Staff Nurse

The Staff Nurse reports into the Inpatient Unit Sister/Charge Nurse and is responsible for providing care to patients within our Inpatient Unit (IPU).

Main duties of the job include delivering expert, compassionate, and individualized nursing care to patients with life‑limiting illnesses. The role involves managing and coordinating the clinical care of patients, ensuring their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met with dignity and respect. Responsibilities include assessing patient conditions, developing and implementing care plans, administering medications, and providing symptom management. Additionally, offering support and guidance to patients’ families, helping them navigate the complexities of end‑of‑life care. The Staff Nurse works collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure the highest standard of care, enhancing quality of life for patients and their loved ones.

About Us: St Giles Hospice is a registered charity founded in 1983 by the Reverend Paul Brothwell, originally to improve the care of local people dying with cancer. We now support patients and their loved ones living with a terminal illness. Our dedicated team provides individually‑tailored care, free of charge, either at the hospice or in patients’ own homes across our communities.

Details:

• Date posted: 14 November 2025
• Pay scheme: £31,168.36 a year Pro rata for part time hours (plus enhancements where applicable)
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full‑time, Part‑time
• Job locations: Fisherwick Road, Whittington, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9LH

Role Entails (Responsibilities):

• Establish and maintain effective communication with patients, relatives and multidisciplinary team.
• Provide active listening, counsel, information and teaching about the dying process in a highly challenging and emotive environment.
• Communicate with acute and primary care teams, key workers, social services, nursing and residential homes to facilitate admission and discharge.
• Ensure appropriate referrals to dietician, occupational therapist, family support, physiotherapist and other hospice services.
• Maintain professional relationships with primary care colleagues, enabling comprehensive community care.
• Manage patient admission and discharge, providing advice in crisis situations.
• Provide emotional/spiritual support throughout disease trajectory.
• Offer out of hours telephone support and advice regarding symptom control and psychological care.

Clinical and Professional Responsibilities:

• Deliver comprehensive physical, emotional and spiritual care to patients, relatives and carers.
• Operate syringe pumps and infusions competently.
• Use IT skills, including clinical software, SystmOne, Microsoft Office and internet.
• Attend and present at case conferences and multidisciplinary meetings.
• Assess needs and develop, implement and evaluate specialist palliative nursing care.
• Supervise and monitor nursing assistants and other delegated tasks.
• Provide nurse‑led holistic assessments, including contraindication discussions.
• Plan safe discharge and coordinate community reintegration.
• Verify death, perform post‑mortem care, provide bereavement support and manage deceased patient transfer.
• Maintain accurate and legible nursing records and documentation.
• Handle controlled drugs safely and in accordance with SOPs.
• Act as a professional role model, educator and mentor for junior staff.
• Adhere to hospice policies, procedures, professional standards and codes of conduct.
• Continuously update professional practice with new developments.

Managerial Responsibilities:

• Coordinate, supervise and motivate a nursing shift team and support other staff with less palliative knowledge.
• Plan, implement and evaluate specialist palliative care independently.
• Collect, collate, evaluate and report information for accurate records.
• Apply nursing standards and ensure optimum care levels.
• Accountable for care delivered by healthcare assistants under supervision.
• Deal with accidents, incidents and complaints per hospice policy.
• Participate in equipment maintenance and resource budgeting.

Education and Development Responsibilities:

• Attend mandatory training and relevant courses, maintaining a personal portfolio.
• Participate in learning programmes for junior staff and students.
• Oversee orientation and education for new staff.
• Ensure clinical supervision and annual Individual Performance Review.
• Maintain professional competence via literature, research and study days.

Research and Quality Responsibilities:

• Participate in nursing research initiatives within the unit.
• Comply with Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH, Data Protection Act and NMC Code.
• Implement service improvement action plans with senior nursing team.
• Participate in hospice‑wide audit programmes, policy development and clinical governance.
• Comply with St Giles Hospice policies: confidentiality, health & safety, fire, safeguarding adults & children.

Person Specification:

• Current NMC Registration
• Willingness to undertake required study

• Principles and practice of palliative care or equivalent
• Preparation of Mentors or equivalent

• Experience of working in a healthcare or palliative care environment
• Demonstrated experience in delivering palliative care, including symptom management, pain relief, and end‑of‑life care
• Proven ability to administer and manage medications, including controlled drugs, safely and effectively
• Experience working as part of a multidisciplinary team, collaborating effectively
• Proficiency in maintaining accurate patient records meeting legal and organisational standards
• Experience using SystmOne or similar systems (desirable)
• Previous experience in a specialist palliative setting (desirable)
• Understanding of clinical governance and compliance (desirable)

• Safe competent practitioner, evidence‑based practice
• Teamwork and independent working ability
• Organisation, prioritisation and motivation skills
• Logical thinking
• Excellent communication skills
• Computer literacy
• Flexibility

• Empathetic
• Team player
• Ability to work under pressure
• Collaborative
• Ambassador for St Giles Hospice

• Valid driving licence
• Eligibility to work in the UK

St Giles Hospice does not hold a sponsorship licence and is unable to accept sponsorship requests.

Application Process: Applications will be reviewed before the application review date. If you apply after the review date, your application may not be considered. Acceptance continues until the role is filled, possibly earlier than the posted closing date. If you haven’t heard within 14 days of the application close date, consider your application unsuccessful. Data will be managed in line with St Giles Hospice Privacy Policy and kept for 6 months. For full privacy policy, visit https://www.stgileshospice.com/privacy-policy/.

This posting is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, requiring Disclosure and Barring Service checks. Applicants must hold current UK professional registration. For further information, see NHS Careers website.