An vacancy has risen within the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust Hospital Palliative Care Team. This presents a challenging and rewarding opportunity to join our Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) team which is part of our dynamic and progressive Palliative Care Service. Working within the Cancer Division, the Palliative Care CNS post is part of an established team that spans the Trust to provide an excellent consultancy service to improve the quality of life for patients with a life limiting illness or those at the end of their life during their hospital admission.
The post holder will be expected to work trust wide. We are looking for a candidate who is motivated, enthusiastic with excellent communication skills and the ability to work both autonomously and as part of an inter-disciplinary team.
A key aspect of the role will be to work collaboratively to develop the service in line with National and local end of life strategies.
This post provides an exciting, challenging and rewarding opportunity for candidates to work within a supportive and committed team.
The successful candidate will have yearly appraisal and objective setting.
Main duties of the job
Palliative care is an approach that improves quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychological and spiritual.
The Hospital Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist team work in a consultative capacity to facilitate the delivery of high-quality care to palliative and end of life care (EoLC) patients and their family and carers across Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
The post holder will provide vision and professional leadership working collaboratively with key stakeholders and build on strong relationships within the organisation. They will utilise experience and expertise to influence change in practice through role modelling, education and support in the clinical area, to empower staff to provide a high standard of palliative and EoLC. They will provide leadership, innovation, mastery and excellence in clinical practice to support the patients under their care.
The post holder will be key in identifying and planning staff development and education strategies to enable the delivery of identified standards of care.
Other key functions of the role include:
* Patient assessment and consultation
* Teaching, education, research and audit
* Leadership raising professional standards in patient care.
About us
MTW is a large acute hospital trust in the south-east of England.
We provide a full range of general hospital services and some aspects of specialist and complex care to around 600,000 people living in west Kent and East Sussex. We have a team of over 8,000 full and part-time staff. We also provide specialist cancer services to around 2 million people across Kent and East Sussex via the Kent Oncology Centre.
In the 2024 NHS staff survey, our employees ranked MTW among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and the second-best Trust to work for in the South East.
Would you like to work flexibly? In the NHS, we are reminded every day of how important life is. As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us, for our patients and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Once your pre-employment checks have been completed you will be contacted by Recruitment to arrange your start date which will be in line with one of our Corporate Inductions.
Following your Corporate Induction you will be expected to attend the Trusts 2-week Induction Programme for RNs, NAs, RMs, ODPs and Paramedics. The programme is full-time (please email mtw-tr.professionalstandards@nhs.net if this is problematic) and will involve travel to both Trust sites. The programme includes supernumerary shifts in the clinical area, classroom-based sessions and e-learning.
Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure & Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children)
At MTW, we seek to develop a culture where everyone can reach their full potential with opportunities to grow and develop their career. We recognise and value the unique contributions that each of our staff bring, delivering the best quality care and service to our patients. We are committed to being a diverse employer and strive to reflect everyone in our local communities. We welcome applications from people of diverse backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and celebrate the diversity of thought, viewpoints and ideas that will make our Trust the best place to work.
We support our staff with disabilities to ensure they have the adjustments they need to be the best they can be in the workplace. Collaborating with Access to Work means that our staff are assessed by experts in the workplace and we ensure that their recommendations are implemented as quickly as possible. You can find out more here: Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition: What Access to Work is - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Interview Date: To be confirmed.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
* RGN - current NMC registration
* Degree in nursing or other health related discipline
* MSC or willingness to work towards
* ENB 931 (care of the dying patient and family), ENB 285 (advanced care of the dying patient/family) or equivalent training.
Desirable
* ENB 998 (teaching/assessing in clinical practice)/other teaching qualification
* Development programme at recognised hospice/cancer/palliative care centre (e.g. 6-18 months)
* Counselling qualification
Experience
Essential
* 5 years post registration nursing experience
* Eighteen months experience as a junior sister or Nurse specialist at Band 6 or above
* Specialist Palliative Care experience in relevant field (2 years minimum)
* Understanding of bereavement, grief and loss
* Advanced Symptom management experience
Desirable
* Hospice experience
* Oncology Nursing experience
* Leadership and/or nurse management experience in a relevant clinical setting.
Skills
Essential
* Good team worker
* Effective communication skills
* Good time management
* Good organisational and negotiation skills
* Possess skills to teach, support and develop workforce
* Work independently in stressful situations
* IT literate
Employer details
Employer name
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Address
Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells Hospitals
Hermitage Lane
Maidstone
ME16 9QQ
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