Job summary
The Clinical Lead for Community Services reports into the Deputy Director of Clinical Services and is responsible for overseeing and ensuring the delivery of high-quality, compassionate care to patients receiving palliative care in their homes and community settings.
Main duties of the job
The Clinical Lead is responsible for coordinating care services, managing clinical governance, and driving service improvements to enhance patient outcomes. Clinically leading the Community team and being operationally responsible for the service.
You will operationally manage the Community Service team and support the community team in reviewing, assessing and treating patients within the community with complex needs. The Clinical Lead for Community Services will not hold a caseload.
About us
St Giles Hospice is a registered charity founded in 1983 by the Reverend Paul Brothwell, originally to improve the care of local people dying with cancer. We now support people in our community whose illnesses may not be curable such as cancer, motor neurone disease, heart failure, MS and respiratory disease. We also offer support for families and helpers.
Our dedicated team provides individually-tailored care either at the hospice or in patients' own homes across our communities.
The range of specialist services is provided free of charge to those who need it. Although St Giles receives some funding from the Government, we rely heavily on donations and fundraising.
Job responsibilities
The role entails but is not limited to:
Clinical practice
- Provide advanced levels of clinical practice, knowledge and skills.
- Assess, diagnose, plan and implement programmes of evidence-based care and treatment for palliative care patients.
- Provide specialist advice and support to patients and carers.
- Provide a visible clinical profile, having both an advisory and clinical input into patient care as directed by the Lead Clinician.
- Assess the need for and order investigations within scope of practice.
- Manage medications including assessment, review and non-medical prescribing where appropriate and in accordance with legislation and local policy.
- Admit, refer and discharge patients in accordance with local policies and guidelines.
- Participate in the development and evaluation of policies/guidelines/protocols for clinical practice, responding to changes in service demands and taking responsibility for updating and monitoring policies/guidelines/protocols in relation to the role.
- Prepare accurate and concise reports both verbally and written.
- Communicate effectively within the multi-disciplinary team, the organisation and across other agencies.
- Deploy high level communication skills and effective communication strategies to ensure that information and knowledge is imparted sensitively according to the needs of patients, staff and students in training.
- Continually review, evaluate and develop own role and clinical practice responding to changes in service demands.
- Plan and manage own workload and the workload of the service in a flexible manner and manage patient caseload, ensuring that service provision meets the needs of patients.
- Keep relevant records and submit reports contemporaneously and in a professionally acceptable manner.
- Promote a positive relationship with all stakeholders within the service and externally.
- Contribute to the clinical governance process, including adverse incident reporting/investigation and the management of complaints, as appropriate.
Leadership
- Develop the community team workforce and hold line management responsibilities for all direct reports.
- Ensure Community services team have regular 1-1's, appraisals are completed in a timely manner and sickness/absence is managed within St Giles Hospice policy and procedures.
- Be a role model for standards of care and professional behaviour through clinical practice.
- Act as a resource and provide advice, information and support to nursing, Allied Health Professions (AHP) and medical staff.
- Lead and contribute to the development of the multi-disciplinary team/team objectives for the service/speciality.
- Contribute to local, regional and national clinical networks and speciality specific groups, working in partnership with other key professionals.
- Maintain personal standards of conduct and behaviour consistent with organisational and professional guidelines.
- Ensure appropriate use of resources in order to meet service/patient needs identifying gaps in service provision in partnership with other professionals and implementing changes required to improve services.
- Empower, motivate and influence others to advance practice to benefit patient care.
Evidence Based Practice
- Collect and collate data as required in order to inform internal and external professional and operational bodies.
- Evaluate clinical practice through audit of the service, developing and managing strategies to address any shortfalls.
- Demonstrate knowledge of current evidence in all aspects of work and to advise others on the implementation of relevant findings.
- Be involved in research projects in response to identified service needs in accordance with clinical governance.
- Publish any research, service improvement activities and audit programmes to raise the profile of the organisation.
- Attend relevant meetings and conferences.
Education & Development
- Identify own development needs in line with service requirements within personal development plan to inform the annual review process.
- Continue to develop own skills, knowledge and practice in the context of service needs.
- Maintain professional portfolio to demonstrate competency.
- Contribute to the development of a clinical environment that is conducive to supporting the education and learning of all staff and students.
- Participate in the development, delivery and evaluation of relevant palliative and end of life care teaching programmes for all disciplines and grades of staff, e.g. AHP, nursing and medical, client group and carers within the organisation and beyond.
- Act as mentor/preceptor and resource person for other staff, as appropriate to the role.
- Ensure mentorship training is updated.
- Provide clinical supervision both within and external to the organisation as required, supporting development of individuals and practice.
Person Specification
Skills
Essential
- Able to address searching questions regarding death and dying on a personal level
- Effective oral/written communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to engage effectively with all levels of staff and across organisational boundaries
- Excellent negotiating and influencing skills
- Good IT skills
- Involvement in service implementation and/or re-design
- Ability to use information technology appropriately
Desirable
- Strong analytical skills
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (Degree/Masters level)
- Current NMC Registration
- Independent Nurse Prescribing Level 7
- Physical Health Assessment Level 7
Desirable
- Qualification in end of life/palliative care nursing
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- Clinically orientated Masters level qualification (or working towards)
Personal Attributes
Essential
- Empathetic
- Team Player
- Able to work under pressure
- Collaborative
- Ambassador for St Giles Hospice
Experience
Essential
- Experience of providing clinical leadership and expertise
- Experience of implementation of evidence-based practice
- Evidence of evaluation of clinical practice
- Demonstrates advanced skills in clinical assessment diagnosis and decision making
- Experience of multi-professional team working
- Evidence of service development
- Experience of staff development
Desirable
- Experience of change management
- Service and/or quality improvement experience
- Knowledge and understanding of involvement of patient and public in service delivery, development and design
Other Requirements
Essential
- Valid driving licence
- Car owner/driver
- Eligibility to work in the UK
- Please note that St Giles Hospice does not hold a sponsorship licence and is therefore unable to accept sponsorship requests
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
Employer details
Employer name
St Giles Hospice
Address
Fisherwick Road
Whittington
Lichfield
Staffordshire
WS14 9LH
Employer's website #J-18808-Ljbffr