Community Specialist Nurse

The Methodist Church in Britain; West Wick; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust invites applications for a senior paediatric palliative care nurse to provide clinical leadership and coordinate care for children with palliative needs across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

The role focuses on keeping children out of hospital where possible, supporting families through end of life and bereavement, and developing guidelines, pathways and staff education across community, hospital and hospice settings.

Qualifications

• Degree level or evidence of working at this level.
• MSc in palliative or end of life care, or relevant experience.
• Teaching or mentorship qualification.
• Evidence of training in the relevant speciality.
• Independent nurse prescriber or willingness to undertake training.

Responsibilities

• Support children with palliative needs and their families, including end of life and bereavement.
• Prevent inappropriate hospital admissions and enable care in the preferred place.
• Assess and develop care plans as children move between hospital and community.
• Coordinate local services to support families at home during palliation and bereavement.
• Develop and review advance care plans with children and families.
• Lead development of guidelines, protocols, pathways and policies for paediatric palliative and end of life care.
• Advise and educate staff across community nurses, paediatric teams, GPs, health visitors, social workers and school staff.
• Support professionals in end of life conversations, clinical decision making and symptom management.
• Be the point of contact following a child’s death and participate in child death review meetings.
• Contribute to service evaluation, research and audit.
• Support the transition of young people with palliative needs into adult services.
• Provide age appropriate, culturally sensitive written and verbal information for families.

Skills

Significant paediatric palliative care

Community and acute nursing

Advanced communication training

Understanding of EHCPs

Education

Degree level or equivalent

MSc in palliative or end of life care

Teaching or mentorship qualification

Evidence of relevant training

Independent nurse prescriber or willingness to undertake training

Job description

This senior community nursing post sits in the Kentown children’s palliative care team, working across Lancashire and South Cumbria for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. The post holder supports children with palliative needs and their families through end of life and bereavement, works to keep children out of hospital where possible and coordinates local services around each family’s needs. The role adds clinical leadership, staff education and liaison between community services, hospitals and hospices. Fit turns on children’s nurse registration and significant paediatric palliative experience.

What the job involves

• Support children with palliative needs and their families, including at end of life, at death and after bereavement
• Prevent inappropriate hospital admissions and enable children to be cared for in their preferred place
• Assess and develop care plans as children move between hospital and community, including clinic attendances
• Coordinate local services to support families at home during palliation and bereavement, signposting to a key worker
• Develop and review advance care plans with children, young people and families
• Lead development of guidelines, protocols, pathways and policies for children’s palliative and end of life care
• Advise and educate staff, including community nurses, paediatric teams, GPs, health visitors, social workers and school staff
• Support professionals in end of life and preferred place of care conversations, clinical decision making and symptom management
• Be the point of contact following a child’s death and take part in child death review meetings
• Contribute to service evaluation, research and audit
• Support the transition of young people with palliative needs into adult services
• Provide age appropriate, culturally sensitive written and verbal information for families

Qualifications

• Degree level or evidence of working at this level
• MSc in palliative or end of life care, or relevant experience
• Teaching or mentorship qualification
• Evidence of training in the relevant speciality
• Independent nurse prescriber or willingness to undertake training

Registration & licences

• NMC registration as a children’s nurse (RN Child)

Experience

• Significant experience in children’s palliative care
• Experience of advance care planning
• Experience of training, coaching and supervising colleagues

Skills & knowledge

• Significant knowledge of paediatric palliative care nursing, theory and practical skills
• Demonstrable understanding of both community and acute nursing
• Advanced communication training or willingness to undertake training
• Understanding of EHCPs

Nice to have

• ILM5 (coaching) or equivalent
• Experience working with key stakeholders for system-wide support
• Experience in a leadership position
• Participation in pathway development
• Awareness of child death review processes
• Knowledge of third sector support offered locally