Hospice Lead Nurse

Job summary

The Hospice Lead Nurse (Band 6) role provides clinical leadership for the in-house Hospice Care Team, as well as providing support, guidance and line management for staff.

We are looking for an experienced nurse who has the knowledge, skill and aptitude to take the lead and responsibility in any given clinical situation when providing nursing care for children and young adults with complex medical needs, and palliative care. This role will work in the off duty numbers 24/7 to either provide, or support the clinical care delivery to ensure the highest standards of care. The post holder will be capable and confident in their clinical judgement and decision-making, taking overall accountability for the running of the clinical shifts, which includes on-call provision. The role will also have a small cohort of staff to support with appraisals and clinical development. For all successful applicants, a development programme will be structured (approx. 2 years, depending on gaps) to achieve all aspects and qualifications required to fulfil the function of the role fully.

This role is ideally full time, but minimum 30hrs will be considered. This post works flexibly including rotation onto nights to cover a 24/7, 365-day service.

Main duties of the job

This role will support the Hospice Manager and DeputyHospice Manager in leading the in[1]houseteam and take responsibility for the 24/7 clinical delivery of safe andeffective care within the hospice and in the child/YPs own homeenvironment where appropriate, to ensure that all children, young people and their families receivehigh quality and effective evidence based palliative and end of life care. The post holder will lead, manage and develop the in-housecare team acting as a positive role model to foster and embed a motivating and positive culturein line with the organisational values.

Scope of Job

To coordinate and lead on a rota basis the 24/7 deliveryof hospice care To co-ordinate the care for a case load of childrenreceiving care on a day to day basis, ensuring that all children and their families receive safe andeffective care and supportive interventions to meet their identified needs To lead, manage and develop a small team of registered andunregistered care staff To contribute to clinical leadership and practicedevelopment across clinical services To contribute to clinical governance and quality,including medicines management, clinical incidents, infection prevention and control, health andsafety and safeguarding for all clinical services. Upon completion of the Non-Medical Prescribing course, contribute to the in-house prescribing rota, ensuring safe prescribing processes areadhered to

About us

We recognise that working in a Childrens hospice is very different to that of the NHS and sometimes applicants are not sure which role best suits their experience. We hold Claire House values central to our recruitment process. Therefore, we welcome applicants to spend time at Claire House ahead of the interview. This consists of; having a tour of the hospice, spending time with a mix of hospice staff to find out more about the role, and having time to ask questions in a more relaxed environment.

All Claire House employees receive a rewards and recognition package which includes generous annual leave, life cover, free access to an Employee Assistance Program and counselling service, free parking, access to training and courses and in-house clinical supervision. We offer additional payments for working unsocial hours and night shifts. You can also continue with your NHS superannuation scheme or join the Claire House pension scheme.

Position of the role in Claire House

The post holder reports to the Deputy Hospice Managerand/or Hospice Manager and is accountable to the Director of Clinical Services The post holder will have line management and clinicalleadership responsibilities for a designated team of registered and unregistered staff The post holder will work collaboratively with the DeputyHospice Manager and with other teams within the clinical services to ensure the delivery ofa safe and effective service to all children and families.

INTERVIEW: Tuesday 18th June 2024

Job description

Job responsibilities

Dimensions and Limits of Authority

The post holder will have delegated responsibility andaccountability for the day to day operational management of hospice careservices and reports directly to the Deputy Hospice Manager and/or HospiceManager The post holder will take leadership and line managementresponsibility for their team, including appraisals and sickness absencerelated issues. Appropriate advice should be sought from the Hospice Manager Contribute to future service development in partnership withthe Deputy Hospice Manager, Hospice Manager, and Clinical Leadership Team To work without supervision ensuring personal accountabilityin accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of conduct

