Hospice Nurse Band 6 Maternity Cover in London

We are expanding our team and are looking for more Nurses to join our charity. As a member of the Noah's Ark Nurse and Specialist Care team, you’ll get to know what’s important to each child you support, whether it’s knowing who their favourite song is, how they like to play, or what soothes them when they are sad. At Noah’s Ark, it’s important that each child is treated as an individual. By providing care for children – at The Ark, or out in the community – you’ll be allowing parents and carers to take some time for themselves. The hours of care you’ll provide will make a huge difference, allowing them to live life outside of their child’s condition. By creating this time, you’ll be creating choice, something which can feel impossible for the families we support.

You’ll join our experienced nursing team to help provide a 24/7, on-call symptom assessment/management service for babies, children, and young people in The Ark and out in the community. You’ll be providing essential symptom management to help bring comfort as well as giving the choice of preferred place of care and preferred place of death. A natural and experienced leader, you’ll deliver high quality and effective training to other members of the team and family members.

Main duties of the job

• Provide direct line management support to Band 5 Nurses and Band 3 + 4 Specialist Carers.
• Provide 1:1 supervision/management support according to Noah's Ark Policies.
• Provide high quality, clinically effective and evidence-based nursing care and practice in The Ark, children’s homes or the community.
• Participate in the 24/7 on-call rota.
• Plan/review quality care in conjunction with parents, children and young people to ensure safety.
• Act as an advocate for the child and their family.
• Ensure fun is at the heart of the care we provide.
• Ensure sensitivity, compassion and confidentiality are always paramount.
• Follow all safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure staff, babies, children, young people and family members are safe whilst under our care.
• Promote a high level of communication using a variety of forms to keep all relevant people involved.
• Ensure a high level of professional documentation and record keeping using electronic and paper systems where required.
• Be responsible and accountable for transcribing, calculating doses and safe administration of medications to babies, children and young people following Noah's Ark's medicine management policy.
• Maintain the nutritional status of all babies, children and young people.
• Maintain clinical skills and knowledge necessary to provide holistic evidence-based care, and be open to developing new clinical skills where appropriate.

About us

We exist to help babies, children and young people with life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, and their families, make the most of every day. Our mission is to enable those we support to enjoy life as children, not patients; as families, not just as carers. Because everyone deserves to live life as themselves, beyond their condition or circumstances. We do this by listening to families. We know one size doesn’t fit all, so we cater our services to each individual person we support. We can do this from the point of diagnosis. Our help is available wherever it is needed. Our expert staff and trained volunteers can provide support in a family's home, in the community, or at our state-of-the-art building, The Ark, in Barnet. We work in collaboration with key NHS Trusts and other care providers to deliver the very best support to children and families. We have created a space where children with complex needs are accepted as they are, safe to play, explore, express themselves and build confidence.

Job responsibilities

With excellent clinical and communication skills, you’ll either be an experienced Band 5 Nurse with palliative care experience, ready to take a step upwards in your career, or a Band 6 Nurse already working in the palliative care sector or have previous palliative care experience. You’ll have at least one year’s experience caring for children with complex care needs. You’ll have experience managing a nursing team, or experience of supporting students, junior staff nurses or support workers. You’ll be able to work collaboratively, experienced in leading a multi-skilled team, or have demonstrable experience of leadership with the support from a lead nurse. Aside from experience, we look for individuals who share our core values of kindness, excellence and courage. We’ll support you to go above and beyond to be there for the children and families we support, and we ask that you share this mission with us. You’ll thrive working autonomously, confident in your ability to deliver care on your own out in the community. You’ll know the value of collaboration, and will work closely with your team members, other healthcare professionals and the families you support to provide the very best care. Creativity and play will be central to your approach to care, with the ability to build long-term relationships with the children and families you care for.

Person Specification

Qualifications: Please refer to the job description for more information on this role.

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.