Senior Night Nurse

The Myton Hospices; Coventry; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS pension

28 days annual leave + bank holidays

Electric car scheme

24/7 GP access

Cycle to work scheme

Job summary

The Myton Hospices is seeking an experienced Senior Night Nurse to provide clinical leadership and operational support across our two Inpatient Units during night shifts. You will be the point of contact for colleagues, coordinating resources and ensuring high standards of care across Coventry and Warwick.

We welcome Registered Nurses with NMC registration, strong assessment skills and leadership experience.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current NMC registration.
• Post-registration experience in palliative care or similar.
• Strong clinical assessment and decision-making skills.
• Leadership and team coordination experience.
• Right to work in the UK (no sponsorship).
• Enhanced DBS check required.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate night shift across two inpatient units.
• Provide clinical leadership and support to staff.
• Identify risks to staffing and patient safety.
• Promote safe, person-centred care at night.
• Support learning for students and junior staff.

Skills

NMC registration

Clinical leadership

Staff coordination

Night nursing

Communication skills

Education

RN (Adult) degree or diploma

Job description

Job summary

Help us make a difference to people with life-limiting illnesses …

At The Myton Hospices, we provide specialist care and support for people with life-limiting illnesses, and their loved ones, from the point of diagnosis to end of life. We are the only provider of specialist palliative care beds in Coventry and Warwickshire. We are a much-loved and well supported charity, at the heart of our community, with three hospices, a range of community services, & 26 charity shops across the region.

We are looking for an experienced Registered Nurse to provide clinical leadership and operational support across our specialist palliative care Inpatient Units during night shifts.

As a Senior Night Nurse, you will be an accessible point of contact for colleagues, ensuring high standards of care, assisting with management of complex clinical situations, and co‑ordinating resources across both units.

Various positions are available (hours to be agreed with successful candidates). You will be required to work at both of our hospices (Coventry and Warwick).

Main duties of the job

• Coordinate assessment, planning and evaluation of patient‑centred care
• Provide leadership, advice, guidance, and hands‑on support to colleagues
• Identify and elevate risks relating to staffing, patient safety or service delivery
• Promote safe, effective, and person‑centred care throughout the night
• Ensure an evidence‑based approach is promoted within the multidisciplinary team

About you

We would love to hear from Registered Nurses with:

• Valid NMC registration as a Nurse
• Post‑registration nursing experience in specialist palliative care, inpatient or acute settings
• Strong clinical assessment and decision‑making skills
• Experience of leadership and team coordination
• Communication and interpersonal skills
• The right to work in the UK (we cannot provide sponsorship)

An enhanced DBS check, including the adults barred list, will be required, because you will be providing healthcare to adults. We will cover the cost of this check, if you are offered the role.

About us

We offer a wide range of employee benefits, including:

• NHS pension
• 28 days annual leave + bank holidays, increasing with long service
• Additional leave purchasing
• Electric car scheme
• 24/7 GP access
• Blue Light Card, Charity Worker Discounts & Tickets for Good
• Colleague Support Service (EAP)
• Free on‑site parking & discounted EV charging
• Employee wellbeing programme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free menstrual products
• Winter savings scheme

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage everyone to bring their true selves to work. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Myton, we encourage you to share this with us.

We particularly welcome applications from people with disabilities and from ethnic minorities, who are currently under‑represented in our hospices. We also believe our interview process should be inclusive and transparent. If there is anything missing, or a way we can improve, please do let us know.

We will share interview questions in advance, if you are offered an interview, to help reduce nerves and enable you to truly show your best abilities. You are also welcome to bring notes to your interview, if you would find this helpful.

