Associate Clinical Nurse/ Paramedic Specialist (ACNS/ACPS)

ACNS/ACPS - Hospice Outreach Service (2-year fixed term contract)

Do you want to be part of a committed and supportive multi-disciplinary team that delivers empowering and compassionate care supporting people with a life limiting illness? Then this role is for you! We have flexible working options to suit your work-life balance. We offer a competitive salary, and you can transfer your NHS pension. Other benefits include free parking and a generous holiday allowance with the ability to buy and sell additional holiday.

Main duties of the job

Your new role! We are looking for clinical staff looking to take the next steps with their personal development and career progression. As part of our model of care to ensure we have the right people, providing the right care in the right place and at the right time, we are offering Associate Clinical Nurse Specialist (ACNS) or Associate Clinical Paramedic Specialist (ACPS) roles to work as part of our multi-disciplinary team within the Hospice Outreach Service in the community. This is an ideal development opportunity if you are an experienced registered nurse or paramedic with a particular interest in palliative and end of life care. If you have experience in this area of care this would be particularly welcome but, this is not essential if you can demonstrate a different clinical background, we will support your learning in this specialist area.

About us

The Hospice Outreach Team are the initial point of contact for all new community referrals and all telephone calls coming into the service. They are at the forefront of providing palliative advice and support to patients, and families in the place they call home, this includes care homes and nursing homes. You will be part of a rota of clinicians covering our 7 day a week service offering telephone support as well as clinic and home-based assessments. Our team care for patients who have a life limiting illness and our focus is on individualised care, focusing on improving quality of life and achieving patient centred goals. We care for people with long term conditions including heart failure, respiratory disease, frailty and neurological conditions, as well as those with an oncological diagnosis. Our team strives to work alongside other community teams and specialists to optimise patient experience and improve our team knowledge and development.

To succeed in this role

We are looking for a motivated clinician with the ability to work as an independent practitioner whilst being part of a responsive and resilient team. You will possess advanced communication skills and excellent presentation skills (both oral and written). Across a 2-year period we will offer you a framework with the opportunity to train and develop, with the ability to grow into a Clinical Nurse Specialist/Clinical Paramedic Specialist.

Job responsibilities

• Reports to Advanced Clinical Practitioner/Hospice Outreach Service manager
• Scope & Job Purpose: Hospice in the Weald are committed to supporting and developing its workforce. We recognise and value the importance of individual development and want our nurses and paramedics to train and develop into Clinical Nurse Specialists or Clinical Paramedic Specialists. These roles are demanding, and require a broad range of skills and competencies, however, they are very rewarding and will provide you with both skills and learning to meet the needs of our community and our organisational strategies.

Primary Job Purpose

• To work as part of the multi-disciplinary team in HOS (Hospice Outreach Service) to deliver high quality care to patients with a life limiting illness in the community.
• To offer the patient and those who care for them, the skills of a dedicated palliative care service which encompasses symptom control, social, emotional and spiritual care.
• To offer advice, support and education to the primary health care team and other healthcare professionals on palliative care issues.
• Giving appropriate medications when immediate need is identified on community visits and supporting other community healthcare professionals with advice about safe medication administration when needed.
• To strive to help us extend our hospice reach to ensure we have the right people, providing right care at the right time.
• You will provide clinical advice and specialist support to other professionals on palliative care issues and play a significant role in helping patients to achieve their preferred place of care and their preferred place of death.
• To participate in quality initiatives within the department.

Key Responsibilities

• Take and analyse a clinical history in a relevant succinct and logical manner.
• Record concisely, accurately, confidentially and legibly the appropriate elements of the history, examination, results of investigations, differential diagnosis and management plan.
• Present cases clearly, consistently and professionally to the MDT contributing effectively in patient management.
• Assess the patients needs. Identify their goals and work with the patient and family towards achieving them.
• Interpret the results of investigations and discuss and liaise with colleagues to order them appropriately.
• Develop knowledge of the options for achieving control of symptoms and ability to advise the primary health care team.
• Develop an ability to explore the personal resources of families/carers in order to ensure patients are cared for in the place of their choice.
• Support, advise and coach carers at home in managing a relative whose condition is deteriorating.
• Recognise the impact of caring for dying patients on primary health care team colleagues and offer support.
• Demonstrate sensitivity and respect for patients and families from different religious and cultural backgrounds and sexual orientations.
• Demonstrate safe mobilisation, transfer and movement of patients in the community and how and where to obtain appropriate equipment.
• Recognise and manage palliative care emergencies.
• Bring closure to the nurse-patient relationship and provide for a safe transition to another care provider.
• To be involved with and support the Gold Standard Framework (GSF) meetings with GPs and in Care Homes and Nursing homes.
• Attend weekly MDT meetings.

