Outpatient Clinical Nurse Specialist

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated Palliative Care Nurse to join our Out Patient Service as a part of our Integrated Community Team at The Hospice of St Francis in Berkhamsted. In this role you will bring your enthusiasm for delivering high standards of care, working as a member of our outpatient MDT. You will be providing advice, psychological support and symptom control for patients with an associated life-limiting condition and their families.

Main duties of the job

• To work predominantly within our outpatient service providing advice and support to patients affected by life-limiting disease and to support their families.
• To manage their caseload effectively, including identifying when appropriate to discharge patients from service with appropriate signposting and safety netting.
• Support the Community Team lead and clinical admin with the operational running of the outpatient service triaging referrals, carrying out complex holistic assessments along with 1:1 support for patients.
• To work as a member of the Hospice multi-professional team aiming to provide a high quality, skilled and compassionate service.
• To assess patients' physical, psychological, spiritual and information needs, plan, implement and evaluate care, provide specialist symptom control advice and emotional support.
• Enhance coping and resilience skills through information, therapeutic relationships and education for patients and those important to them.
• Refer to appropriate services in order to ensure patients have the support they require, working closely with the Spring Centre MDT, co-facilitating MDT.
• Introduce the philosophy and environment of The Hospice to patients and those close to them, with aim of reducing anxiety about receiving Hospice care.
• Act as the patient or carer advocate by liaising with other colleagues including the GP, hospital teams or within the HOSF and sign post appropriately.
• To provide education for other professionals and visiting students in both opportunistic and formal settings.
• Work with others to develop services which improve patient experience.
• Undertake clinical audit as part of your role and contribute to research activity.
• The post holder shall carry out their duties according to the philosophy of the Hospice, acting at all times in such a manner as to justify public trust and confidence, and to safeguard the interests and confidentiality of individual patients and their families.
• They shall uphold and enhance the good standing and the reputation of the nursing profession, being accountable for their professional practice, according to the NMC: The Code.
• To work within the community team maintaining oversight of the community team caseload, being confident in supporting those in the community setting when required.
• Potential to work shifts at weekends as required in support of the community team and flexibility to set up clinics out of hours if required.

Person Specification

• Palliative care degree or willingness to work towards.
• Teaching and mentoring or equivalent.
• RGN with extensive post registration experience including in palliative care.
• Registered with NMC.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Nurse prescriber or willingness to train.
• Experience in managing, developing and supporting staff.
• Lead responsibility for project management.
• Ability to work as part of a team and also autonomously.
• Have a clear understanding of, and experience of, a multi-disciplinary team.
• Ability to show interpersonal sensitivity to others demonstrating caring and empathetic approach.
• Understanding & experience of the diverse needs of patients & carers in the community.
• Experience of assessment in outpatient nurse clinics desirable.
• Up to date knowledge of best practice within palliative care.
• Quality and audit.
• Be in possession of basic IT skills Word, email and internet.
• Evidence of successful motivation of others.
• Ability to work as an advanced practitioner coordinating complex cases, working under pressure & prioritising effectively.
• Ability to carry out effective and appropriate clinical assessment, planning, monitoring and evaluation.
• Evidence of change management.
• Ability to manage a patient care case load.
• Demonstrates the ability to incorporate judgement & decision making skills into CNS role.
• Car owner & Full driving Licence.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Evidence of the ability to teach and to give presentations.
• Ability to work effectively in an emotionally demanding environment.
• Ability to identify own (and teams) stress and seek appropriate support.
• Flexible & adaptable to a variety of tasks including on call working.
• Able to maintain confidentiality.
• Members of the public as patients, carers and family members.
• Colleagues and managers in your immediate team/organization and across specialties and organizations.
• Actively participate in local, national and international networking to maintain and develop expert level of knowledge and to act as a resource for education and compliance expertise.
• Supervise volunteers in set projects and where needed.
• Commitment to the HOSF mission, strategic aims & values.
• Imparting this knowledge to the community.
• Importance of HOSF values underpinning your work.
• Able to demonstrate initiative & take innovative approach to work.
• Excellent understanding of unconscious bias in your own practice with a solution focused approach to identifying and resolving the blocks to access and engagement.
• Understand and assess reputational risk, compliance and safeguarding risk and seek appropriate advice.
• Freedom to act within delegated responsibility and organizational policy and procedure.

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.