Clinical Nurse Specialist

Job responsibilities

POST: Clinical Nurse Specialist

ACCOUNTABLE TO: Community Services Manager

JOB PURPOSE:

To provide planned and, as needed responsive, skilled, holistic, assessment for patients with advanced illness. To utilise advanced communication, physical and psychological assessment, and decision-making skills. To optimise symptom management, enable access to advance care planning discussions and provide emotional support to the patient and those closest to them. To work as a member of the multi-professional Phyllis Tuckwell Community team ensuring the patient has access to relevant colleagues and they receive person centred care according to the needs and preferences.

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

To proactively support the referral pathway into PT clinical services, ensuring that referrals are prioritised and responded to in a timely way, that critical thinking and case load management underpins decisions about patient and family need, and that there is joined up care and partnership working wrapped around the patient and their family or carer.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

1.0 Clinical Leadership

1.1 To provide clinical leadership through the provision of evidence based expert clinical practice.

1.2 To undertake assessments, plan, implement and evaluate palliative care interventions and support 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.

1.4 To liaise with the 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.

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

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

1.9 To utilise skills in coordination, prioritisation, delegation, and caseload management to work with Registered Nursing and other colleagues in the locality to ensure that individual patients and the whole caseload have equitable access to care.

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 an area of expertise and act as a resource for the multi-professional PT team, advancing clinical practice.

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 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.

3.2 Ensure patient safety and a risk management approach underpins the role.

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

3.4. Contribute towards achieving contractual and organisational KPIs.

3.5 Participate in audit/s of the service, to identify if improvements and/or changes have enabled improved patient and care experience

3.6 Take responsibility for ensuring that appropriate clinical supervision is accessed and available

3.7 Provide mentorship, practice education, teaching, coaching and line management to other professionals as needed.

4.0 Training and Development

a) Team

4.1 To provide clinical support to the other members of the Phyllis Tuckwell clinical teams, 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 contribute to the Education Programme for health and social care professionals led by PT.

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, service evaluations and quality improvement and assurance initiatives as part of PTs drive to learn and improve.

6.0 Safeguarding, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

6.1 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.

This job description is current and subject to yearly review in consultation with the jobholder. It is liable to reflect and anticipate necessary changes to support the PT strategy.

Team Working

Essential

• Ability to work as part of a team and independently
• Have experience of multidisciplinary team working and with external partners.
• Awareness of importance of diversity and inclusion in team working

Relationships and Communications

Essential

• Evidence of the ability to facilitate learning and teach on one-to-one basis and to groups
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to support identify own and teams stressors and seek appropriate support to ensure wellbeing

Desirable

• Presentation skills

Using Information and systems

Essential

• Be in possession of basic digital technology skills word, e-mail, power point, digital record keeping and internet usage.

Qualifications

Essential

• 1st Level Nurse (RGN) degree level qualification
• Current NMC registration in adult or general nursing
• Degree module (level 7 MSc) / working towards, or willing to undertake in palliative care / advanced clinical practice
• Car driver / owner

Experience

Essential

• Has extensive palliative / end of life care, or long-term conditions experience
• Knowledge of current health care, nursing, palliative care policy and provision
• Clinical leadership skills, with demonstrable experience in senior clinical leadership role

Desirable

• Community experience /knowledge

Managing Work

Essential

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

Governance and Risk Management

Essential

• Understanding of clinical governance, risk management, health and safety, quality assurance and improvement.

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).