Assistant Practitioner / Nursing Associate

NHS; Sturminster Newton; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A national healthcare provider is seeking an Assistant Practitioner / Nursing Associate to join their Specialist Hospice at Home Service. This role involves working collaboratively with clinical teams to deliver high-quality care in patients' homes. Suitable candidates will have NVQ Level 4/5 or a Nursing Associate qualification, alongside experience in palliative care and excellent communication skills. The offer includes a salary range from £27,485 to £30,162 and flexible working hours within a community setting.

Benefits

Community-based care

Flexible rota for advice line cover

Qualifications

• Experience in palliative care or related specialist area.
• Experience working collaboratively with health and social care professionals.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to use SystmOne and other IT systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide assurance to patients and families to minimize hospital admissions.
• Collaborate with clinical teams to deliver responsive patient services.
• Maintain accurate records in SystmOne and conduct health assessments.
• Educate patients and families about care and support needs.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Good communication skills

Organisational skills

Ability to work without supervision

IT skills

Education

NVQ Level 4/5 or foundation degree in health and social care

Nursing Associate qualification

Tools

SystmOne

Job description

Weldmar Specialist Hospice at Home Service (North Dorset)

37.5 hours per week (part time considered) - Permanent contract

Clinical Salary Scale - Band 4: £27,485 - £30,162 per year (FTE)

Job Overview

We're looking for a caring and enthusiastic Assistant Practitioner / Nursing Associate to join our Specialist Hospice at Home Service in North Dorset.

You will work collaboratively with a multi-skilled team based in Sturminster Newton, working with other clinical colleagues and external agencies to provide an agile and responsive service based on patient needs in Sturminster Newton, Sherborne, Blandford, Shaftesbury and surrounding areas.

Main Duties

• Provide assurance to patients and family members, allowing them to live as well as possible at home and reducing the likelihood of hospital admissions.
• Collaborate with clinical colleagues and external agencies to deliver an agile and responsive service based on patient needs identified by the Specialist Hospice at Home team.
• Participate in assessment of care needs and implementation of delegated interventions.
• Deliver education, informal teaching and advance care planning (ACP) discussions.
• Maintain accurate records in SystmOne and the home record system.
• Provide advice line cover on a rota basis at 08:00‑09:00 am.
• Operate with a full and valid driving licence, own transport and business insurance.
• Work core hours Monday‑Friday, 09:00‑17:00.

Qualifications & Experience

• NVQ Level 4/5 or foundation degree in health and social care; or Nursing Associate qualification; or willingness to progress to these credentials.
• Experience in palliative care or related specialist area.
• Experience working collaboratively with other health and social care professionals.
• Experience working in a patients’ own home and/or community setting.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work without direct supervision in patients’ homes and to use SystmOne and other IT systems.

Key Skills and Abilities

• Work effectively within an internal and remote team.
• Flexible, positive and proactive approach to work.
• Good organisational skills and initiative.
• Promote a holistic and individualized approach to care.

Benefits

• Pay range £27,485–£30,162 per year.
• Part-time considered and core hours Monday‑Friday.
• Community based hospice care with flexible rota for advice line cover.
• Full application to aid persona carrying the role in the UK palliative area.

About us

Weldmar Hospicecare is rated Outstanding by the CQC. Weldmar Hospicecare provides specialist care to adults in Dorset with a life limiting illness, and support to their loved ones. This care is given in the comfort of patients’ own homes, in the community, and at our inpatient unit in Dorchester. All care is provided free of charge and mainly funded by continued local community support, via fundraising initiatives and events, our retail chain, and gifts left in wills, enabling us to raise the £27,500 we need every day to keep our services going.

