Consultant Nurse

Job summary

Hospice in the Weald is looking for a confident and compassionate Consultant Nurse. We would love to hear from you if you have the drive and ambition to transform patient care, embed systems/ processes to ensure high-quality care whilst supporting and developing our highly skilled workforce.

Main duties of the job

You will be able to demonstrate strong leadership skills to inspire and motivate our teams to continuously improve the quality of care and standards of role model and expert resource to the multi-professional team, supporting further education and training of the MDT.

You will take an active role in collaborating with external stakeholders to provide palliative care for the people of West Kent and East Sussex.

You will be joining a dedicated and friendly team which focuses on maintaining evidenced based, effective support for people living in their own homes (including Care Homes), and in our inpatient wards. Ensuring that practice is rehabilitative, person-cantered and focusses on the patients goals and what is important to them and their family.

You will be key in the delivery of high quality, responsive, safe, effective and well led care that ensures improved patient outcomes and an excellent patient experience. You will provide accessible advice and leadership to the professional nursing and medical teams throughout our services. You will be a source of advanced clinical expertise and decision-making.

About us

At Hospice in the Weald, we are committed to learning, teaching, and training so that we can be the best that we can be. From the moment you start with us and throughout your career we will help you to grow and develop. We hope that in choosing Hospice in the Weald you are choosing a long and happy career, where you will be able to see the difference, you make and feel valued for all that you do.

Why join our team? We have flexible working options to suit your work-life balance, and you can transfer your NHS pension. Other benefits include free parking at our Pembury site and a generous holiday allowance, with the ability to buy and sell additional holiday. You can view more information about our range of benefitson our website.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities

Deliverables / outcomes

Be professionally and legally accountable for all work undertaken and practice at an advanced level of professional autonomy in line with local/ national policy and the NMC code of conduct.

Use advanced clinical reasoning and diagnostic skills, prescribing and evaluating interventions for patients with complex needs.

To be an authoritative expert assessor/ advisor on pain and symptom management, psychosocial and spiritual, practical and ethical decisions at end of life.

To work in partnership with external healthcare partners

Develop and conduct skilled nursing intervention with patients with palliative needs, assessing and addressing issues for example quality of life, prognosis, futility, end of life decision making within an ethical framework.

To be the lead on Independent Prescribing

Demonstrate negotiation and diplomacy skills.

To be in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team regarding safe, effective and timely admission and discharge from the hospice caseloads.

Use advanced communication skills to undertake complex and sensitive holistic care assessments and to plan, implement and evaluate care.

To develop an area of expertise and lead on this within the hospice. Examples are Frailty, Heart failure, Dementia, Care Homes support, Education, training and development.

Ensure you work to Hospice in the Weald clinical governance standards.

Work with the hospice clinical lead in undertaking service improvements as identified.

To act as a resource locally and nationally on issues related to palliative care

Management and Leadership

Demonstrate strong leadership skills which will support and motivate the teams within the hospice

Be a source of expertise and knowledge and work in collaboration with external healthcare partners.

It is expected that the Consultant Nurse will spend 60% of their time in direct patient contact using a combination of assessment methods face to face at home or in clinic/ telephone or video assessment supporting and clinically supervising all grades of clinically facing staff including the ACP team.

40% of time will be spent non clinically to include developing services in line with the hospices clinical strategy and to be part of the development of this.

To provide expert clinical leadership alongside the Medical Consultant/s.

To identify areas for service improvement, working with stakeholders including service users and propose changes as they are needed.

To provide consultancy to external partners involved in palliative care provision and be recognised locally for having expertise in this field.

Develop policy in collaboration in line with local and national guidelines and evidence.

Be part of the Medicines Optimisation group as the lead for independent prescribing.

Manage complaints as requested.

Recognise, assess and minimise risk as part of daily work.

Effectively chair meetings

Be part of continuing to embed the OACC suite to ensure patient centred care and data collection.

To be confident and competent in delivering training sessions and speaking at conferences and writing abstracts for poster presentation.

Write articles for publication

Communications and Teamwork

Communicate effectively at an advanced level

Identify opportunities for collaboration.

Ensure systems and processes are in place to make best use of EMIS as a patient record system and communications tool.

Audit and Research

Contribute to the development of professional practice, through the promotion of evidence-based practice and audit.

Ensure high standards of data quality.

Be part of any research projects that Hospice in the Weald takes part in.

Training and Development

Keep up to date with and implement current legislation and professional practice issues relevant to the job.

Maintain a comprehensive programme of annual and quarterly reviews for all direct reports; ensure that direct reports do likewise for those for whom they are responsible.

Ensure educational and clinical supervisors are in place for clinical staff as required.

Help others to identify training and development needs and address these appropriately.

Provide relevant training and development based on own level of knowledge.

Contribute to HitW playing an active role in the delivery of education, externally, to improve palliative and end of life care for patients and those important to them in our notional catchment area.

General

Always uphold Hospice in the Wealds values

Maintain professionalism and work within the boundaries of Hospice in the Weald policies

Maintain professionalism through adherence to recognised Codes (, NMC, GMC, HPC) policies

Maintain personal development through the Hospice Personal Development Plan. Continuously updating and improving knowledge and competencies

Engage in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the area you are working and achieve the required level of competence.

Any other duties that may be reasonably requested.

Recognise the growing need for 24/7 working patterns and flexibility.

Strive for excellence at all times.

THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE AND IS SUBJECT TO REVIEW IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE POST HOLDER AND ACCORDING TO FUTURE CHANGES/DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SERVICE

P ersonal attributes

Reflective Enthusiastic and motivated Able to work flexibly Able to travel within the Hospice in the Weald catchment area Committed to striving for excellence Takes ownership and responsibility for completing and finishing tasks including setting and achieving targets. Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

NMC registration Independent prescriber with advanced assessment skills Educated to degree level Have or working towards a MSC or PGDIp

Experience

Essential

Recent experience at ACP or Consultant nurse level in a palliative care environment. Advanced Assessment skills Evidence of leading in or being part of service development and improvement Experience in leadership in a palliative care environment Clinical assessment and prescribing skills Sound knowledge of palliative care symptom control including frailty Excellent Communication Skills Problem solving/analytical skills Computer literacy including Word, Excel and Email Strong leadership skills

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