Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist Band 7

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 7 CNS to work within our highly skilled, motivated and dynamic team. We aim to make a difference and improve the experience of palliative care patients at various stages of their disease trajectory.

The post will be based within the existing inpatient Palliative Care Team. We offer 7 day face to face support to ensure that people with specialist palliative care needs, will receive the best quality care. The team currently consists of 4 palliative consultants' equivalent to 2.5 WTE, 1 Band 8a Lead Nurse, 4 WTE Band 7 CNS, 1 WTE band 6 Associate CNS, 1 WTE Band 7 Palliative Care Discharge Coordinator.

The Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is a specialist clinician with extensive experience and knowledge of caring for patients with advanced life threatening illness. The CNS contributes to the provision of the palliative care service in the acute setting as part of the MDT, working collaboratively with colleagues, patients, carers, other health and social care professionals, statutory, voluntary and independent organisations to ensure optimum patient management.

Main duties of the job

• manage a caseload autonomously and provide expert advice and support to patients with life limiting illness and potentially facing end of life care issues, and support them and their families, using advanced clinical judgement and knowledge in palliative care.
• participate in providing a 7-day face-to-face service.
• contribute to the weekly Hospital Palliative Care MDT meeting.
• design and deliver specialist palliative care education, as well as end of life care to colleagues and other health and social care professionals.
• take part in regular palliative care team audits and review of clinical practice, to develop research skills and contribute to the development of multi-disciplinary research within palliative care.
• act as a resource, educator and advocate for patients, their carers and healthcare professionals.
• work within statutory legislation and local policies and procedures in relation to palliative care and end of life care.

Job responsibilities

1. Acts as a resource of clinical excellence in the speciality of palliative care nursing, and ensure that national and local policies are implemented and followed.
2. Assess, plan, implement and evaluate holistic patient care based on sound rationale and evidence-based practice to influence and implement treatment.
3. Work autonomously demonstrating ability to manage clinical caseload ensuring it reflects the core components of the Clinical Nurse Specialist role.
4. Using advanced communication skills, advise and empower other professionals who are directly involved in the delivery of palliative care.
5. Participate in the triage processes and standards of response to new referrals and taking part in the daily allocations.
6. Maintain and be responsible for electronic and written records in line with the organisational guidelines.
7. Offer skilled emotional and psycho-social support and refer on to other members of the multidisciplinary team as appropriate.
8. Participate in the weekend face to face on call rota and work within a flexible approach that is responsive to patient/client need.
9. Ensure symptoms are optimally managed and anticipatory prescribing needs are identified to provide for imminent changes in condition.
10. Offer bereavement support to patient and families, identifying those at risk of complicated bereavement.
11. Recognise and take appropriate action in issues related to Mental Capacity Act and Safeguarding.
12. Be able to mobilise other services to contribute to patient care; working closely with the multidisciplinary team to enable best care and a shared understanding of the patients needs.
13. Develop and maintain close working relationships with all statutory and/or voluntary agencies.
14. Promotes evidence based practice with measurable standards and outcomes through the process of audit and benchmarking.
15. Partakes in Clinical Discussion Groups/Clinical supervision as provided.
16. Participates actively in the delivery of education on Palliative and End of Life Care across the Group.
17. Use the extended role as a non-medical prescriber, where appropriate and once authorised, adhering to the Royal Pharmaceutical Societies and by the NMC standards. To audit prescribing practice and ensure prescribing pads are stored safely.

Person Specification

Education and professional qualifications

• First level Registered Nurse (Adult Nursing)
• Evidence of CPD through maintenance of a portfolio
• Mentorship / Teaching qualification

Experience

• Extensive experience within palliative/end of life / long term conditions
• Minimum of 3 years' experience of working Band 6 level or above
• Experience of managing a clinical caseload autonomously
• Experience of delivering educational sessions and developing training programmes
• Willingness to participate in 7 day working / on call rota and flexible in approach in order to meet the demands of the service.
• Experience in managing challenging situations and ethical dilemmas.

Skills and aptitudes

• Advanced written and verbal skills
• Sound organisational skills, including ability to give directions
• Ability to prioritise workload, balancing clinical and non-clinical activities