NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To be an ambassador for clinical excellence, maintaining high standards of training, development, and expertise to provide professional and clinical leadership to the teams.

 

To act as a resource to other healthcare professionals in the delivery of expert, evidence-based clinical care for patients who have complex specialist palliative care needs from the point of diagnosis onwards.

 

 

To operate autonomously at an advanced level of clinical practice and hold a caseload of patients with highly complex specialist palliative care needs.

 

To provide holistic specialist palliative care nursing assessment, working collaboratively as part of a multi-professional team. Identify priorities of care, implement treatment plans including non-medical prescribing, in order to ensure the maintenance of clinical excellence.

 

To make recommendations for learning education and development in both teams, ensuring all relevant competencies, clinical skills and expertise are achieved and maintained.

 

To ensure that clinical supervision is occurring within the teams and is accurately recorded in accordance with NCH&C policies.

 

To work with the teams to provide a clear set of outcomes for palliative and end of life patients that can be measured in accordance with local and national policy.  

 

To work with the teams to deliver learning actions arising from incidents, complaints, and patient feedback.

 

To undertake the measurement and evaluation of the teams’ work and current practices through the use of evidence-based practice projects, audits and outcome measures and lead others in the evaluation of the work.

 

To work with management teams to interpret and analyse local area data for service development and planning and oversee delivery of improved processes and pathways of care.

 

To act as a clinical representative for the services in both internal and external clinical development meetings and forums and assist in the marketing and promotion of the services with fellow practitioners and stakeholders.

 

To facilitate development of the teams’ and individual staff members to promote job satisfaction, performance, and an ability to manage change.               

 

To be responsible for the supervision, training, and clinical skills competency sign-off of the teams.

 

 

To plan, organise, and oversee the delivery of education programmes for staff providing palliative care.

 

To propose and implement departmental policy changes for the management of patients referred to the services in line with relevant national standards and regulatory body requirements, including NICE Guidelines, CQC, Royal Pharmaceutical Society Prescribing Competency Standards.

 

To demonstrate a sound understanding of clinical governance and risk management, by identifying, assessing and documenting risks and overseeing delivery of risk action plans.

 

To comply with existing organisational and departmental policies, procedures, and guidelines and to be actively involved in the reviewing of and updating of them appropriate.

 

 

 

Clinical responsibilities

 

The post-holder is expected to operate autonomously at an advanced level of clinical practice, hold a caseload of patients with complex specialist palliative care needs and to undertake ad-hoc clinical work in the Priscilla Bacon Lodge Inpatient Unit.

 

To provide holistic specialist palliative care nursing assessment, working collaboratively as part of a multi-professional team. Identify priorities of care, implement treatment plans including non-medical prescribing, in order to ensure the maintenance of clinical excellence.

 

To provide specialist palliative care, through direct intervention, and influence provision of generalist palliative care through indirect intervention by giving advice, education and support to all health care and social service professionals.        

 

To participate in MDT meetings / SPCN Huddles as a core member of the specialist palliative care team contributing to the MDT discussion/patient assessment/care planning.

 

To utilise clinical assessment skills and non-medical prescribing as required.

 

To provide specialist advice to healthcare professionals via the 24/7 advice line (Professional & Carers).

 

To keep accurate, confidential, and up to date records for all patient contacts and support in the auditing and monitoring of clinical record keeping standards for the team.

 

To practice within NMC professional codes of conduct and protocols.

 

To provide psychosocial support utilising advanced communication skills, particularly at times of high distress or heightened emotional response, e.g., at times of diagnosis, at a time of recurrence and managing last few days of life.

 

To support staff to provide psychosocial support utilising advanced communication skills, particularly at times of high distress or heightened emotional response, e.g., at times of diagnosis, at a time of recurrence and managing last few days of life.

 

To work closely with the psychological services team to promote and develop nurse-led assessment and intervention plans for patients with psychosocial needs accessing both services and develop appropriate escalation pathways into the psychological services team.

 

To attend regular supervision meetings with a nominated supervisor and provide and coordinate supervision, mentorship, support, and advice to the staff members within the teams

 

To be involved in the provision of relevant professional advice and expertise in matters regarding the service.

 

To be familiar with and comply with all relevant measures under the GDPR and Caldecott Guardian initiative, vulnerable adult policies (including safeguarding) and the NCH&C clinical governance framework.

 

To promote the effective use of local services by closer networking with other providers of health, social care and voluntary services.                                                                                                                                                                          

To work with the teams to develop and deliver education programmes for staff providing palliative care.

 

 

Professional

 

Be proactive in promoting information sharing to support on-going development of Specialist Palliative Care services.

 

To participate in continuing professional development activity and all mandatory training as required, promoting and supporting this in the team.

 

To assist in planning and delivering a range of training sessions and workshops relating to specialist palliative care for nurses and AHPs.       

 

To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as both an appraise and appraiser, maintaining a dynamic personal development plan.

 

Act as a role model by offering work-shadowing to all relevant professionals.

 

To participate in the delivery of local education programmes for student nurses, medical students and post-registration professionals.

 

To act as a mentor for practice for education development.

 

To participate in national research initiatives.

 

Promote and disseminate research and audit findings.

 

Evaluate the impact of education of others through audit.

 

Advocacy and mediation skills are essential.

 

To lead on patients’ and carers’ communication issues and co-ordination of the patient pathways, for patients referred to the team.

 

To be an authorised signatory for goods, services and payroll.

 

 

 

Organisational

 

Be committed to working in a changing environment responding to new demands. Be willing to be flexible to the changing needs of the service acting as a change agent.

 

To develop local and trust-wide policies, clinical guidelines, and protocols necessary to support the delivery of specialist and generalist palliative care services. Ensure that palliative care policies and procedures are adhered to through education and clinical governance.

 

To work with the ICS to enhance palliative and End of Life Care.

 

Attend team and senior management team meetings.

 

To ensure that all practices adhere to NMC policies and guidelines.

 

To continue to develop personal and professional competencies through reflective practice, clinical supervision, and the performance review process.