Senior Staff Nurse

Rowans Hospice Charity; Waterlooville; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare charity in Waterlooville is seeking a Senior Staff Nurse for its Hospice at Home service. The role involves providing palliative care, triaging patients, and supervising staff. Ideal candidates should have excellent nursing skills, experience in a Palliative Care setting, and a good understanding of care programmes. This position contributes to compassionate end-of-life care in the community.

Qualifications

• Experience of supervising junior staff.
• Able to demonstrate a good insight into palliative care principles.
• A good understanding of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions.

Responsibilities

• Triage patients and carry out assessments of patients.
• Ensure that care programmes are implemented throughout the 24-hour period.
• Verify when a death has occurred and notify relatives as appropriate.

Skills

Excellent basic nursing care skills

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

Leadership insight and potential

Ability to facilitate individualised evidence-based care

Ability to prioritise workload

Education

RGN or RN Adult Branch

Two years experience within a Palliative Care setting

Tools

SystmOne database

Job description

The Senior Staff Nurse role will work with the Hospice at Home service, which are led by the Hospice at Home Manager who are responsible to the Clinical Director. The role is based at Rowans Hospice, Purbrook.

The post holder is responsible for contributing to and the implementing of programmes of care within a patients home.

The post holder is also expected to carry out all relevant forms of care without direct supervision and to supervise, where necessary, other qualified and unqualified staff within the primary nursing team.

For a further information and a full description please visit our website

Senior Staff Nurse - Hospice at Home - Rowans Hospice

Main duties of the job

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

To triage patients and carry out assessments of patients, develop programmes of care. Ensure that programmes are implemented throughout the 24-hour period within the patients home. Community setting demands continued risk mitigation by assessment

To maintain continuing personal contact with patients and their relatives and contribute with the evaluation of programmes of care. Whilst prioritising & allocating care according to patient care service demands

To carry out specific treatments and clinical procedures. To base clinical practice on current research-based evidence. Evaluating & implementing symptom management as appropriate

To assess the needs of patients and carers requiring intervention from other professionals/therapies within and outside the hospice and refer appropriately seeking support from senior staff as appropriate

Ongoing assessment of symptom control /care management

To verify when a death has occurred, notifying relatives and carers as appropriate following the procedures carried out within the community

To care for the deceased patient by administering last offices as appropriate and ensuring the safe and timely removal of the body from the home working within the procedures in place within the community

About us

Rowans Hospice is a charity that provides free care and support to adults and their families living in the Portsmouth and South East Hampshire region who have a life-limiting illness. Established in 1994, our income is generated by ongoing support of the local community, donations, legacies, fundraising and through our retail shops.

Many people think that hospices are all about dying, but through our many different services, we support people to live as well as they can with their illness. From the moment of diagnosis through to bereavement support. Our Living Well Services put an emphasis on living with a life-limiting illness and patients and carers can drop in and gain advice and support to maintain individuals resilience.

The Hospice is also supported by an assembly of volunteers, from various backgrounds and ages who are crucial in supporting the teams to ensure people live well to the end of their life and attain a good death within a caring and compassionate environment.

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to -

To triage/accept patients and carry out assessments of patients, develop programmes of care. Ensure that programmes are implemented throughout the 24-hour period within the patients home. Community setting demands continued risk mitigation by assessment

To maintain continuing personal contact with patients and their relatives and contribute with the evaluation of programmes of care. Whilst prioritising & allocating care according to patient care service demands

To carry out specific treatments and clinical procedures. To base clinical practice on current research-based evidence. Evaluating & implementing symptom management as appropriate

To assess the needs of patients and carers requiring intervention from other professionals/therapies within and outside the hospice and refer appropriately seeking support from senior staff as appropriate

Ongoing assessment of symptom control /care management

To verify when a death has occurred, notifying relatives and carers as appropriate following the procedures carried out within the community

To care for the deceased patient by administering last offices as appropriate and ensuring the safe and timely removal of the body from the home working within the procedures in place within the community

To report to the Hospice at Home Team Lead/Co-ordinator / Senior Hospice Nurse/ Hospice Doctor/ GP or D/N any relevant information on the condition of specific patients, their care or treatment

Out of hours to report to the on-call Hospice Doctor/OOH/DN any relevant information on the condition of specific patients, their care or treatment

Out of hours report to the on call Clinical Nurse Manager as appropriate any immediate concerns related to the operations of the hospice at home service

To report any feedback, concerns and complaints from patients, their relatives, or others acting on their behalf and assist in the investigation as appropriate

To administer drugs, and assist with their ordering and storage, in accordance with the NMC Standards for the Administration of Medicines. To recognise and report any errors or omissions in the administration of medications

To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct

To report to the Hospice at Home Team Lead/Co-ordinator/ Clinical Lead any matter affecting the smooth running of the hospice at home service

To ensure knowledge about patients is maintained in the strictest confidence, and is not divulged, except to professionals where it would materially assist with the programme of care or protection of the individual. See Staff Handbook Confidentiality & Data Protection Act.

In conjunction with Hospice at Home Team Leader report any complaints/safeguarding concerns from patients, their relatives, or others acting on their behalf to the Hospice at Home Team Leader or Clinical Director and assist with investigation of complaints as necessary knowing your boundaries and expectations within the process

To demonstrate a consistent level of courtesy and consideration to patients, their relatives and visitors respecting that you are working within the patients own home

To promote a high quality of nursing by adhering to set standards

To contribute to the ordering and storage of clinical stores required for hospice at home

To ensure that all nursing records are completed and updated at each shift change over shift in line with the policies within the community

Complete assessment of bereavement vulnerability and liaise where necessary with Psychology and Bereavement Team

To ensure that clinical stores utilised from the Inpatient Unit for community patients are used efficiently and economically

To ensure that Infection Control standards are maintained at all times, participating in audits and monitoring as required

To contribute to the development of HCSWs and student nurses by ensuring delivery of effective induction programmes and continuing development through appraisal and education

To attend lectures, formal meetings etc. to maintain professional update, adhere to aspects related to the Health and Safety at work act and promote the effective running of the service and participate in research.

Person Specification

Experience

• Experience of supervising junior staff
• Proven leadership/management experience
• Excellent basic nursing care skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Able to demonstrate a good insight into palliative care principles and philosophy
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of palliative care symptom knowledge including and not exhaustive of; pain, nausea and vomiting, terminal agitation, bowel obstruction
• Able to demonstrate an understating of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to support symptom management
• Ability to facilitate individualised evidence-based care
• Leadership insight and potential with the evidence of effective team co-ordination skills
• Ability to prioritise workload and be flexible to changing demands
• Ability to share knowledge with others to develop and influence practice
• Able to maintain active and contemporaneous records Well-developed coping strategies Personal grief resolved sufficiently to cope and perform within palliative care setting.

Qualifications

• RGN or RN Adult Branch
• On NMC Register parts 1 or 12 ENB 931/285/237/998 or equivalent or relevant area of study
• Two years experience within a Palliative Care setting
• Driving License Car Owner
• uDNACPR training
• Physical Assessment and History Taking
• Experience of using SystmOne database
• Regular safe moving/handling of patients and equipment, including beds, mattresses, chairs and as necessary as regular bending and stretching involved.

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.