Specialist Palliative Care Nurse

LOROS Hospice; Leicester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A local charity for terminally ill patients in Leicester seeks a highly motivated nurse to join their Community Specialist Palliative Care team. The role involves coordinating assessments, providing training, and delivering specialized care for patients with life-limiting illnesses. Applicants must have a relevant degree, significant experience in palliative care, and strong interpersonal skills. Opportunities for personal development and service involvement are included, making it a fulfilling position in a supportive environment.

Qualifications

• Evidence of continuing professional development in last 12 months.
• Significant post-registration experience in palliative/cancer setting.
• Experience in symptom management including medication administration.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate comprehensive assessment of palliative care needs.
• Provide training and education in palliative care.
• Ensure accurate record-keeping in accordance with policies.

Skills

Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills

Planning and organisational skills

Leadership potential

Ability to work independently

Experience of using electronic patient records

IT literacy

Education

Degree or equivalent

Diploma in Palliative or Cancer care

Teaching qualification

Advanced communication skills training

Advanced care planning training

Job description

We are looking to appoint a dynamic experienced and highly motivated nurse to join our Community Specialist Palliative Care team. This is part of an Integrated Community Specialist Palliative Care Service - ICSPC across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland based in Leicester and East Leicestershire.

The team participate in training programmes for other professionals and there will be opportunities for self-development, involvement in service development and clinical audit.

As well as seeing patients in their own homes or clinic spaces this post holder will support a Specialist Palliative Care Co-ordination Centre and provide specialist planned and urgent care to patients with cancer and other life limiting illnesses.

You will need to have as a minimum:

• Level 1 Nurse
• Degree or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing professional development in last 12 months
• Proven skills and experience
• Proven palliative/cancer care and symptom management experience
• Current Driver's licence and access to a car/transport

In addition, you will need to have well-developed interpersonal skills. A non-medical prescribing qualification is highly desirable as is a diploma or degree in palliative and/or community experience.

Main duties of the job

To work, as part of a multi‑professional team and autonomously as a specialist palliative care nurse within a locality to manage patients with complex health needs and support families and carers in the community.

To provide training and education both formally and informally for the development of professionals and communities involved in the provision of palliative and end of life care.

To demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours in everything you do in the work environment.

To be responsible in the use and expenditure of LOROSs resources.

About us

LOROS Hospice is a local charity and every year we care for over 2,500 people across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. We deliver free, high‑quality, compassionate care and support to terminally ill patients, their family and carers.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

1. Co‑ordinate timely and comprehensive assessment of specialist palliative and end of life care needs for the patient and the supportive needs of their loved ones.
2. Plan, implement and evaluate in collaboration with the patient, their loved ones and indicated health and social care professionals, the specialist care of the patient in the community setting.
3. Provide appropriate symptom management, psychological and spiritual support for patients complex palliative and end of life care needs to promote physical and emotional wellbeing.
4. Act as an advocate for the patient and their loved ones, providing essential specialist knowledge and advice, appropriate information regarding specialist palliative and end of life care.
5. Recognise a deteriorating patient and those where symptoms are not controlled based on the understanding of the disease process, including current evidence and practice standards and respond appropriately to urgent and emergency situations.
6. Provide specialist palliative care rapid response intervention to support patients and carers, across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland as required.
7. Be confident in facilitating patients discharge home from hospital when their wish is to be at home.
8. Work on a rotational basis providing triage and co‑ordination within the co‑ordination centre, providing telephone advice service to patients, their loved ones and professionals as appropriate.
9. Ensure legible, contemporaneous and accurate records in accordance with organisational policy and legal requirements.
10. Develop and maintain effective communication with patients, their loved ones and a range of statutory and voluntary care professionals on complex palliative and end of care issues whilst meeting the integrated care needs of the patient in complex situations.
11. Participate in individual caseload review regularly with line manager to ensure caseload size and complexity is appropriate.
12. Contribute as appropriate to daily MDT discussions and integrated locality neighbourhood board rounds.
13. Comply with the NMC Code of Professional Practice, legislation for Health and Safety at Work and Clinical Governance. Adhering to all organisational policies and procedures to ensure quality and standard of clinical skill and practice.

Continuing Education, Professional and Personal Development

• Promote the use of end of life care tools and best practice guidance including advance care planning (ACP) and preferred place of care (PPC).
• Act as a resource for the primary health care team, other specialist teams statutory organisations and voluntary organisations on issues relating to specialist palliative and end of life care.
• Actively engage with GPs to maximise the benefits of GSF meetings/principles.
• Contribute to the development of relevant policies and clinical guidelines.

Clinical Governance, Reduction of Risk, Audit and Research

1. Encourage research based practice and disseminate research findings in relation to specialist palliative and end of life care.
2. Participate in any multi‑professional audit, which evaluates the effectiveness of the care, provided by the ICSPCS.
3. Participate in research projects relating to specialist palliative and end of life care.
4. Collect and submit any required statistics and activity data to assist service development.
5. Collaborate with the wider multi‑professional team to implement nationally agreed standards and audit tools to measure clinical effectiveness.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing professional development in last 12 months
• Degree/Diploma in Palliative or Cancer care
• Teaching qualification
• Advanced communication skills training
• Advanced care planning training

Skills / Abilities

• Well‑developed communication and interpersonal skills.
• Leadership potential and ability to work effectively with others
• Planning and organisational skills
• Able to make judgements based on evidence based practice and translate this for use in the clinical environment
• Demonstrates initiative and ability to work independently, problem solve and prioritise own work
• IT literate
• Clinical role model and able to support learners
• Experience of using electronic patient records
• Involvement in Audit and Change Management

Experience

• Significant post‑ registration/proven experience in palliative/cancer setting
• Experience in symptom management including the administration of medications via a syringe driver or by subcutaneous injection
• Experience in teaching and assessing
• Community experience
• Experience of patient and public involvement in service delivery

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.