Team Lead, Clinical Nurse Specialist

NHS; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job description

Job Summary

The post holder will be responsible for providing clinical leadership and management for a team of clinical nurse specialists within the community setting.

To lead and foster a culture which is open to change, new ideas, concepts, and innovation, whilst influencing the Charity’s strategy and operational plan.

To be responsible for planning, developing and coordinating the work of the Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists in conjunction with the Matron of Clinical Services.

To be responsible for improving the patient experience and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care can flourish and be measured.

Main Duties of the Job

Clinical Responsibilities:

1. To be a strong clinical leader and proactive role model with presence within the community setting integrating with the multi-disciplinary team, maintaining an overview of patient care, acting as a resource, and offering guidance and support.
2. Monitor the effectiveness of clinical care provided to patients and their families in the community team by reviewing the dashboard data, undertaking quality checks, and ensuring that agreed working practices are followed and that clinical services are delivered appropriately.
3. Ensure the effective chairing of the weekly multi-disciplinary meetings to provide expert opinion on patient and clinical care issues.
4. Ensure patient referrals are triaged in a timely way.
5. Adopting a patient-centered approach, ensure holistic assessments are undertaken, assessments are recorded, and any appropriate actions taken.
6. Always ensure the maintenance of professional contemporaneous records, documenting all actions and interventions in a clear, honest, and timely manner.
7. To maintain and promote effective and efficient communication with everyone involved in the patient’s care, to ensure appropriate sharing of information.
8. Ensure the team monitors patient progress by completing the OACC (Outcome Assessment and Complexity Collaborative) suite of tools, and where appropriate work towards a safe and timely discharge plan.
9. To hold a caseload of no more than five patients at a time.
10. To maintain a level of clinical competence which enables the post holder to actively participate in discussions relating to care of patients and families as well as support the continued professional development of the team.
11. To develop strong links with local care providers, so that the hospice community team continues to be regarded as an integral part of the local health and social care economy.
12. To represent the hospice, patients, and colleagues at meetings as required. Undertake and receive clinical supervision.

Managerial Responsibilities:

1. To be an effective, and approachable team leader and manager.
2. To work in a managerial position (office-based) 80% (3 days of the week) and clinically 20% (2 days a week).
3. Work across all shift patterns as needed to ensure high visibility, effective leadership, and management of the nursing team.
4. To develop and maintain effective communication systems within the Clinical Nurse Specialists and externally to ensure they are briefed in matters relating to clinical practice and service developments, education, training, statutory requirements, national and local policies, and initiatives.
5. To work with the administrator to plan the rota for the clinical nurse specialists, ensuring that the rota meets the needs of the service.
6. Manage and authorise annual leave allocations.
7. In conjunction with colleagues, manage requests to change working hours/patterns to ensure the needs of the service are met.
8. Respond to unexpected events in a timely way adjusting and re-prioritising work among the team to ensure smooth running of the service.
9. In conjunction with senior colleagues, actively participate in change initiatives, demonstrating awareness of the implications and acting as an effective change agent.
10. Actively establish and develop relationships with both internal and external agencies and organizations as part of a wider system of promoting Arthur Rank Hospice Charity.
11. Working closely with the Consultant to create the agenda and chair monthly team meetings to ensure dissemination of information and a two-way forum for communication and feedback.
12. To conduct annual appraisals and regular 1:1’s for the nursing members of the community team and the community team administrators.
13. To monitor and manage staff sickness and poor performance, and complete return to work documentation.
14. To authorise expense forms for the team.
15. To participate in recruitment, grievance, and disciplinary proceedings as necessary.
16. To participate in investigations of complaints and implementation of any outcomes.
17. Ensure all team members are fully compliant with all aspects of statutory and mandatory training.
18. Take responsibility for the training, orientation, induction, and probationary evaluation of all newly appointed colleagues within your team.
19. Take responsibility for your own professional development, including keeping up to date with relevant clinical, professional and management issues at local and national level.
20. Ensure that you are fully compliant with the requirements of professional revalidation.
21. Allocating visitors/learners to team members to optimize learning opportunities.
22. Ensuring the team delivers designated education days, allocating and supporting team members to present teaching sessions.
23. To monitor the Clinical Nurse Specialists team’s workloads and capacity, in conjunction with the Matron for Clinical Services and Consultant, address immediate and longer term challenges relating to workload and capacity.

