Community Clinical Specialist

NHS; Romford; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A community palliative care service is seeking a Clinical Specialist to join their Hospice Community Team. This role requires senior-level experience and excellent communication skills to provide holistic care and support to patients and healthcare professionals. The position includes direct patient engagement, assessment responsibilities, and requirements for travel between locations. A supportive team environment and various professional development opportunities are offered.

Benefits

Educational opportunities

Free car parking

Reflective practice

Qualifications

• Significant senior post registration experience at a similar level in palliative care.
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a rota providing 24/7 service.
• Experience of undertaking audits and using findings in improving practice.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist holistic telephone assessment and support for healthcare professionals.
• Work within community services to respond to referrals and individuals.
• Administer subcutaneous injectable medication as prescribed when necessary.

Skills

Excellent communication

Assessment skills

Prioritisation skills

Advanced communication skills

Good IT skills

Education

RGN with significant post registration experience

Degree or equivalent level of experience

Oncology / Palliative Care Qualification

Job description

Anopportunity has arisen for a dynamic, enthusiastic, self-motivated, experiencedClinician, with good clinical palliative care knowledge base, to join ourwell-established Hospice Community Team as a Clinical Specialist. This postwill provide varied senior experience in a multidisciplinary workingenvironment delivering a 24/7 service to individuals, carers and other healthcare professionals across the community.

Main duties of the job

We are a progressive, creative team, with a strong ethos, working incollaboration with our external place-based partners, enabling and encouragingaccess to palliative and end of life care to any individual living acrossBrentwood, Havering, Barking & Dagenham over a 24hr 7 day service as well as out of hours telephone supportfor Redbridge.

There is no better time to join ourexperienced & skilled specialist palliative care service, providingexcellent, compassionate care to individuals and their loved ones across allresidential community settings.

A varying role including home, onsite or virtual face to face visitsand telephone contact assessments. Embracing diversity and always forwardthinking, with the ability to travel across boroughs listed above, having the use of own car is essential.

If you feelyou meet the criteria, want a job where you matter and contribute fullyto the team working: offering reflective practice, monthly supervision andannual appraisal, along with educational opportunities, free car parking, accessto Orange Cafe this might be the job for you.

Weare looking for a candidate who is working at a senior level,has excellent communication, assessment andprioritisation skills, understands the needs of those receiving palliativeand end of life care, a working knowledge of evidence -based practice and theability to develop a good knowledge base of current initiatives anddevelopments in palliative care.

About us

We are a dynamic, forward thinking organisation delivering a full range of specialist palliative care services for individuals & their loved ones with palliative or end of life care needs. We achieved Outstanding in our CQC inspection & have reconfigured our services to meet the changing needs of our local community. We support 5 Clinical Commissioning Groups & have a robust governance structure in place. We provide ward clinical services within a modern, personal & friendly 18-bedded unit, as well as Specialist Community Crisis Support Service, Hospice at Home Service & Specialist Day Therapy Service. We also have the hospice Pepperell Education Centre that has an excellent reputation for delivering high quality education programmes and study days.

All communication regarding your application including invitations to interviews will be sent to the email address you have stated on your application form, if you could also provide a contact telephone number as well.

Saint Francis Hospice is a charity based in theUK. We will require all successful candidates to be able to providedocumentary ID proof of their Right to Work in the UK. We are not aLicensed Sponsor, so are unable to provide sponsorship to support applicantsapplying from outside of the UK.

Please note that we are a charity & not part of an NHS Trust & we are situated in a quiet location in the village of Havering-atte-Bower, outskirts of Romford, therefore please consider our location when applying.

Job responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

CLINICAL EXPERTISE, LEADERSHIP AND TEAMWORKING

Work within community services to respond to referrals and individuals and carers the telephone and visiting caseloads within allocated geographical areas as the need dictates in line with community service standards, to offer skills of a clinical nurse specialist.

Provide specialist holistic telephone assessment and support ongoing for healthcare professionals, in line individuals, carers and loved ones with service standards.