Management and Leadership

• Liaise closely with HOS Manager and wider team on control, distribution and management of clinical workload.
• Be cognisant of the Hospice in the Weald's Three-Year Strategy and Operational Business Plan.
• Work to maintain a high level of risk awareness about self and patient safety.
• Assist in the development of policies, procedures, and guidelines to continuously improve ways of working.
• Support and empower our volunteers.

Communication and Teamwork

• Develop skills in managing complex communication issues with patients and families as a lone worker in the community; Anticipate barriers to communication, and take action to improve the communication skills and strategies of the team.
• Seeks out different styles and methods of communicating to assist longer term needs and aims.
• Develop advanced communication skills.
• Write and maintain accurate notes/documentation and input computerised data, keeping all information up-to-date.
• Develop presentation skills, both oral and written.
• Structure an interview using appropriate questioning, avoid jargon, using familiar language, at patients own pace.
• Communicate both verbally and in writing to patients whose first language may not be English in a manner that they understand, using interpreters appropriately.
• Break bad news in steps appropriate to the understanding of the individual and be able to support distress.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the need to involve patients and carers in decision making, offering them informed choices, respecting their views.
• Manage dissatisfied patients/relatives, anticipating potential problems.
• Demonstrate negotiation and diplomacy skills and partnership working with external agencies.
• Demonstrate competent use of Electronic Patient Records and Hospice in the Weald IT systems.

Education and Training

• Participate in all learning opportunities offered and expected as part of the development programme, and apply own learning to the future development of practice.
• Share, articulate and reflect palliative care skills, enabling others to learn.
• Participate in planned teaching programmes.
• Develop teaching skills.
• Support new staff and clinical placements.
• Consistently draw on research and literature to influence specialist palliative care teaching.
• Obtain evidence based literature from various sources; Apply evidence to patient care.

Training and Development

• Within 2 years to have completed the ACNS/ACPS framework and consolidated performance and practice at a CNS/CPS level.
• Actively participate in the provision of supervision/reflective practice to colleagues to support engaging development opportunities.
• Undertake Hospice mandatory training and participate in wider training and development opportunities.
• Act as a role model and mentor to colleagues and to be an ambassador to neighbouring health and social care providers, providing informal education and support to staff in their provision of palliative care.
• Work collaboratively with the multi-professional team to provide training to care homes on End of Life Care as required.

Working with Due Diligence

• Assist with the development of policies and procedures.
• Participate in forums for discussion on research and audit programmes.
• Support quality initiatives in local area.
• Participate in clinical governance initiatives e.g. clinical review.
• Engage in clinical supervision and self-reflection, and use this to improve care and practice.
• Maintain professionalism through adherence to recognized Codes (e.g. NMC, GMC, HPC, HCPC) and work within the boundaries of Hospice in the Weald policies.
• Maintain professional development through the Hospice Annual Review process to continuously update and improve knowledge and competencies.

General

• All employees are required to undertake the following:
• To make positive contributions to all internal and external quality and/or best practice measures/processes.
• To fully participate in the annual appraisal process, to agree targets and objectives with line managers and to report on activity against agreed targets on a regular basis.
• To fully comply at all times, with Hospice in the Weald policies and procedures and to take responsibility for own actions/inactions.
• To fully comply with all mandatory and HITW role specific training requirements.
• To act in accordance with workplace legislation/requirements including Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and Data Protection.
• To share and model HITW values and expected behaviours at all times.
• To participate in all employee engagement activities including team, departmental or other staff meetings as required.

This job description is not exhaustive and is subject to review in conjunction with the post holder and according to future changes/developments in the service.

Person Specification

Qualifications: Registered Nurse (Level 1) or Registered Paramedic (HCPC) with 3 years post registration experience. Evidence of ongoing Professional Development.

Experience: Proven track record of contemporaneous clinical practice. Experience in Palliative and End of Life Care and Bereavement Support in a community setting (desirable). Prepared and delivered education programmes to other healthcare professionals (desirable).

Personal Attributes: Passionate about providing individualised care. Dedicated to making a difference and changing people's lives. High levels of enterprise, innovation and dedication. Maintains a calm disposition and positive outlook. Proactive team player. Ability to work well within and adapt to a changing environment. Willingness to travel to varying work locations. Forward thinking.

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.

Full-time, Part-time, Job share, Flexible working.