ellenor JOB DESCRIPTION JOB TITLE: REPORTS TO: ACCOUNTABLE TO: Staff Nurse Hospice at Home (Palliative Care Support Team) Senior Staff Nurse / Coordinator Hospice at Home (Palliative Care Support Team) Head of Adult Community Services Purpose of Hospice at Home: To use a holistic multi professional team approach to identify appropriate patient pathways of care which support and provide interventions, choice of place of care and preferred place of death. To provide access to the specialist advisory and support nurse team over seven days a week. (Via face to face and telephone support). To provide practical hands on care at home over seven days per week utilising differing levels of nursing staff and in partnership with other local agencies and resources. ROLE SUMMARY Working with the team in transition you will join the established Specialist Nurse team to contribute to the overall care of patient and families referred within the community setting. Under the direction of the Lead Nurse, you will participate in the Hospice at Home service provision. It will require a flexible approach as the role develops and changes, providing you with the opportunity to influence the development. You will work as part of an integrated team of nurses contributing to overall care, providing practical nursing interventions you will direct and work alongside Nursing Assistants within one of the geographical teams. Your role will include assessment and support visits in the home setting in liaison with the Nurse Specialists. In conjunction with the multi professional team, you will participate in planning timely and effective patient centred care this will include working in partnership with the Primary Health Care Team and other health care professionals. You will provide input into the delivery of the hospice education and clinical governance programmes and provide mentorship and support for other team members as appropriate. This nursing role demands sound clinical knowledge of end of life care, effective communication skills and community awareness. You will have the ability to work independently and as a part of the community and extended hospice
teams. As a team member you will contribute to a positive supportive working environment with an emphasis on team work and cooperation. In negotiation with the Lead Nurse you will provide mentorship and input into the appraisal process for the Nursing assistants. You will participate in a rota system providing a 7 day a week face to face and telephone service for patients and their families. This may include visiting out of hours in exceptional circumstances. As appropriate you may be required to provide cover within the Day Therapy Unit. RESPONSIBILITIES (transition period) To promote the principles and practice of palliative care as an extension of the hospice into the community. To liaise and work in partnership with the Primary Health and Social care professionals and the hospice multi-professional team, in meeting the patient s palliative care needs. To keep informed and advise all relevant carers in accordance with the patients wishes. To liaise with other agencies as necessary to ensure the co-ordination of care and support of the patient and their carer. To facilitate bereavement support through the Bereavement Service or other agencies where appropriate. To ensure that all relevant information is documented and recorded in the hospice multi professional computer notes. To undertake any other duties considered to fall within the scope of the position of Staff Nurse, as directed by the Team Leader. RESPONSIBILITIES (new service) Clinical To undertake assessments (independently or jointly as appropriate) of allocated patients and their families. To provide practical nursing interventions. To direct and work alongside Nursing Assistants within one of the two geographical teams area managed by a team leader. As part of a team, to plan, implement and evaluate individualised care packages for patients and their area which address patients holistic needs To ensure appropriate and timely referrals to other services provided by the hospice Multi professional Team. To establish a therapeutic relationship with patients and relatives to enable active involvement in informed decision making, if this is their wish. To use communication skills during assessment, implementation and evaluation of all aspect of patient care and treatment. To liaise with appropriate IPU staff to facilitate effective hospice admission and discharge planning. To offer bereavement support to carers as per the hospice agreed pathway.
To attend Gold Standard Framework (GSF) and other practice based meetings as appropriate. To liaise and communicate with community, nursing home and hospital staff in order to raise awareness and promote Hospice services. Administration/Management To work within a team framework collaborating with immediate colleagues and members of other disciplines. To foster positive working relations with other members of the Primary Healthcare Team and in particular to support GP s and District Nurses in the delivery of community based palliative care. To liaise with in-house, internal and external departments involved in the patients care, maintaining good communication throughout. To ensure that all relevant information is documented and recorded in the hospice multi- professional computer notes. To work in partnership with the clinical admin team. To contribute to the generation of appropriate letters and correspondence relation to the team clinical caseload for hospital and Primary Health Care Teams. To input into the appraisal process as directed by the Lead Nurse. To actively participate in service development initiatives as appropriate. To attend appropriate team meetings e.g. case review, Multi Disciplinary and team meetings. Professional Development, Education and Training To take responsibility for attending statutory & Mandatory and hospice training in line with organisational policy and current legislation To participate in the ongoing educational programme of the Hospice by attending in-house study days and courses as appropriate. To take responsibility for self development, identifying training and education needs with team leader. To act as a role model for team members and participate in staff development initiatives as appropriate. To assist in orientation programmes for new members of staff. To act as a mentor. To keep abreast of current advances in nursing practice and research. To take responsibility for his/her own professional updating to maintain clinical competencies. To actively participate in research projects as required. Audit & Quality To be aware of new developments in palliative care. To participate in nursing and inter-disciplinary audit projects. To participate in the hospice Clinical Governance programme. Professional Conduct Each Registered Nurse is responsible for his/her own actions and practice and is accountable to patients and those close to them for the care he/she
administers he/she must abide by the code of professional conduct as laid down by the NMC. Internal Communication To promote at all levels, the ellenor vision, values and strategic objectives. To promote and maintain effective channels of communication at all levels of the organisation in order to ensure that the main purpose of the post can be achieved. Hospice Policies To keep abreast of and work in accordance with hospice policies as outlined in the P Drive and/or policy folders held in each department. Health and Safety The post holder has responsibility to take reasonable care of self and others in relation to managing risk, health and safety and will be required to work within the appropriate policies and procedures. This job description is not intended to be restrictive, but is an outline of the main duties. The job description will be reviewed periodically to take into account developments in the organisation, department or role General To be aware of the philosophy of the ellenor and to behave as a fit representative. To be aware of guidelines stated in staff handbook and all relevant policies and procedures. To undertake annual performance review when personal development plan will be discussed. To attend statutory training courses as required. At ellenor we are committed to creating and managing a safe working environment for all our staff, visitors, volunteers and patients. All ellenor employees are expected to know, understand and deliver their Safety Responsibilities. All ellenor employees may be set at least one Safety Objective by their manager or supervisor which must be delivered if they are to meet their objectives. Postholder s name.date Postholder's signature Date Manager s name
Manager s signature.. Date