To work within an allocated Clinical Nurse Specialist role daily to ensure smooth service provision and allow for flexibility of service demand

Provide face-to-face holistic assessment and monitoring either at home, hospice onsite session or within a specialist outreach environment.

Responsible for initial contact to all new referrals and re-referrals to community services to:

initiate holistic telephone assessment and complete all relevant documentation

liaise appropriately with primary health care team to resolve concerns identified

provide individuals with contact details of the service

Provide expertise in complex symptom control and advise any health care professionals associated with palliative care, helping them to evaluate the effects of prescribed interventions and recognise and appropriately manage palliative care emergencies.

Offer skilled psycho/social support for individuals with palliative care or end of life needs as well as loved ones, providing them with appropriate information about their condition, its management and the services available to support them both pre and post bereavement.

Liaise with other hospice services regarding their waiting list and any other matters.

Take responsibility for assessment and clinical judgement of those persons at home known to the service, referred for admission to the hospice ward.

Administer subcutaneous injectable medication as prescribed, in the persons place of residence as authorised in the event of an urgent need, being competent to do so; and following assessment and clinical judgement and with appropriate equipment.

Provide ongoing telephone support to individuals under hospice care/ loved ones/carers whilst the person is waiting to be seen by other hospice services.

Gather, document and co-ordinate information from other professionals and the specialist care teams relating to individuals referred to community services

Promote and facilitate communication within the multi-disciplinary team and in all other settings utilising advanced communication skills.

Lead on a specialist area of non-malignant interest and participate in any related meetings, audits and network opportunities using allocated sessions as part of the Saint Francis Hospice Widening Access programme.

Participate in weekly multidisciplinary meetings internally and as allocated at external acute hospital MDT and ensure that the palliative care service has a high profile with other disciplines and professionals

Responsibility for attendance and contribution at monthly team meeting when on duty.

Embrace the importance of multi-professional team working and the ability to champion it within the organisation.

Be aware of behaviours and interpersonal skills that are vital to effective team working and always practicing them with ongoing commitment to service and organisation values.

Possess a proactive and supportive leadership style that encourages team participation in decision-making processes.

Be able to show a high level of empathy, understanding and appreciation of others with ability to respect different values and beliefs. To be mindful of the wellbeing of self and others. To be able to work effectively across teams, with a positive can -do approach

Accurately, document and report incidents relating to GDPR, medications, accidents or other event, ensuring learning opportunities explored and prevent reoccurrences.

Maintain accurate, up to date documentation in accordance with Saint Francis Hospice policies and within guidelines laid down by your professional body e.g NMC

Input, record and maintain all form of records (written and electronic), data and statistics onto icare and any other data collection systems in place in accordance with hospice policies

Participate and maintain service standards, and prepare written reports regarding services provided, as requested

Contribute to the audit, monitoring and development of the community services

Have a flexible approach to supporting the community services with face to face home assessments & regular on-calls as per rota

Participate in the community team on-call rota as allocated- this will include overnight (5pm-9am), (NB: calls are triaged by the hospice ward 23.00-07.00am,) and all weekend/Bank Holiday cover 7 days a week for all persons known to Saint Francis Hospice services and external professionals .

The Clinical Nurse Specialist will:

• Use the provided mobile phone and respond to calls urgently, as safe to do so.
• Be responsible for the laptop, equipment bag when used and any additional items.
• Be responsible and manage own personal safety as laid down in the Lone Working Policy.
• Ensure working from home, environment appropriate for telephone calls and use of laptop.
• Ensuring confidentiality with remote access working.
• Take responsibility to discuss any exceptional demand on call that occurs with Community Team Lead to ensure support post event.

EDUCATION AND QUALITY

Participate in the development and delivery of an education strategy for nursing and other disciplines relating to all aspects of palliative care in both formal and informal settings.

Attend mandatory training as specified by the hospice

Responsible for development and delivery of individual educational sessions within organisational teaching programme and responsive to external requests as appropriate

Take responsibility for own professional development, in accordance with appraisal and performance review.

Attend study courses in agreement with line manager and maintain current registration of the required qualifications for the post with professional body e.g NMC. Ensure practice in the field of palliative care remains evidence based and ensure up to date.

dissemination of relevant findings.

