Staff Nurse

Job Responsibilities

• Deliver skilled and compassionate palliative nursing care of the highest standard to patients, families and carers.
• Act as a role model to support junior members of the team to provide optimal care ensuring high standards of care are delivered.
• Provide a seamless specialist palliative nursing service, ensuring a high standard of nursing care across all clinical areas.
• Deliver patient-centred care within a palliative care context, promoting patient autonomy, independence, inclusion, respect and dignity and choice by ensuring that the patient/carers are involved and are central to all aspects of decision‑making processes.
• Ability to recognise all aspects of holistic care including physical, emotional, spiritual and social aspects and to respond appropriately.
• Recognise needs of families and carers and to support as appropriate, by identifying potential significant others, assessing for their level of risk with regards to anticipatory and post‑bereavement and referring to Family Support Teams for involvement and follow‑up.
• Responsible for the nursing delivery of management care plans as appropriate to patient needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Communication and Relationships
• Awareness of the palliative care approach and its significance in informing an appropriate communication process.
• Effective listening and information giving, including the importance of non‑verbal communication.
• Awareness of appropriate strategies for addressing barriers to effective communication.
• Understand boundaries of self and patient relationships and the impact of his/her own communication and approach may have on the well‑being of patient and carer.
• Understand the boundaries of the HCA role and know when to refer on to other professionals.
• Understand and recognise spiritual and religious needs and have awareness of cultural beliefs and practices.
• Aware of family dynamics in promoting wellbeing of patients.
• Initiate important conversations with patients and families.
• Understand the emotional impact on patients and families coping with life limiting illness.
• Understand the dynamics of teams and to facilitate effective communication to promote functioning teams.
• Actively participate in critical and untoward incidences, accidents and significant event analysis and report to senior managers as appropriate.
• Analytical and Judgement Skills
• Identify uncomplicated situations in relation to the needs of patients, families and carers.
• Recognise limitations within the HCA role and to be able to refer appropriately accordingly to needs.
• Planning and Organisational Skills
• Manage own time effectively and efficiently to meet the needs of the service.
• Participate in the delivery of personal care needs of patients on a daily basis.
• Planning and organising appropriate activities for patients including multimedia activities.
• Liaise with other members of the MDT to assist in supporting establish programmes of care ie relaxation groups, complimentary therapies.
• Physical Skills
• Standard keyboard skills to input data onto patient database.
• Physical dexterity for clinical procedures such as venepuncture.
• Support the nursing team to deliver patient‑centred care within a palliative care context.
• Provide personal care to patients with complex needs.
• Act as second checker in the administration of Controlled Drug medication.
• Ability to recognise all aspects of holistic care including physical, emotional, spiritual and social aspects and to respond appropriately.
• Recognise needs of families and carers and to refer as appropriate.
• Policy and Service Development
• Familiarise and comply with all clinical and non‑clinical Hospice Policies and Procedures.
• Comment on clinical procedures within own area of work to contribute towards service improvements.
• Financial and Physical Resources
• Report as necessary any faults re: equipment or office accommodation and ensure the safety and security of the building is met.
• Contribute towards the maintenance of stocks and supplies.
• Human Resources
• Attend any appropriate training requirements both statutory and mandatory to comply with current Health and Safety legislation and in line with the Hospices responsibility to comply with Government Directives.
• Preserve confidentiality of any information regarding patients, staff, volunteers and the business of St Cuthberts Hospice.
• Identify own learning needs and seek support to ensure that individual learning needs are met.
• Attend agreed courses and study days in order to develop knowledge and skills in line with competencies required.
• Participate in the St Cuthberts appraisal system.
• Information Resources
• Document and store relevant information utilising computerised and paper based systems in friendly accessible formats.
• Appreciate the need for patients and carers to have access to information that enables informed choice.
• Research and Development
• Actively engage in audits as appropriate and continually look for ways to improve the quality of the service one provides to patients and visitors.
• Freedom to Act
• Work within defined policies and procedures.
• Recognise limitations of knowledge, skills and expertise and to seek guidance from more senior colleagues where appropriate.
• Effort & Environment
• Physical: Physical skills required frequently to manage complex patients with advanced progressive diseases i.e. manoeuvring patients into position for personal care or using mechanical aids such as hoists.
• Mental: Occasional required to concentrate whilst examining and assessing patients.
• Emotional: Frequent exposure to distressing or emotional circumstances. Recognise difficulties in relation to dealing with situations within palliative care in self and other colleagues and to engage and encourage other colleagues to participate in clinical supervision for support.
• Working Conditions
• Frequent requirement to deal with body fluids when caring for patients.
• To be flexible in approach across all clinical areas in order to meet the changing needs and for the improvement of service delivery and care.
• Data Protection and Confidentiality
• All employees have a responsibility in line with information governance to maintain confidentiality and ensure the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 are applied to patients, clients, staff, volunteers and Hospice business information, including electronic information. Only information required to fulfil the duties of the role should be accessed by the post holder.
• All employees have a responsibility to use electronic systems in a way that preserves the dignity and privacy of people, helps to ensure services of the highest quality, and is compliant with the law and Hospice policies and procedures.
• Health and Safety
• The Hospice will take all reasonably practical steps to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees while at work. Employees will familiarise themselves with the Health and Safety Policy and procedure as well as the fire procedures and ensure a safe working environment for self and others in line with these.
• Safeguarding
• All employees within the Hospice have a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and ensure they are protected from harm. All employees should make themselves aware of the policies and procedures of safeguarding, take personal responsibility as far as is reasonably practicable, to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, complete statutory and mandatory training and take appropriate action as set out in the Hospices policies and procedures.
• Infection Control
• Attending mandatory training and role specific infection prevention education and training.
• Challenging poor infection prevention and control practices.
• Ensuring their own compliance with Hospice Infection Prevention and Control policies and procedure.
• The Hospice welcomes all persons without regard to race, religion or belief, age, gender re‑assignment, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, physical or mental disability. The Hospice aims to provide services in a manner that enables all members of the community to access them. Employees must behave in a non‑judgemental manner that respects the differing needs and cultures of others.

Note: This post is deemed to require a Disclosure check via the Disclosure and Barring Service. Therefore it will be necessary before the appointment to contact the DBS to check on any relevant criminal background. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities of the post and the post holder may be requested to carry out duties appropriate to the grade of the post. The post may change over time to meet organisational/personal requirements, and this job description may be changed after consultation with the post holder. Some flexibility in the hours worked will be essential at times to meet demands placed on our service. The post holder shall perform their duties at any other reasonable location to which they may be directed from time to time by the Employer.

Equal Opportunities Statement

As an equal opportunities employer we believe in treating everyone with dignity & respect, encouraging applications from all sectors of the community.

Person Specification

• Personal Attributes: Self aware, confident and self‑assured, motivated and enthusiastic, excellent negotiation and interpersonal skills, evidence of ongoing continuous development, ability to work effectively as part of a team, able to evidence behaviour consistent with the Hospice values of professionalism, compassion, respect, choice, integrity and reputation, flexible approach, willing to undertake internal rotation.
• Experience: Experience of working effectively in a multi‑disciplinary team. Specialist Palliative Experience: experience of nursing terminally ill patients and caring for their families.
• Skills and Knowledge: Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to articulate in a clear and sensitive manner. Good interpersonal skills. Demonstrable resilience to working with those facing loss and bereavement. Ability to work effectively in a demanding environment. Computer skills. Ability to contribute to the learning environment.
• Qualifications: Registered nurse at diploma/degree level. Specialist Palliative Experience. Post registration experience. Palliative Care qualification. Willing to undertake further qualifications.

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.