Palliative Care Nurse

The post holder will work within the Hospital Palliative care team, supported by the CNS team to develop their clinical skills within EOL and Specialist Palliative care delivery.
Main duties of the job
To work as a support nurse in palliative care across the accepted domains of the role as a clinician, educator, researcher and manager with supervision from the CNS
To work as a member of a hospital based specialist palliative care team, as part of the wider primary and secondary multi-disciplinary teams and the independent sector to ensure a cohesive, holistic and research based approach to the management of palliative care patients.
The role will be innovative and encompass all aspects of the patient care pathway, acting and a nurse advisor to support patients and their carers with cancer or a life threatening illness, within a formal/informal setting.
About us
Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is over 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Our objectives are simple:

• Best services for local people
• Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
• Best use of resources
• Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Clinical/Professional

• Constantly practices autonomously by assessing and effectively prioritising referrals to the service in order to deliver patient focused appropriate care in the context of a whole service approach.
• Provide a specialist and holistic palliative care assessment of patients and their carers needs following referral, which realistically minimises physical symptoms and the social, financial, emotional and spiritual implications of the disease process.
• In negotiation with the patient, their carers, and the wider multidisciplinary team, formulate a plan of care using specialist knowledge and skills dependent on the level of specialist intervention required.
• Provides specialist care and advice for patients and carers, and assists the multidisciplinary team in delivering and evaluating the interventions/ plan of care, reviewing and amending this care as appropriate with support from the CNS
• Frequently acts as a primary resource for site-specific specialist nurses, nursing/medical teams and the multidisciplinary team.
• Acts as a key-worker in co-ordinating care across different professionals and agencies. Facilitates and assists with complex discharge planning to home, hospice or other facility.

Frequently elicit and analyse complex patient/carer/ family reaction, needs, dynamics occurring throughout the patient/carers journey. Frequently initiates and participates in highly sensitive and complex communication issues with patients, carers, nursing/medical teams including pre-bereavement support, advice and imparting life changing news, e.g. a terminal illness.

• Uses a palliative care database that includes patient registration, clinical details and interventions that are shared with the community palliative care team, the consultant in Palliative Medicine, the Hospices and the inpatient palliative care unit.

Education

• Effectively utilises informal education opportunities with patients, carers and professionals.
• Educates patients and their carers in the understanding of their illness, treatments and provides other sources of information, help and support.

Research and Audit

• Develops and participates in appropriate nursing and medical research.
• Regular audit of issues relevant to current service provision, reviewing and amending practice as a result.
• To be involved in clinical effectiveness issues, particularly the introduction of patient pathways e.g. working with the End of Life team

Personal and Professional Responsibilities

• Maintains a programme of personal and professional development by attending in-service training and utilising relevant educational opportunities. e.g, courses, conferences, seminars.
• Functions effectively as a specialist practitioner in line with the recommendations of the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Department of Health and operates as a member of the Palliative Care Team and wider multidisciplinary teams.
• Uses clinical supervision to maintain and improve practice.
• To be alert to ones own psychological health needs with reference to working in palliative care and the needs of others and to be able to receive and offer support when needed.
• Maintain high professional standards of care and professional expertise.

Person Specification
Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Expert clinical skills in speciality
• Able to manage own workload
• Able to perform assessment planning implementation and evaluation of nursing care
• Excellent verbal and non verbal communication skills
• Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationship with colleagues across health and social care setting
• Good IT skills and email
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Good understanding of research and audit

Desirable

• Expert clinical skills in speciality
• Able to manage own workload
• Able to perform assessment planning implementation and evaluation of nursing care
• Excellent verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationship with colleagues across health and social care setting
• Knowledge of professional and NHS issues and policy relating to end of life care

Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse Part 1
• Recognised NMC teaching and assessing qualification
• Post registration qualification in relevant speciality

Desirable

• Participating or working towards 1st Level Degree in a relevant area
• Non medical Prescribing qualification
• Advanced Communication Skills training

Experience
Essential

• Significant post registration experience at Band 5
• Experience of working within the field of palliative care
• Able to work autonomously and part of a team
• Teaching experience
• Caseload management

Desirable

• Teaching experience
• Caseload management

Employer details
Employer name
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Address
Charles Hastings Way
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR5 1DD
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
C9365-24-0990