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibility for Staff

In partnership with the Deputy Hospice Manager & HospiceManager provide clinical leadership and professional support to the care teamto ensure the effective day to day managementof the in-house hospice service provision With the Deputy Hospice Manager manage staffing levels,skill mix and patterns of working, annualleave and sickness absence to ensure that service provision is appropriate,safe, effective and flexible to meet theneeds of the children and families and ensures that hospice resources and facilities are used to maximumeffect To lead, manage and develop a small team of registered andunregistered care staff To ensure that all staff in their designated team haverelevant and smart objectives identified and receive regular one to one reviews,appraisals and have a personal development plan To provide clinical leadership and professional support forpalliative, end of life and early bereavement care in partnership with theFamily Support and Rapid Response Team Participate in the recruitment and selection of new staff,ensuring all new staff receive an appropriate induction package and allocationof a mentor To work alongside, supervise and induct new members of staffensuring clinical tasks and work load are delegated appropriately and clinicalcompetencies achieved To implement systems to encourage reflective practice andclinical supervision opportunities To participate in senior staff and other clinical meetingsas required and complete all delegated actions

Responsibility for Patient Care

To be a competent, knowledgeable practitioner, ensuring theprovision of excellent, evidence-based nursing care for the children, youngpeople and their families Provide specialist nursing and clinical knowledge and adviceto support and facilitate high quality, individualised care to children andyoung people in collaboration with the multi[1]professional team Work in partnership with parents/carers and professionals toidentify the care needs of the child/young person and plan care recognisingbest practice and evidence based guidelines To participate in the clinical leader on-call rota asrequired by the Hospice Manager To ensure that all care is assessed, planned and deliveredto the highest standard and evaluated continuously to ensure safe and effectivecare for all children and young people Work closely with the care coordination team and DeputyHospice Manager to ensure the effective coordination of both new referrals,planned and emergency respite, and end of life care Ensure that accurate nursing / care records are maintainedfor all children, young people and families in accordance with professionalstandards / guidance on documentation To be competent in Claire Houses core and extended clinicalcompetencies To be responsible and accountable for the safeadministration of medicines within the hospice on a shift basis ensuringmedicine management policies and procedures are adhered to To complete the relevant qualifications to practice as asupplementary and independent prescriberadhering to NMC guidelines Provide clinical leadership and professional support for allissues relating to Safeguarding and Safer Working Practice for both childrenand young adults, working to Safeguarding and Prevention of Vulnerable Adultspolicies and procedures To ensure care delivery complies with moving and handlingpolicies and procedures Liaise with health and social care professionals as requiredto ensure the care provided at the Hospice is coordinated and delivered to meetthe specific needs of the child and family Provide information for children, young people and families,giving clear on-going information as the childs illness progresses, ensuringthat parents are facilitated to maintain control and make informed decisionsrelating to the care of their child Develop and implement systems that ensure effectiveday-to-day communication in respect of childrens and young peoples health andcare management with parents/carers To participate and attend Multi-disciplinary team meetingsas required To act as an advocate for the child and family To liaise and keep updated with the Rapid Response andFamily Support Teams to ensure effective communication and collaborativeservice delivery To provide specialist advice and direct clinical care andsupport in relation to palliative and end of life care To be able to undertake the mental, physical and emotionaldemands of the role, whilst at the same time taking care to safeguard their ownhealth and safety as well as fellow care team members, children, young peopleand their family

