Kentown Children’s Palliative Care Community Nurse Specialist | Bolton NHS Foundation Trust

An opportunity has arisen for a Paediatric Nurse employed by and based in Bolton as part of the Kentown Support Team of Community Palliative Care Nurses across Greater Manchester. Kentown Support's vision is to improve the provision of community palliative care for children and families across the UK through the provision of a model of integrated community palliative care which provides nursing, practical and emotional support to families and by signposting them to services in their communities and supporting them to access these.

Building on the current nursing provision available across Greater Manchester, Kentown nurses will be employed and work as part of locality children’s community teams across the 6 localities which do not have specialist palliative and end of life care provision for children, young people and their families (Wigan, Bolton, Tameside, Stockport, Bury and Salford). All nurses will be employed on substantive contracts under the same job description.

Nurses will work on an in and outreach model into local acute trusts. A cluster approach will be adopted to help with operationalisation of the Kentown Model, to promote resilience, encourage peer support and where appropriate cover sickness and annual leave. There will also be a phased approach to the development of pan GM Out of Hours 24/7 offer of EOL care at home. The role in Bolton will be Mon to Friday to start, with a roll out across 7 days and out of hours as the service progresses.

The nursing team will be supported on the ground by a clinical lead 2 days (0.4wte) of band 8a post. The Head of Programmes at Kentown Support will be responsible for the oversight of the GM Kentown programme delivery.

Although the Kentown model will be delivered by different organisations all employees will work as part of a Kentown Support Team. All employees i.e., nurses, family support workers, coordinators, counsellors who are part of the Kentown model of delivery will be released and expected to attend a bimonthly all team day meeting to discuss operational delivery of the models, problem solve, reflect, evaluate, offer peer support and have an opportunity for continued CPD.

Training, education and the development of competencies and knowledge is fundamental to Kentown Support’s vision of providing high quality community children’s palliative care. There will be an opportunity for post holders to develop their palliative care competencies and leadership skills including a 6-month rotation into the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Specialist Palliative Care Team (SPCT). Further CPD will be supported over the three years of the programme including funded places on the Advanced Practice in Palliative and End of Life Care for Children and Young People module, run by the University of Liverpool.

The aims of Bolton Foundation Trust are to improve the health of and provide the best possible care to the population in which we serve and ensure that our staff have joy and pride in their work. We are striving to recruit a workforce that reflects the communities in which we serve. We value our staff and can offer excellent opportunities for further training and development. We are keen to reflect our local population and therefore applications from all sectors of the community are welcomed.

Alongside a team of nurses, families will be supported with service coordination, wider social and practical support, therapeutic counselling and bereavement support, provided by three national charities.

If you relish a challenge and have a passion for children’s palliative care nursing, these posts will provide a fantastic opportunity for you to realise your potential. We are seeking compassionate and inspiring individuals who have the ability to lead and develop in this new and exciting project across Greater Manchester, learning from the Kentown team already in place in Lancashire and Cumbria. You will be committed to collaboration and partnership working, demonstrating outstanding people and engagement skills to forge new relationships with public and partner organisations. You will have the opportunity to make a career defining impact in children’s palliative care, work in partnership with national charities and improve the quality of lives for children with palliative care needs, and their families.