Job tasks

• Deliver quality care to a diverse caseload of patients, as delegated by Specialist Hospice at Home WCNS/WCN, district nurse or allied health professional; working with minimum direct supervision.
• Undertake care assessments for patients requiring hands‑on care under the Specialist Hospice at Home service and working collaboratively with all services.
• Undertake ACP discussions sensitively and appropriately as allocated.
• Work with the patient and family to agree a plan of personal care to be delivered by the Specialist Hospice at Home team.
• Be involved in education and advice to patients and their families on what to expect and offer support as required.
• Under direction, hold patients/families that may require additional support to remain at home if this is their wish.
• Advice line cover 08:00‑09:00 am on a rota basis.
• Recognise and appropriately report changes to Specialist Hospice at Home colleagues.
• Provide emotional support allowing patients and families to express their feelings/ concerns utilising listening and empathetic skills.
• Communicate relevant information to patients and families whilst maintaining confidentiality.
• Promote independence and well‑being by ensuring involvement of patients in their plan of care.
• Ongoing assessment of the home environment to identify any additional needs including equipment, care packages or carers support.
• Undertake and record on SystmOne and in the home record, specific observation and monitoring tasks including temperature, pulse, respiration and blood pressure, reporting the outcome to the appropriate profession.
• Contribute to the management of personal care through the assessment, delivery, monitoring and recognition of changes including nutritional intake, fluid balance, tissue viability/ wound management, bowel and urinary management and use of continence aids.
• Perform clinical activities and nursing care applicable to the patients home setting as delegated by the WCN/WCNS, including routine follow‑up home visits or contact.
• Conduct non‑clinical tasks e.g. assisting patients with the completion of attendance allowance forms, requesting AApacks, blue badges and equipment requests.
• Contribute to symptom management through the utilisation of appropriate assessment tools, observation, monitoring or patient feedback, reporting the outcome to the appropriate registered professional.
• Provide appropriate holistic care to patients and their families in the last year of life.
• Deliver care immediately after death with respect and compassion if applicable, as per policy.
• Initiate appropriate action in the event of an emergency situation.
• Work under level 1 guidance when prompting patients with their medication.
• Be able to demonstrate and promote the use of video technology to patients and families, in particular the use of Airmid.
• Attend Specialist Hospice at Home hub as requested for daily handover and allocations and work from base as service need requires.

Organisational and Administration Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate, legible and contemporaneous records on all patients, to ensure documentation meets agreed standards and adheres to Caldicott guidelines.
• Ensure all other information, documentation and reporting requirements are completed including incidents and safeguarding concerns on the Risk Assessment Platform.
• Ensure any DNACPR documentation is available within the home.
• Participate in agreed audit, research, surveys or other clinical governance activities as appropriate.
• Work flexibly to provide cover for absent colleagues when required, to include the inpatient unit and hubs across Dorset.

Communications and Relationships

• Establish and maintain effective positive communication with each member of the area hub team. Respecting the contribution each member brings, ensure the team works collaboratively and compassionately.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across all areas and departments in order to support and enable cross‑department working and provision of best practice.
• Work in positive manner with colleagues and patients.
• Foster open honest culture within team and raise any concerns promptly.
• Empower patients and family members through education and support.

Personal and Professional Development

• Act in a manner to safeguard and promote the interests of individual patients.
• Practice safely according to all Weldmar Hospicecare policies, procedures and competencies ensuring no action or omission within the sphere of post holder responsibility is detrimental to the interests, condition or safety of the patient or their family.
• Continue own personal and professional development within palliative and end of life care and the provision of integrated services to patients and families.
• Proactively participate in opportunities for shared learning and personal and professional development.
• Have a champion role in area of interest and act as a resource liaising with IPU champion colleagues for shared learning.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

• Ability to work without direct supervision in a patient’s home.
• Demonstrable interpersonal skills, including listening and negotiating.
• Ability to contribute to service improvement and development projects with confidence in own contribution.
• Good verbal, non‑verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to use own initiative.
• Good organisational skills.
• Ability to work effectively within an internal and remote team.
• Ability to induct and mentor newer employees.
• Possess good IT skills i.e., ability to utilise a range of software including word, outlook and SystmOne. Confident in the use of IT/ Video technology for patients/ employee use.
• Flexible, positive and proactive approach to work.

Qualifications

• Developed knowledge of a range of patient care requirements within a specialist healthcare environment and ability to apply this within own work, including care plans.
• Understanding of the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of patients and their families/carers.
• Foundation degree in health and social care or level 5 NVQ/QCF diploma in care or equivalent qualification or Registered Nursing Associate qualification or willing to undertake.
• Level 3 QCF award in End of life care or willing to undertake.
• Willingness to undertake and attain competence in the required elements of the Weldmar Skills Profile and specified education and training programme for this role.
• Awareness of the protection of vulnerable adults legislation and local procedures.

Skills and Abilities (duplicate)

• Ability to work without direct supervision in a patient’s home.
• Demonstrable interpersonal skills, including listening and negotiating.
• Ability to contribute to service improvement and development projects with confidence in own contribution.
• Good verbal, non‑verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to use own initiative.
• Good organisational skills.
• Ability to work effectively within an internal and remote team.
• Ability to induct and mentor newer employees.
• Possess good IT skills i.e., ability to utilise a range of software including word, outlook and SystmOne. Confident in the use of IT/ Video technology for patients/ employee use.
• Flexible, positive and proactive approach to work.

Experience

• Experience of working in palliative care or a related specialist area.
• Experience of working collaboratively with professionals from other health and social care providers.
• Experience of working in a patient’s own home and / or community setting.

Experience (duplicate)

• Experience of working in palliative care or a related specialist area.
• Experience of working collaboratively with professionals from other health and social care providers.
• Experience of working in a patient’s own home and / or community setting.

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.

£27,485 to £30,162 a year Weldmar Clinical Salary Scale