Responsibility for Clinical Leadership and PracticeDevelopment

Work closely and collaboratively with the Deputy HospiceManager, Hospice Manager and other teams across the clinical services to act aspositive role models for the Hospice Care Team including volunteers Provide visible clinical leadership to promote a strongpositive culture, working closely and collaboratively with whole care team To work in partnership with the Practice Education &Quality Team to develop and deliver education and training for themulti-disciplinary care team, including attainment of clinical competencies To participate in the orientation of new staff, students andvolunteers. Acting as mentor/sign off mentor as and when required Provide motivational leadership, coaching and support todirect reports and wider care team To regularly meet all members of their team bothindividually and as a team to provide, support, coaching, monitor performanceand delegate specific tasks and roles To act as an appraiser for staff To identify ways of continued quality improvement, throughclinical audit and using and encouraging reflective practice through Clinical Supervision To take responsibility for maintaining his/her ownprofessional development. Meeting with the Deputy Hospice Manager or HospiceManager for regular 121s, appraisals, identifying and agreeing personalobjectives and development plan To deliver education and training programmes for externalpartners and higher education as directed by CLT To be proactive in identifying ways of improving anddeveloping clinical practice. Contributing positively to the development andaudit of standards and, when appropriate, taking responsibility for identifiedproject work / research To attend regular meetings with the multi-disciplinary teamto discuss individual children, respecting and inviting the sharing of skillsand expertise and raising awareness of all the hospice services to bothprofessionals and families To lead and co-ordinate hospice special interest groups

Responsibility for Clinical Governance and Quality

In partnership with the Hospice Manager and other HospiceLead Nurses act as the safeguarding resource for the clinical team for allissues relating to safeguarding and safer working practice for children andyoung adults, working to relevant policies and procedures and accessingexternal safeguarding advice and support as required In partnership with the Hospice Manager contribute toclinical governance and quality across all clinical services, includingreporting and investigation of clinical incidents, undertaking and implementingrisk assessments and risk management, health and safety and be involved in the processof preventing and controlling infection prevention and control Ensure the delivery of safe and effective nursing carethrough the development and implementation of service standards, audit,research, service user feedback, feedback from incidents and risk managementinformation Support the Director of Clinical Services (as RegisteredManager), Head of Care Workforce, Education & Quality and Hospice Managerin fulfilling the requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), enablingchildren, young people and their relatives to receive safe, effective &highquality care Participate in the investigation of any complaints raisedand the implementation of any actions identified from these investigations To attend, actively participate and learn from significantevent analysis To lead mini de-briefs whilst on shifts, supporting staffduring difficult situations Contribute to the development of appropriate policies andprocedures as identified/ required by the Hospice Manager or ClinicalLeadership Team. Person Specification

Experience

Essential

Significant post-registration experience in relevant paediatric environment Experience of working in a multidisciplinary Team Significant experience of coordinating a shift/care delivery Line management of a small team Understanding of specific needs of children/ young people with life limiting/ threatening conditions Experience in paediatric palliative/ end of life care Leadership experience

Desirable

Experience of undertaking audit Experience of risk assessments Recruitment and service development Experience of working in a hospice experience Knowledge/experience of working for a charity Knowledge and understanding of clinical governance

Qualifications

Essential

RSCN, RN (Child), RGN & RNLD with relevant paediatric experience Evidence of continued professional development Evidence of complying with NMC/PREP requirements Palliative Care qualification First Level Degree

Desirable

ENB 998, NM or equivalent Non-medical prescribing V300 Appraisal Training Clinical Supervision training Advanced communication skills training Leadership skills training or qualification Paediatric Clinical Examination qualification Working towards level 7 (Masters Level)

Personal Qualities

Essential

Positive attitude Enthusiastic and motivated Supportive of colleagues, children and families Flexible able to cover a range of shifts in a 24-hour period Ability to motivate self and others Professional manner Approachable, fair and consistent Honest and trustworthy

Desirable

Good time management skills Ability to work on own initiative

Skills & Abilities

Essential

Effective advanced communication skills Relate well with children, families and other healthcare professionals Assist and encourage in the professional development of others Good organisational skills and ability to prioritise and delegate work load Proven experience of assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating care Ability to record information in a concise, accurate and legible manner Excellent interpersonal and team working skills Ability to problem solve Competent in advanced clinical care skills IVs, tracheostomy care, care of long term ventilation etc

Desirable

High level of personal responsibility and accountability IT and Presentation skills Ability to trouble shoot and demonstrate clinical leadership as part of the on call system Coaching skills

Special Circumstances/Additional Requirements

Essential

Good IT skills

Desirable

Car driver

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