Clinical Nurse Specialist – Palliative Care

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity to work within the Palliative care team at Princess Royal University Hospital. We are seeking dynamic, innovative and highly motivated nurses to join our team as band 7 specialist palliative care nurses. We currently have 1.49WTE vacancy and welcome applications for full time, part time or job share working.

The palliative care team offers an advisory service to patients with palliative care needs and promotes excellence in end of life care across the Trust. The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic individual who will contribute to the development of this dynamic multi-professional team and build on partnerships across the locality. The team sits within the adult medicine care group and is supported by the care group triumvirate. The team has access to links with Cicely Saunders Institute offering opportunity to be involved in cross site research projects and have access to education provided through the Institute.

Main duties of the job:

• To work as a clinical nurse specialist and effectively deliver an expert nursing service within the multi-professional palliative care team on the Princess Royal University Hospital site.
• To support the management of a caseload of patients with specialist palliative care needs.
• Participate in providing a seven day face to face service.
• To assist in the development of evidence based clinical nursing practice in line with current research and guidelines.
• To establish clear lines of communication within palliative care to ensure cohesive multidisciplinary management of patients.
• To link with other palliative care providers and primary care in order to facilitate the care of this group of people in the community.
• To act as a role model to other nurses and support the delivery of palliative care education within the Trust.
• To engage in the team's governance programme.

Job responsibilities:

• To provide specialist nursing services for people with specialist palliative care needs, including their families and significant others.
• To accept responsibility for own patient caseload, ensuring all patients have an accurate plan of care, which reflects the assessment undertaken and incorporates the issues and recommendations made.
• To accept responsibility as the named palliative care key worker, ensuring clear documentation in the patients records.
• To co-ordinate a seamless service through the development of enhanced Multidisciplinary team (MDT) processes and communication.
• To attend and ensure that appropriate palliative care patients on the caseload are discussed at the weekly MDT.
• To liaise with local community, social services, paramedics and voluntary organisations in order to develop existing services for clients, carers and health professionals.
• Ensure all patients receive appropriate follow-up and relevant information is available to enable patients to make an informed choice about their treatment and future care.
• To work with the MDT to develop, implement and evaluate integrated care pathways and systems of MDT documentation, including the care of the dying person.
• To work with the Palliative Care Team to support the ongoing implementation of the 5 priorities for care of the dying person.
• To be responsible for identifying and developing clinical protocols and strategies to enhance both the continuity and standard of specialist care whilst ensuring equity of access to the service.
• To actively involve service users in providing feedback of their experience of the current service and suggestions for improvements.
• To liaise with discharge coordinators and ward staff to ensure appropriate and timely discharge/follow-up arrangements in place for patients.
• To participate in relevant forums at Care Group, Trust, CCG, Cancer Network or National/International Level to represent the service perspective.

Person Specification:

Education and Qualification:

• Essential: NMC Registered Nurse with BSc in a health-related/relevant subject or equivalent.
• Desirable: Post registration qualification in Palliative care or relevant subject; Training in communication skills/advanced communication skills; Relevant post-registration qualification.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Essential: Significant post-registration experience, ideally working autonomously in a palliative care environment; Ability to make complex assessments of palliative care patients and their families, providing appropriate advice for symptom management and suitable holistic support resulting in a comprehensive management plan; Previous active involvement in quality initiatives and/or innovation; Ability to utilise evidence-based practice through research awareness and demonstrates how this relates to practice.
• Desirable: Experience of participation in research and audit programmes.

Skills and Competencies:

• Essential: Evidence of leadership development skills; Ability to impart complex information to patients' relatives and carers at a suitable level; Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Desirable: Completion of Nurse prescriber course; Advanced assessment skills or willingness to develop these skills.

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 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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.