Clinical Nurse Specialist - Band 6 in Birmingham

We are looking for two part time professional and caring Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) to join our busy Community Teams based in Erdington. As a CNS you will provide specialist palliative care nursing services to our patients, families, carers and other health professionals.

Main duties of the job

• Provide and deliver expert clinical practice, giving support, empathy, time and reassurance to our patients and their loved ones.
• Demonstrate effective practice in holistic assessment, development, implementation and evaluation of care for patients.
• Work as an autonomous palliative care practitioner, managing a caseload of patients within the community setting.
• Recognise the importance of knowledge and learning to maintain standards in palliative care.

What We are Looking For

• Level 1 Adult Registered Nurse, with current NMC registration.
• Post registration qualification in palliative care, or willingness to undertake one.
• Substantial experience within an acute hospital or hospice at Band 5 (or equivalent).
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Own car and full UK driving licence.

About us

At Birmingham Hospice, our mission is to improve the quality of life for people living with life-limiting conditions, and to support their families and loved ones during the most challenging of times.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of an organisation recognised for compassionate, high-quality palliative care.
• Develop specialist skills within a supportive, expert community team.
• Contribute to truly meaningful work that makes a difference every day.
• Enjoy a flexible, positive working culture committed to staff wellbeing.

Job responsibilities

• To provide a specialist palliative care nursing service to patients, families, carers and health professionals by:

• Demonstrating clinical knowledge of the principles and practice of palliative care.
• Working as an autonomous practitioner in palliative care.
• Managing a caseload of patients within the community setting as the specialist palliative care nurse providing advice and support as part of the multidisciplinary team.
• Ensuring the delivery of high-quality, clinically effective care.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives such as audit, research and evidenced based practice and service development projects.
• To participate in weekend working when required.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Give encouragement, support, empathy, time, reassurance and advice to patients, families and carers to enable them to explore and express feelings and issues of concern, promoting informed choice.
• Demonstrate effective practice in holistic assessment, development and evaluation of the patient and family.
• Demonstrate sound knowledge as a practitioner in palliative care by use of innovative practice and skills.
• Facilitate the management and support of palliative care patients to ensure the pathway is seamless and of a high quality.
• Promote autonomy and advocacy to ensure the delivery of appropriate care.
• Demonstrate a high level of empathic and interpersonal communication skills for patients and carers needing palliative care.
• Maintain accurate records using a system of nursing documentation and appropriate information systems that reflect on advanced assessment and practice.
• Act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care.
• Identify and apply innovative care and practice to ensure best clinical outcomes to benefit the patients, families, carers and organisational needs.
• Analyse situations and develop action plans to improve the quality of patient care.
• Have the ability to use a range of strategies to improve and lead patient care and management.
• Provide initial support to bereaved families, friends and carers, referring to the Hospice bereavement service as appropriate.
• To participate in the hospices telephone triage service, providing specialist palliative support and advice to patients, families/carers and other healthcare professionals.

Education

• Recognise the importance of knowledge and learning to maintain standards in palliative care.
• Utilise sound knowledge of specialist palliative care to ensure all opportunities are taken to advise, educate and share information.
• Deliver informal education initiatives to staff, patients, and carers to achieve effective clinical outcomes.
• Identify and act upon opportunities that arise for informal teaching/sharing of knowledge through joint working and shared care approaches.
• Contribute to the development of healthcare professionals on short term placement with the Community palliative Care Team.
• Encourage individual practitioners and teams to participate in the education strategy to develop palliative care knowledge and competence in their own practice.

Consultancy/Leadership

• Contribute to effective multidisciplinary team working and discussion.
• Attend meetings to optimise team working and allow for an effective and seamless patient journey to improve the patients quality of life through high standards of practice in palliative care.
• Support the development and effectiveness of Gold Standard Framework meetings through appropriate attendance and participation.
• Establish and maintain a network of regional contacts in order to actively contribute to effective and positive working relationships.
• Facilitation Action Learning and other similar initiatives for district nurses where appropriate.
• Use of reflective skills and facilitation of complex case discussion/reflection with district nurses and other healthcare professionals as appropriate.
• Role model effective clinical practice by encouraging joint visits to patients with district nurses and general practitioners.
• Manage time effectively and respond creatively to situations within the resources available to manage the caseload given.
• Foster effective management of change by understanding group development needs in order to maintain good working relationships across organisation and professional boundaries to enhance and improve team working.
• Identify areas of tension or opposition to effective changes in practice and aim to maintain optimum multidisciplinary team working and effective communication between healthcare teams, patients and families.
• Participate in meetings and informal education sessions to promote the services provided by the hospice.
• Work within the hospices policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Contribute to the formation of relevant policies and procedures.

Clinical Effectiveness

• Ensure practice is research based by implementing evidence, research policy and standards that are relevant to specialist palliative care.
• Promote an environment where enquiry is valued as a means to improve patient care.
• Identify areas of palliative care practice or service provision which could be developed through audit or research and actively participate in audit and other reviews to improve clinical care.
• Demonstrate continual evaluation of practice, make agreed changes and work within the multidisciplinary team to enhance service provision.
• Ensure that information given to the multidisciplinary team and patients is research based.
• Monitor quality initiative in line with local and national guidelines by assessing, monitoring and reviewing own and others practice to ensure safe delivery of care, reduce risks and effectively use resources.
• Practice in line with the hospices Clinical Strategy.
• Contribute to a questioning and open culture in practice to enable a higher standard of care allowing patients, families and carers to participate in this process.
• Participate in/contribute to relevant research projects.
• Be aware of policies, protocols and clinical guidelines in order to develop and adapt the role to the healthcare needs of patients, families and carers.
• Assess and monitor risks in own and others practice to ensure safe delivery of care, which is evidence based and adheres to good practice guidance.
• Complete mandatory training according to hospice guidelines.
• Participate in the hospice appraisal system setting realistic objectives in order to maintain a personal professional profile and demonstrate progression from intermediate level of specialist practice to a high level of specialist practice.
• Flexibility to work in all clinical areas of the hospice.

Person Specification

• Evidence of substantial experience within acute hospital or hospice, with relevant post registration palliative experience.
• Relevant (palliative care or other clinical speciality with significant palliative care input) experience at Band 5 or equivalent.
• Clinical skills underpinned by intermediate knowledge of palliative care and current issues.
• Experience of multidisciplinary working.
• Knowledge and application of up-to-date evidence based clinical trends and practices.
• Understanding and knowledge of risk management processes and procedures and how these relate to clinical practice.
• Knowledge of principles of research and audit.
• Evidence of assessment skills.
• Experience of working in a community setting.
• Experience in clinical informal teaching.
• Understanding health and social care reform.
• Knowledge of hospice work.
• Evidence of leadership skills.

Personal Skills and Attributes

• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Ability to participate in audit.
• Able to manage own workload.
• Ability to be flexible and responsible, and to work effectively as a team.
• Able to teach staff, patients and relatives across all areas of care and nursing practice.
• Car owner/driver with full UK driving Licence.

Qualifications

• Registered Level 1 adult nurse with current NMC registration.
• Post registration qualification in Palliative Care or willingness to undertake an appropriate module of 20 credits as part of the role.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

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.