Community Palliative Care Sister/Charge Nurse Band 6NHS

Job summary

Employment type: Permanent

Hours: 22.5 - 37.5 contract available

Band 6: FTE £39,959 - £48,117

plus 30% night work, 30% Saturday, 60% Sunday enhancement

Main duties of the job

The purpose of this job role at East Cheshire Hospice is to provide a high quality palliative care to meet the needs of both patients living with a life limiting illness and their families/carers in keeping with the aims, objectives and standards of East Cheshire Hospice.

The postholder will support the smooth and efficient running of the Hospice@Home service, providing clinical leadership, and effective staff supervision.

This role will be integral in the continued development and growth of the Hospice@Home service, as well as future plans for the implementation of Palliative Advice Centre East (PACE).

Job description

Professional duties include:

• To assess, plan and evaluate the individual requirements of patients and carers referred to the Hospice@Home Service. Recognise uncontrolled symptoms, especially in palliative care
• To provide and document a high standard of evidence-based nursing care to patients in the Community
• To delegate work to members of the Nursing Team, considering; Scope of Professional Practice, and nursing skill mix
• To be responsible for daily co-ordination, appropriate delegation and organisation of workload within the team whilst maintaining a safe number of patients on the caseload
• To take on the senior roles and responsibilities for the building when on night duty working as part of H@H as well as being the line management support for IPU and taking responsibility for the 24/7 advice line
• To work within Nursing and Midwifery Councils Guidelines relating to Code of Conduct, Confidentiality, Accountability and Scope of Professional Practice
• To facilitate effective communication, written, verbal and electronic, whilst acting as the patients advocate. Be able to empathetically communicate sensitive and/or distressing information to patients and their carers, e.g. relating to patients entering the end stage of life
• To liaise and communicate with own and the wider primary healthcare team, outside agencies and voluntary organisations in the delivery of care
• To be aware of human rights and cultural issues. Actively seek to promote health, to patients, carers and work colleagues by providing evidence-based information in a sensitive and empathetic manner
• To administer medications in line with Nursing and Midwifery Council & East Cheshire Hospice (ECH) policy, including controlled drugs
• To attend team briefing and staff meetings and disseminate the information and implement changes when appropriate within the team
• To keep the manager aware of any factors which may affect the care given to patients and produce appropriate written reports when requested. Report and assist in investigation of patient complaints
• To facilitate achieving measurable standards of care and to participate in clinical audit and caseload review
• To establish and maintain accurate records in line with NMC guidelines and local policy using paper based and electronic systems
• To implement policy changes within own area of practice and represent the team or service if requested on policy groups relating to the service in the absence of clinical manager
• To initiate and participate in case conferences
• To ensure the East Cheshire Hospice Safeguarding policy is adhered to by being committed to safeguarding the patients, staff and volunteers from harm, and upholds the responsibility as a member of staff, to ensure that any concerns are raised and acted upon immediately. Staff are expected to report concerns, participate in enquiries, and where appropriate develop a protection plan, reflecting on outcomes to develop further
• And to undertake other duties as may be required and which are commensurate with the post and grade for example attending Hospice meetings and generally undertaking senior clinical duties in the absence of the manager

Educational duties include:

• To actively develop own knowledge in line with NMC revalidation; be aware of current trends, professional matters and new developments in community nursing.
• To participate in research and quality initiatives in areas agreed with the manager.
• To participate in staff training sessions and implement knowledge gained within the team.
• To participate in training and formal assessment of undergraduate, diploma, N.V.Q. trainees and others.
• To encourage reflective practice by helping team members make effective use of professional portfolios and critical incident analysis.
• To facilitate and participate in clinical supervision within an environment which is conducive to professional development and that reflects the needs of the team and service overall.
• To undertake appraisals, identify development needs of team members, and formulate personal development plans.

People:

• To manage staff daily including induction, recruitment, appraisal, performance management, absence management and first level discipline and grievance.
• To lead, motivate, develop, and retain the nursing team utilising mentorship, objective setting, and appraisal, enabling educational needs of nurses to be met.
• To complete incident reports within twenty-four hours or in the case of weekends and Bank Holidays as soon as is practicable.
• To adhere to all policies and procedures of East Cheshire Hospice.
• To ensure that all statistical returns, time and expense sheets are submitted promptly.
• To be aware of duties and responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and C.O.S.H.H. Regulations.
• To complete any return to work interviews for staff absent up to one month.
• To support the organisation of duty rotas, off duty and holidays in order to facilitate the continuity of provision of care.
• To have the ability to stand in as Hospice@Home manager if required.

About us

East Cheshire Hospice has been caring for people living with life-limiting illnesses since 1988.

We put our patients, their carers or families at the centre of everything we do, and our expert medical treatment is only the start of the holistic care we provide.

Our Hospice is a warm and welcoming place for everyone, no matter their background or beliefs. We provide compassionate care in a peaceful, supportive environment, where every individual is treated with dignity, kindness and respect.