Job responsibilities

Summary of the role

• Working across both Inpatient Units, with a main base in Coventry, deploying at short notice to the Warwick inpatient unit, where staffing shortages and/or increase in patient acuity may arise. As an unassigned nurse (float), coordinate clinical activity across both inpatient units, providing expert support, advice and guidance to staff, and attending either unit as required to ensure safe, effective and responsive care delivery at night.
• To coordinate the assessment, planning and evaluation of individualised patient centred care. Facilitating a holistic approach; that is sensitive and responsive to the ever‑changing needs of both patients and their carer. Providing clinical leadership in the absence of the Inpatient Unit Manager/Deputy ensuring an evidence‑based approach is promoted at all times within a multidisciplinary team framework.
• Practice an approach that facilitates and fosters learning for students, junior staff and those on placement to Myton. Sharing expertise appropriately and supporting each learner to achieve their learning needs.

Myton Core Values

Our Core Values underpin everything we do and all employees are expected to comply with our Values and reflect these in their day‑to‑day work.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership and Management

• Be clinically based on the inpatient unit with the highest level of patient acuity, complexity, dependency needs, or staffing pressures, ensuring visible clinical leadership and hands on support where it is most needed.
• Provide leadership, advice, guidance and hands‑on clinical support to nursing and care staff working across both inpatient units during night shifts.
• Act as the primary point of contact for night staff requiring clinical, professional or operational support, promoting effective decision‑making and problem‑solving.
• Support the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of complex patient care, providing expert guidance in challenging clinical situations as they arise.
• Coordinate and manage out‑of‑hours clinical and operational escalations, liaising appropriately with the Senior Nurse and Doctor On‑Call to ensure timely and effective responses.
• Promote and uphold safe, effective, evidence‑based and person‑centred care throughout the night.
• Facilitate effective communication and collaboration across both inpatient units, attending either unit as required to provide support, advice and clinical leadership.
• Support staff wellbeing, development and confidence by acting as a role‑model, mentor and resource for colleagues working overnight.
• Supporting patient flow, where appropriate, for example, emergency admissions/out of hours admission coordination, support teams to complete relevant discharge paperwork in order to support timely discharges.
• Monitoring and responding to deteriorating patients in line with their ceiling of care.
• Identifying and escalating risks relating to staffing, patient safety or service delivery.
• Supporting learning, development and reflective practice amongst night staff.
• Recognise patients, families and carers as partners in the care team. Promoting a person centred approach and working collaboratively with all members of the wider multi‑disciplinary team.
• Promote a multi‑disciplinary approach to care delivery which may include participating in MDT meetings, proactively preparing and presenting clinical information at handover, MDTs, case reviews etc.
• Participate in group reflective practice to support the professional and personal wellbeing and development of the team.
• Participate in the process of recruitment, induction and retention of staff and volunteers.
• Provide emotional / spiritual support to patients and families throughout the disease and dying trajectory, providing, and receiving highly complex, sensitive or contentious information.
• Take responsibility for the Ward on a shift basis including the supervision of junior staff and students.
• Support the Unit Manager and Deputy in supporting the volunteers on the Ward ensuring effective communication is established and maintained.
• Work collaboratively with nursing and care teams and have a proactive approach in facilitating discharge and ensure that standards of discharge are implemented and maintained in liaison with the discharge co‑ordinator.

Quality, Safety and Governance

• Uphold and ensure compliance with the organisation's policies and procedures; ensuring all volunteers are clear in relation to their roles and responsibilities for Health and Safety, Infection prevention and control, Safeguarding Adults & Children, Data protection and other relevant policies.
• Utilise a range of communication skills to instruct, inform and negotiate in order to achieve active patient participation in their treatment programme; respecting their dignity, wishes and beliefs throughout all interventions.
• Take an active role in risk assessment, supporting implementation of strategies to minimise risk. Ensuring incidents and clinical adverse events and near misses are reported and assist in the investigation at clinical level through promotion of a no blame culture.
• Provide out of hours telephone support and advice for patients, relatives and external healthcare professionals regarding symptom control and psychological care and advice when required within sphere of responsibility and contact on‑call Medical Consultant as appropriate.
• Verify death of patients, perform last offices, provide bereavement support for families and transfer deceased patients to the mortuary whilst ensuring the philosophy of the hospice is respected and maintained.
• Participate in clinical audit as required by the organisational requirements and the Clinical Governance agenda.
• Work in partnership with colleagues internally and externally to ensure that all information pertaining to the patients condition and care needs are communicated effectively and efficiently.
• Ensure that documentation is completed accurately and legibly in accordance with the organisation's information governance guidance and confidentiality is maintained using Caldecott Guidelines.
• Support a culture where the reporting of concerns, incidents and complaints are encouraged and documented promptly.

