Job summary Are you an experienced and dynamic leader looking for a new challenge? Our Inpatient Unit is recruiting for a Fixed Term Sister/ Charge Nurse to join the team for a period of 18 months to work alongside the existing leadership team to deliver excellent and compassionate care to patients on our unit. This is maternity cover role for a period of 18 months and will be based on the IPU at the Main Hospice site. This is a full-time position working 37.5 hours per week on a 24/7 service which will include nights, weekends and bank holidays on rotation and be a part of the clinical on-call rota. St Leonard's is a teaching Hospice offering an excellent environment to work in, outstanding employment conditions & benefits, great opportunities for development and huge job satisfaction. Main duties of the job As a Deputy Sister/ Deputy Charge Nurse, your duties will include: Taking responsibility as Nurse in Charge on shift Demonstrating leadership through clinical expertise, delivering high standards of person-centred care Working with the team to develop a culture of reflective practice Managing risk and balancing demands that come up on the Inpatient Unit Communicating appropriately with all patients, their families and other staff Being responsible for driving ongoing service development to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our diverse local population Compliance with CQC Regulatory standards is essential and although experience in a palliative care setting is not essential you will be required to undertake specialist learning on commencement in the role. What we can offer you: salary above NHS pay scales shift enhancements reimbursement of NMC fees up to 41 days Annual Leave opportunity to continue NHS pension and length of service based annual leave entitlement Golden Hello of £1,000 (after tax) as a special thank you and welcome to our team opportunity to be a supernumerary as part of the induction free car parking great CPD opportunities What we need from you: highly motivated, dynamic and enthusiastic excellent communication skills be able to respond appropriately to emotionally challenging situations excellent nursing skills, record keeping and medicines management About us Our mission is to provide excellent care and support to those living with life-limiting illness and to the people they care about, to enrich their lives and to contribute to the ongoing development of end-of-life care. We do this by placing our patients at the centre of everything we do, and through involving patients and their families in all decisions regarding their care. We can only achieve this with the help of our amazing colleagues, by developing and recognising their contribution, and by sharing our knowledge and skills through education, audit and research. We do not have sponsorship status and therefore all our offers are made conditional upon our candidates submitting evidence of their right to work in the UK in conjunction with our other pre-employment checks. Date posted 27 March 2025 Pay scheme Other Salary £37,554 to £45,222 a year Contract Fixed term Duration 18 months Working pattern Full-time Reference number TEMP_500 Job locations St. Leonards Hospice 185 Tadcaster Road Dringhouses York YO24 1GL Job description Job responsibilities To provide effective clinical leadership, management, co-ordination and development of the In-Patient Unit, with emphasis on quality and clinical standards. Be able to act as a resource and support to other professionals, both internally and externally, on specialist palliative care issues. Work as a member of the Hospice multi-disciplinary team to provide a high standard of skilled, compassionate nursing care and symptom management to patients giving support to them, their families and carers. Main duties and responsibilities Professional 1. Maintain a multi-disciplinary team approach to the individualised care of the patient and maintain high standards of nursing care, putting quality evidenced based care at the heart of practice. 2. Assess the holistic needs of the patient and his/her family considering his/her physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. 3. Effectively prioritise and plan own workload and to be responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating the effectiveness of care given to patients, applying specialist judgement. 4. Maintain accurate written records of care, communicating all necessary information to other team members. 5. Participate fully in the setting, implementation and monitoring of formal standards of practice and to be involved, when required, in clinical governance and auditing for the service. 6. Be responsible for maintaining a high level of knowledge, skill and competence to care for dying people especially in relation to current drugs/therapies in the treatment of pain and other symptoms and administer medication according to the prescription chart. 7. Work with the team to develop a culture of reflective practice which can assist with learning and development from recent/past events. 8. Communicate appropriately with all patients and staff, liaise with other departments and agencies and attend departmental meetings as requested. 9. Maintain safe custody of the patients property/valuables according to Hospice policy. 10. Participate in the development of Hospice standards, policies and research as required. 11. Communicate appropriately with all staff in other departments, offering information, assistance and support. 12. Adhere to all infection, prevention and control procedures. 13. Participate in full rotation across all shifts including nights, weekends and bank holidays. Managerial 1. Demonstrate leadership through clinical expertise, delivering high standards of person-centred care. To ensure that staff have a clear understanding of their duties and responsibilities and of the standards of performance expected. 2. Coordinate day to day service provision in the absence of, or in place of, the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse as required. 