Senior Staff Nurse Hospice at HomeNHS

Job summary

Your Role

We are looking for an experienced and compassionate Senior Staff Nurse to join our Hospice at Home team, based at Rowans Hospice in Purbrook.

Reporting to the Hospice at Home Manager, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality specialist palliative care within patients' own homes. You will assess patients' needs, develop and implement individualised care plans, and provide expert clinical care with a high degree of autonomy. You will also support and supervise registered and unregistered colleagues within the nursing team, helping to ensure the highest standards of care.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities

Your responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

• Triaging referrals, assessing patients, and developing personalised programmes of care within the community, ensuring ongoing risk assessment and management.
• Maintaining regular contact with patients and their families, reviewing and evaluating care plans while prioritising care according to clinical need.
• Delivering specialist treatments and clinical procedures using evidence-based practice, including effective symptom assessment and management.
• Assessing the needs of patients and carers and making timely referrals to appropriate internal and external professionals and services.
• Monitoring and evaluating symptom control and overall care management.
• Verifying expected deaths within the community, supporting relatives and carers, and following organisational procedures.
• Providing dignified last offices and ensuring the safe and timely transfer of the deceased in accordance with community procedures.
• Communicating effectively with the Hospice at Home Team Lead, Clinical Nurse Manager, Hospice Doctors, GPs, District Nurses and other healthcare professionals regarding patient care.
• Escalating operational or clinical concerns appropriately, including during out-of-hours periods.

Job description

Key Areas of Responsibility / Key Accountabilities

• To triage/accept patients and carry out assessments of patients, develop programmes of care. Ensure that programmes are implemented throughout the 24-hour period within the patients home. Community setting demands continued risk mitigation by assessment
• To maintain continuing personal contact with patients and their relatives and contribute with the evaluation of programmes of care. Whilst prioritising & allocating care according to patient care service demands
• To carry out specific treatments and clinical procedures. To base clinical practice on current research-based evidence. Evaluating & implementing symptom management as appropriate
• To assess the needs of patients and carers requiring intervention from other professionals/therapies within and outside the hospice and refer appropriately seeking support from senior staff as appropriate
• Ongoing assessment of symptom control /care management
• To verify when a death has occurred, notifying relatives and carers as appropriate following the procedures carried out within the community
• To care for the deceased patient by administering last offices as appropriate and ensuring the safe and timely removal of the body from the home working within the procedures in place within the community
• To report to the Hospice at Home Team Lead/Co-ordinator / Senior Hospice Nurse/ Hospice Doctor/ GP or D/N any relevant information on the condition of specific patients, their care or treatment
• Out of hours to report to the on-call Hospice Doctor/OOH/DN any relevant information on the condition of specific patients, their care or treatment
• Out of hours report to the on call Clinical Nurse Manager as appropriate any immediate concerns related to the operations of the hospice at home service
• To report any feedback, concerns and complaints from patients, their relatives, or others acting on their behalf and assist in the investigation as appropriate
• To administer drugs, and assist with their ordering and storage, in accordance with the NMC Standards for the Administration of Medicines. To recognise and report any errors or omissions in the administration of medications
• To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct
• To report to the Hospice at Home Team Lead/Co-ordinator/ Clinical Lead any matter affecting the smooth running of the hospice at home service
• To ensure knowledge about patients is maintained in the strictest confidence, and is not divulged, except to professionals where it would materially assist with the programme of care or protection of the individual (See Staff Handbook Confidentiality / Data Protection Act)
• In conjunction with H@H Team Leader report any complaints/safeguarding concerns from patients, their relatives, or others acting on their behalf to the H@H Team Leader/Clinical Director and assist with investigation of complaints as necessary knowing your boundaries and expectations within the process
• To demonstrate a consistent level of courtesy and consideration to patients, their relatives and visitors respecting that you are working within the patients own home
• To promote a high quality of nursing by adhering to set standards
• To contribute to the ordering and storage of clinical stores required for hospice at home
• To ensure that all nursing records are completed and updated at each shift change over shift in line with the policies within the community
• Complete assessment of bereavement vulnerability and liaise where necessary with Psychology/Bereavement Team
• To ensure that clinical stores utilised from the Inpatient Unit for community patients are used efficiently and economically
• To ensure that Infection Control standards are maintained at all times, participating in audits and monitoring as required
• To contribute to the development of HCSWs and student nurses by ensuring delivery of effective induction programmes and continuing development through appraisal and education
• To attend lectures, formal meetings etc. to maintain professional update, adhere to aspects related to the Health and Safety at work act and promote the effective running of the service and participate in research.

About us

About Us

At Rowans Hospice, we are a local charity providing free specialist palliative and end-of-life care and support to adults with life-limiting illnesses, as well as their families, across Portsmouth and South East Hampshire.

Since 1994, our services have been made possible through the ongoing generosity of our local community, including donations, legacies, fundraising activities, and income generated through our retail shops.