Be involved and support the Gold Standard Framework Training Programme with GPs, in Care Homes and in any other settings as appropriate and availability allows.

Review, initiate and participate in research programmes as appropriate using the findings to enhance clinical standards, clinical effectiveness and outcomes.

Ensure that post registration-training meets the requirements necessary to be considered a clinical specialist within the field of palliative care as a clinician.

Commitment to educational opportunities provided, ensuring development use of clinical diagnostics and nurse prescribing skills during face-to-face assessments either onsite or in persons home in accordance with organisational guidelines.

Generate and utilise appropriate learning opportunities, applying own learning to future development of practice-attendance at organisational or external updates.

Articulate and reflect palliative care skills, enabling others to learn and be responsible for acting as a resource and sharing of knowledge to help others develop increased skills across the organisation.

Be responsible in the role of mentor for new and more junior staff within the team and organisation.

Implement and evaluate planned teaching programmes.

MANAGEMENT

Be responsible for and manage service (individual & corporate combined) case-load, whilst ensuring that the palliative care service remains responsive to crisis support, all new referrals and those seeking advice.

Establish and maintain effective lines of communication with hospital, multi services in the community and other organisations to ensure continuity of care.

Initiate and develop policies, protocols, standards and relevant care pathways within the team and ensure that there is a systematic programme of audit in place, planned and reviewed annually.

Participate in forums for discussion on research and audit programmes, and in clinical governance initiatives e.g. clinical review

Undertake and lead audits relevant to the service and ensure that audit results presented at local and national forums as appropriate to influence practice and demonstrate strong effective clinical leadership as change agents.

Embrace new concepts and ways of working, generating improvement for team and individuals/loved one's experience.

Participate & engage in group clinical supervision/reflective practice and self-evaluation and use this to improve care and practice.

Maintain yearly appraisals and monthly supervision with line manager

Support to Team Lead with learning opportunities for cross cover of operational internal/ external meetings as appropriate. Responsible for

management and organisation of own workload and prioritisation of work within core hours on duty as part of organisational service provision.

Person Specification

Other Requirements

• Should have the ability to travel efficiently and effectively to a persons home address across various locations within the hospice community catchment area.
• Able to work flexibly as part of a rota providing 24/7 service.

Demonstrating the Hospice Values

• Compassionate we are a caring team, kind to each other and put the needs of individuals and their loved ones at the heart of what we do.
• Collaborative we value working in partnership across our communities and are proactive about nurturing relationships with our stakeholders.
• Creative we are forward-thinking, adaptable in our changing world and embrace change and innovative ways of working.

Qualifications

• RGN with significant post registration experience .
• Degree or equivalent level of experience.
• Significant senior post registration experience at a similar level in palliative care or another associated speciality.
• Non-Medical prescriber or willing /working towards .
• Oncology /Palliative Care Qualification ENB 237/285 or equivalent.
• Teaching Qualification or equivalent level of experience.
• Counselling qualification/experience.

Leadership Skills

• Ability to lead with honesty, integrity and care. Be able to develop, empower and delegate effectively to achieve change and generate a positive, inclusive workplace. Be accountable for actions and bring creativity and innovation to inspire and motivate others. Be active in the creation and delivery of the Hospice strategy for the benefit of individuals and their loved ones, staff and our local community.

Skills, Abilities, Knowledge

• Excellent symptom control knowledg.
• Knowledge of current issues in palliative care.
• Evidence of recent and ongoing professional development in palliative care .
• Ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team both within hospice MDT, primary health care services and hospital trust teams.
• Motivated and enthusiastic with ability to be flexible, innovative and keen for ongoing service development.
• Ability to flourish in during organisational and service development.
• Advanced communication skills and evidence of collaborative working.
• Ability to manage own work and work within a corporate caseload.
• Good IT skills and knowledge of electronic healthcare systems.
• Flexible approach to team working and an awareness of effective team dynamic.
• Good personal support mechanisms.
• Experience of undertaking audits and use in improving practice.
• Ability to work efficiently and effectively under challenging conditions.
• Community based experience.

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.