3. Promote a supportive working environment for all staff. 4. Take charge of a nursing shift as required to support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse, organising staff as necessary to meet patient needs. 5. Maintain accurate records with regard to the administration of drugs in the patients home. To implement all statutory and SLH policies relating to medications management. 6. Lead, support and supervise the team through the process of change, demonstrating tenacity, drive professional integrity, balance and perspective. 7. Maintain collaborative working relationships and effective communications between all members of the multi-disciplinary team, to ensure a high standard of co-ordinated patient care. 8. Maintain high standards of safety within the unit, reporting any hazardous occurrences or equipment. 9. Report all accidents, incidents, complaints and untoward occurrences, keeping statutory and unit records as required. Be aware of responsibilities relating to the complaints procedure. 10. Observe fire precautions and procedures as outlined in the Hospice Policy. 11. Welcome both professional and lay visitors to the Hospice. 12. Observe unit policies on holidays, sickness and absence. 13. Exercise care and economy in the use of property and equipment and to ensure equipment is clean, safe and maintained in good working order. 14. Assist with the rostering of staff to ensure a good skill mix, including the use of bank staff and flexing of shift patterns as required to maintain safe patient care. 15. Be aware of allocated resources and contribute to effective budgetary control authorising supplies, invoices, rotas and absence forms as required. 16. Act as a resource to other professionals, both internally and externally, on specialist palliative care issues. 17. Manage incident reporting within the Inpatient Unit and work with the Director of Clinical Services and Senior Sister/Charge Nurse when there are identified areas for practice improvement. 18. Understand the serious incident policy and the responsibilities of prioritising safe patient care, attending and facilitating safety huddles. Education 1. Achieve and maintain clinical competencies specific to the role and organisation, facilitating the development and achievement of competence in others. 2. Assist in the teaching of new staff so that they are able to function fully within the team. 3. Use evidence-based practice to develop and maintain a high quality of patient care and to ensure the continuous improvement of the service. 4. Participate in the allocation, teaching and guidance of visiting professionals eg Student Nurses on placements, Medical Students, Students Allied to Health and Post Graduate Students. 5. Communicate skills learnt on secondment or study leave to other members of staff. 6. Be involved with education of patients and their families regarding the various aspects of their health and wellbeing. Job description Job responsibilities To provide effective clinical leadership, management, co-ordination and development of the In-Patient Unit, with emphasis on quality and clinical standards. Be able to act as a resource and support to other professionals, both internally and externally, on specialist palliative care issues. Work as a member of the Hospice multi-disciplinary team to provide a high standard of skilled, compassionate nursing care and symptom management to patients giving support to them, their families and carers. Main duties and responsibilities Professional 1. Maintain a multi-disciplinary team approach to the individualised care of the patient and maintain high standards of nursing care, putting quality evidenced based care at the heart of practice. 2. Assess the holistic needs of the patient and his/her family considering his/her physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs. 3. Effectively prioritise and plan own workload and to be responsible for planning, delivering and evaluating the effectiveness of care given to patients, applying specialist judgement. 4. Maintain accurate written records of care, communicating all necessary information to other team members. 5. Participate fully in the setting, implementation and monitoring of formal standards of practice and to be involved, when required, in clinical governance and auditing for the service. 6. Be responsible for maintaining a high level of knowledge, skill and competence to care for dying people especially in relation to current drugs/therapies in the treatment of pain and other symptoms and administer medication according to the prescription chart. 7. Work with the team to develop a culture of reflective practice which can assist with learning and development from recent/past events. 8. Communicate appropriately with all patients and staff, liaise with other departments and agencies and attend departmental meetings as requested. 9. Maintain safe custody of the patients property/valuables according to Hospice policy. 10. Participate in the development of Hospice standards, policies and research as required. 11. Communicate appropriately with all staff in other departments, offering information, assistance and support. 12. Adhere to all infection, prevention and control procedures. 13. Participate in full rotation across all shifts including nights, weekends and bank holidays. Managerial 1. Demonstrate leadership through clinical expertise, delivering high standards of person-centred care. To ensure that staff have a clear understanding of their duties and responsibilities and of the standards of performance expected. 2. Coordinate day to day service provision in the absence of, or in place of, the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse as required. 3. Promote a supportive working environment for all staff. 4. Take charge of a nursing shift as required to support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse, organising staff as necessary to meet patient needs. 5. Maintain accurate records with regard to the administration of drugs in the patients home. To implement all statutory and SLH policies relating to medications management. 