Training and Education

• Support and participate in informal and formal programmes of education as required.
• Be responsible for own continued professional development, maintaining up to date evidence‑based knowledge including an awareness of the national and local influences affecting palliative and end of life care.
• Ensure own compliance with mandatory training and professional development requirements, maintaining records of training and development undertaken for self in preparation for NMC revalidation.

General Responsibilities & Obligations of all Employees

• Policies and Procedures: The post holder is required to have a good understanding of, and to comply with, all relevant Myton policies, procedures and guidelines. Any contravention of Myton policies or procedures may result in disciplinary action.
• Volunteers: Myton recognises the valuable contribution that volunteers make and we expect all employees to be able to support and work effectively with our volunteers.
• Confidentiality and Data protection: It is a requirement of employment with Myton that all staff must comply with the obligation of confidentiality relating to personal information that could identify individuals. The Data Protection Act 1974/1998 safeguards the handling of information held in both electronic and manual filing systems and it is the duty of all staff employed by Myton to uphold the principles of the Act, adhere to Myton policies and to maintain strict confidentiality at all times.
• Infection Control: All employees of Myton must be aware of infection prevention and control policies and are expected to follow them at all times. Any breach of infection control policies which places patients, visitors or colleagues at risk may result in disciplinary action.
• Equality & Diversity: The post-holder must at all times carry out his/her responsibilities in line with Mytons Equality & Diversity Policy.
• Health & Safety: Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed upon them under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors & colleagues. The post holder is required to conform with Mytons policies on Health & Safety and Fire Prevention, & to attend related training as required.
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults and Children: Its the duty of all staff working for Myton to safeguard children and vulnerable adults and undertake safeguarding training at an appropriate level.
• Code of Conduct: Employees are required to represent Myton in a positive light and embody the corporate identity in appearance, demeanour, values and ethics.
• Review of Job Description: This job description is an outline of the key duties and responsibilities of the role and is not intended as an exhaustive list. The job description may change over time to reflect the changing needs of the service. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties that could reasonably be considered commensurate with the post. This job description is subject to periodic review and may be changed/updated following consultation with the postholder(s).

Person Specification

Other

Essential

• Flexible working hours
• Commitment to the Myton values
• Ability to work alone and as a member of a team
• Good IT skills
• Occupational Health Clearance
• Ability to travel between sites
• The right to work in the UK (we cannot provide sponsorship)

Accountability for Staff & Volunteers

Essential

• Experience of appraising and supporting junior staff members

Desirable

• Experience of working with volunteers

Skills and Attributes

Essential

• Demonstrates ability to place patient and family at centre of care
• Excellent personal and communication skills
• Teaching and assessing skills
• Excellent organisational ability
• Motivated and enthusiastic
• Creative, resourceful and imaginative
• Excellent role model
• Familiarity of systems for quality, clinical governance and clinical audit

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (Adult) degree or diploma level
• Current NMC registration
• Evidence of continual professional development and education

Desirable

• Specialist Qualification in Palliative Care
• Relevant specialist course, e.g. Palliative care / advanced communications.

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience
• Experience of needs assessment / care planning
• Experience of Multi-disciplinary Team working
• Caring for patients at the end of life
• Experience of caring for patients and families with life limiting / life threatening conditions
• Good knowledge of assessment and symptom management

Desirable

• Experience caring for patients with complex health needs
• Experience working in palliative care 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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace and encourage everyone to bring their true selves to work. However you identify, and whatever background you bring with you, we welcome you to apply. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Myton, we encourage you to share this with us.