Finance / Resource Management:

1. Manage the community team resources efficiently and effectively.
2. Participate in constructing, managing and controlling of delegated financial budget for the community team.
3. Ensure that equipment used by the community team is maintained in a safe and serviceable condition and that faults are reported promptly.

About Us

Founded in 1981, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity supports people living in Cambridgeshire with an advanced serious illness or a life-limiting condition and those in need of end-of-life care. We care for more than 4,000 patients each year at our Hospice in Cambridgeshire, the Alan Hudson Centre in Wisbech and in patients’ own homes via the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity Community Team.

The Community Specialist Palliative Care Home Team (SPCHT) is a team of Clinical Nurse Specialists working with medical practitioners and other health care colleagues in the hospice. The team supports patients with life-limiting conditions and who require end-of-life care. The service is commissioned to provide care for patients and their loved ones who are registered with a GP practice in Cambridge City, South Cambridgeshire and East Cambridgeshire, who have a level of complexity that needs additional support and expertise. The SPCHT works with other partners, such as GPs and District Nurses, across the ICS to provide advice and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses.

Person Specification:

Knowledge & Qualifications

Essential:

• Registered General Nurse
• Post-registration qualification in cancer/palliative care or long term conditions
• Demonstrated Leadership experience including managing a team

Desirable:

• Post graduate qualification or equivalent experience
• Teaching qualification
• Advanced Communication Skills Training
• Independent prescribing
• Advanced Clinical Assessment Skills Masters Degree
• Leadership qualification

Experience

Essential:

• Relevant post registration experience
• Operational experience in delivery of specialist palliative care
• Experience of multi-disciplinary working
• Ability to lead and influence change
• Experience of audit and research

Desirable:

• Experience in a range of settings (hospital and community)
• Experience of successful team leadership as a senior post holder
• Coaching skills

Skills & Abilities

Essential:

• Specialist up-to-date knowledge of palliative care
• Committed to the development of palliative care skills in others
• Knowledge of clinical governance and its application in the context of this post
• Understanding current legislation and its implication for its role, including performance indicators and targets
• Ability to motivate self and others
• Ability to work unsupervised (lone worker), manage caseloads and make decisions relating to care planning
• Able to resolve professional and ethical issues
• Ability to prioritise issues and tasks
• Committed to working in partnership with patients, their relatives and carers to other organisations and agencies
• Ability to effectively delegate tasks to appropriately trained staff
• Understanding and commitment to multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to translate best practice evidence into local policy
• Teaching/assessment and presentation skills
• IT literate
• Organisation and negotiation skills
• Exemplary written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to chair meetings

Desirable:

• SystmOne experience

Personal Qualities / Attributes

Essential:

• Demonstrating positive leadership skills
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Highly developed analytical and judgmental skills to deal with complex cases
• Able to demonstrate tact and empathy. Calm and objective
• Confident, self-motivated, and energetic. Assertive and approachable
• Recognition of own limitations
• Able to reflect and critically appraise own performance. Commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and understanding of how this applies to own area of work
• Commitment to the aims and charitable objectives of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
• Committed to own continuing vocational/professional learning and development

Desirable:

• N/A

Other

Essential:

• DBS enhanced check
• Access to car and to be prepared to travel

Desirable:

• N/A

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).

Employer Details

Employer Name: Arthur Rank Hospice Charity

Address: Cherry Hinton Road, Shelford Bottom, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB22 3FB

Employer's Website: https://www.arhc.org.uk/