensure that the reputation of PT is maintained and enhanced.

2.2 To ensure patient records are properly maintained in accordance with NMC guidelines and PT policies.

2.3 To abide by professional NMC registration requirements for practice and revalidation.

2.4 To develop expertise and act as a resource for the multi-professional PT team, advancing clinical practice and being a role model.

2.5 To participate in and contribute to meetings, and professional development.

2.6 To maintain appropriate professional relationships and partnership working with other health and social care agencies, respecting and valuing the role of other professionals.

3.0 Managerial

3.1 To provide line management for other clinicians.

3.2 Be familiar with all guidelines and regulations relevant to the role at PT, in the hospice, at the Beacon Centre and in the community, particularly those relating to governance, lone working, health and safety at work, ensuring they are met at all times.

3.3 To promote patient safety through service monitoring, evaluation and improvement.

3.4 Report accidents, incidents and complaints in area of responsibility as per PT procedure, participating in investigations as required.

3.5 To manage clinical risk effectively.

3.6 Contribute towards achieving contractual and organisational KPIs.

3.7 Participate in audit (s) of the service, to identify if improvements and/or changes have enabled an improved patient and care experience.

3.8 Take responsibility for ensuring that appropriate clinical supervision is in place.

3.9 Provide mentorship and facilitation to other professionals with less experience in end of life care.

4.0 Training and Development

a) Team

4.1 To provide clinical support to the other members of the team, thereby promoting and maintaining effective relationships and team development.

4.2 To take part as appropriate in the PT Induction Programme and with any ongoing training for visiting healthcare professionals.

4.3 To improve the palliative care skill and knowledge within communities supported by Phyllis Tuckwell through competency development and education of Phyllis Tuckwell colleagues and external health and social care professionals.

b) Personal

4.4 To develop and maintain own knowledge and skills through continual professional development and through PT appraisal process.

4.5 To maintain a dynamic interest in all professional matters associated with palliative care and management, with particular interest current research and development related to nursing practices.

4.6 To undertake mandatory and statutory training in line with PT requirements.

5.0 Research and Audit

5.1 To participate in research as appropriate and implement findings of evidence based on practice.

5.2 To participate in audit and quality assurance programmes/initiatives as part of PTs drive for quality improvement.

6.0 Safeguarding, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Role holders are required to understand their responsibilities in the safeguarding context, ensuring that Phyllis Tuckwell reduces the risk of harm or abuse of adults and children at risk.

You are required to

adhere to Phyllis Tuckwells Safeguarding Policy (held on the NEST), which supports the local authoritys multi agency safeguarding policy, the law (Care Act 2014) and Mental Capacity Act 2005 (including Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards).

inform the appropriate PT professional where there is concern that an adult or child may be at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect.

Phyllis Tuckwell is committed to an Equal Opportunities approach, valuing, and respecting everyone as individuals, with diverse opinions, cultures, lifestyles, and circumstances.

This job description is underpinned by Phyllis Tuckwells philosophy, culture, and core values, which actively embrace diversity and inclusion and promotes total team spirit.

Experience

Essential

• Community experience
• Clinical leadership skills, knowledge and experience
• Continuous relevant professional development
• Car driver with business insurance

Qualifications

Essential

• Nurse (RGN) degree level qualification
• Current NMC registration in adult or general nursing
• Is a senior nurse with extensive palliative and end of life care experience

Desirable

• Degree module (level 7 MSc) in advanced clinical practice
• Commitment to completing MsC modules in advanced clinical practice including prescribing
• Qualification in physical assessment skills and or non-medical prescribing
• Knowledge of current health care, nursing, palliative care policy and provision

Governance and Risk Management

Essential

• Understanding of policies and procedures relevant to the post including clinical governance, risk management, health and safety, quality improvement
• Adhering to and influencing governance
• Experience of service improvement and change management

Relationships and Communication

Essential

• Evidence of the ability to teach and to give presentations
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to identify own and teams wellbeing and resilience and seek appropriate support

Team Working

Essential

• Ability to work as part of a team and independently
• Have experience of multidisciplinary team working and with external partners
• Ability to show interpersonal sensitivity to others

Managing Work

Essential

• Able to carry out effective and appropriate clinical assessment and evaluation
• Able to identify, initiate and implement change
• Able to demonstrate evidence of leadership qualities
• Ability to make autonomous decisions demonstrating decision making, critical thinking, proactive caseload management
• Ability to lead and supervise others
• Able to work effectively in an emotionally demanding environment under pressure

Using Information and Systems

Essential

• Be in possession of basic IT skills word, e-mail and internet usage

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).