Based in the beautiful village of Bartestree, approximately 5 miles east of Hereford city, St Michaels Hospice has been providing the highest quality care to the local community for 40 years.
At St Michaels, we are not just offering a job, but the chance to make a real difference in people's lives. You will work within our multi-disciplinary team providing physical, psycho-social, and spiritual care to patients and their families.
We offer support with revalidation and ongoing CPD through both in-house and external education.
Main Duties of the Job
You will be able to organise your own time effectively, adapt to changing demands and conditions, remain calm under pressure, and communicate in a clear and engaging manner.
Job Responsibilities
Care Provision:
1. As part of a multi-disciplinary team within a 20-bedded Hospice delivering In-Patient, Out Patient, and Day Services, to consistently demonstrate excellent application of the nursing process, using clinical judgement to plan, implement, and evaluate holistic care for patients with complex palliative needs.
2. To ensure nursing practice is evidence-based.
3. Administer medications adhering to NMC and hospice policies.
4. Verify death, complete last offices, and orchestrate the removal of deceased patients from the hospice.
5. Provide specialist advice on symptom management to GPs or other professionals, patients, and families within sphere of competence.
6. To act as a link nurse in selected specialism e.g. diabetes.
7. To understand the breadth of Hospice services and those offered by external agencies and refer patients and families to these.
8. Ensure and maintain confidentiality at all times in line with NMC Code of Conduct and Hospice policy.
9. Promote a rehabilitative palliative care approach enabling people to live fully until they die.
Planning:
1. Delegate activities for Health Care Assistants and Senior Health Care Assistants for specific patients on a shift-by-shift basis.
2. Manage and prioritise own workload according to patient and family need; in the absence of senior nursing colleagues, co-ordinate and manage workload across the team.
3. Undertake risk assessments, document these, and implement risk-reducing measures escalating to senior colleagues as appropriate.
4. Be proactive in ensuring hospice skills, expertise, and professional resources are used to best effect to ensure the appropriate and timely response to patients.
5. To participate in the admission and bed allocation process in the absence of senior nursing colleagues.
6. To plan timely patient discharge from admission.
Communication:
1. Communicate and liaise with relatives and carers regarding patient status, understanding the sensitivities and complexities of each situation.
2. Provide accurate written and verbal holistic reports in line with the Hospice and Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidance to colleagues during handover on patient condition, including any concerns or changes.
3. Encourage patients/relatives/carers to express what is important to them, to identify their needs, to ensure that this information is recorded and informs the care plan.
4. Promote collaborative working and effective communication between all members of the multidisciplinary team.
5. Ensure the nursing voice is represented in ethical decision-making.
6. Recognise own limitations when offering emotional support.
7. Respond to complaints in line with Hospice policy, escalating as appropriate.
8. Promote awareness of child and adult protection issues policy and guidelines.
Professional Leadership:
1. Act as a role model in all aspects of clinical and non-clinical nursing practice.
2. Provide formal and informal clinical supervision, support, and mentorship.
3. Deliver informal and formal training sessions for staff and others.
4. Provide volunteers with information required to enable them to give appropriate care to patients and their visitors.
5. Deputise in the absence of the senior nursing colleagues.
Quality, Improvement, Audit, and Research:
1. Contribute to audits and evaluation of work in order to develop and improve palliative/end of life care for patients and their carers.
2. Embrace quality improvement initiatives and deliver evidence-based service development projects.
3. Facilitate and participate in reflective reviews of palliative care.
4. Ensure clinical incidents/near misses are recorded and managed in a timely manner and take action to minimise risk.
Education:
1. Attend mandatory training and in-service training opportunities.
2. Maintain a professional portfolio and reflective diary.
Health and Safety:
1. Act at all times to promote the safety and wellbeing of patients, visitors, and volunteers.
2. Ensure the environment is free from hazards and all nursing equipment is clean, in good working order, safely and appropriately used and stored.
3. Responsible for the timely disposal and documentation of clinical waste and Laundry.
4. Safe storage and use of hazardous substances according to COSHH regulations.
5. Check building, ensuring that the environment is clean and tidy.
6. Be aware of own limitations and when to seek advice and help.
7. Adhere to the Infection control practices on the Inpatient unit.
8. Adhere to the safe storage of medicines and hazardous substances policy and processes.
Person Specification
Specialist Knowledge and Experience
* Registered Nurse
* Experience and broad knowledge of general nursing care
* Knowledge of national and local health initiatives
* Basic IT functions
* Experience and knowledge of specialist palliative care
£29,513 to £34,776 a year plus unsocial hours payments.
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