6. Lead, support and supervise the team through the process of change, demonstrating tenacity, drive professional integrity, balance and perspective. 7. Maintain collaborative working relationships and effective communications between all members of the multi-disciplinary team, to ensure a high standard of co-ordinated patient care. 8. Maintain high standards of safety within the unit, reporting any hazardous occurrences or equipment. 9. Report all accidents, incidents, complaints and untoward occurrences, keeping statutory and unit records as required. Be aware of responsibilities relating to the complaints procedure. 10. Observe fire precautions and procedures as outlined in the Hospice Policy. 11. Welcome both professional and lay visitors to the Hospice. 12. Observe unit policies on holidays, sickness and absence. 13. Exercise care and economy in the use of property and equipment and to ensure equipment is clean, safe and maintained in good working order. 14. Assist with the rostering of staff to ensure a good skill mix, including the use of bank staff and flexing of shift patterns as required to maintain safe patient care. 15. Be aware of allocated resources and contribute to effective budgetary control authorising supplies, invoices, rotas and absence forms as required. 16. Act as a resource to other professionals, both internally and externally, on specialist palliative care issues. 17. Manage incident reporting within the Inpatient Unit and work with the Director of Clinical Services and Senior Sister/Charge Nurse when there are identified areas for practice improvement. 18. Understand the serious incident policy and the responsibilities of prioritising safe patient care, attending and facilitating safety huddles. Education 1. Achieve and maintain clinical competencies specific to the role and organisation, facilitating the development and achievement of competence in others. 2. Assist in the teaching of new staff so that they are able to function fully within the team. 3. Use evidence-based practice to develop and maintain a high quality of patient care and to ensure the continuous improvement of the service. 4. Participate in the allocation, teaching and guidance of visiting professionals eg Student Nurses on placements, Medical Students, Students Allied to Health and Post Graduate Students. 5. Communicate skills learnt on secondment or study leave to other members of staff. 6. Be involved with education of patients and their families regarding the various aspects of their health and wellbeing. Person Specification Personal Essential Work confidentially and with discretion Enthusiasm Awareness and ability to cope with pressure Ability to work in a challenging environment Flexible to the changing needs of the post often at short notice Be accurate and methodical Honest, trustworthy, reliable and punctual Approachable, team player Committed to providing a quality and measurable service Ability to accept support from other team members Respect for others ethnic or/and religious/spiritual beliefs Committed to own continuing professional development A commitment to Hospice care and to have a philosophy and concept of Hospice care Experience Essential Awareness of Department of Health End of Life Strategy Clinical experience Leadership and management experience Desirable Palliative Care Experience Organisational skills Audit and Evaluation skills Advanced communication skills NMP Other Essential Enhanced DBS check Ability to work unsocial hours including nights, weekends, bank holidays Be prepared to assist with Hospice fundraising activities Desirable Driving licence Knowledge of York and surrounding area Communication Essential Excellent written and verbal communication skills Proven interpersonal skills Ability to be sensitive and empathetic Able to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team Ability to communicate at all levels within the Hospice Qualifications Essential Registered Nurse Desirable Palliative Care Qualification MIP/MPP Degree IT Essential Digitally literate Knowledge of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) Desirable Knowledge and experience of CPD and SystmOne Person Specification Personal Essential Work confidentially and with discretion Enthusiasm Awareness and ability to cope with pressure Ability to work in a challenging environment Flexible to the changing needs of the post often at short notice Be accurate and methodical Honest, trustworthy, reliable and punctual Approachable, team player Committed to providing a quality and measurable service Ability to accept support from other team members Respect for others ethnic or/and religious/spiritual beliefs Committed to own continuing professional development A commitment to Hospice care and to have a philosophy and concept of Hospice care Experience Essential Awareness of Department of Health End of Life Strategy Clinical experience Leadership and management experience Desirable Palliative Care Experience Organisational skills Audit and Evaluation skills Advanced communication skills NMP Other Essential Enhanced DBS check Ability to work unsocial hours including nights, weekends, bank holidays Be prepared to assist with Hospice fundraising activities Desirable Driving licence Knowledge of York and surrounding area Communication Essential Excellent written and verbal communication skills Proven interpersonal skills Ability to be sensitive and empathetic Able to work effectively in a multi-disciplinary team Ability to communicate at all levels within the Hospice Qualifications Essential Registered Nurse Desirable Palliative Care Qualification MIP/MPP Degree IT Essential Digitally literate Knowledge of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook) Desirable Knowledge and experience of CPD and SystmOne Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Employer details Employer name St Leonard's Hospice Address St. Leonards Hospice 185 Tadcaster Road Dringhouses York YO24 1GL Employer's website https://www.stleonardshospice.org.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)