Job summary
St Peter and St James Hospice provides specialist palliative and end of life care both in the community and at our hospice, supporting patients living with a terminal illness, and their loved ones.
We introduced the role of IPU Team Leader a few months ago to support the IPU Ward Manager in delivering operational management of the Registered Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Paramedics and Healthcare Assistants as well as IPU Ward Volunteers.
This post provides necessary support in managing our growing and varied team of clinical professionals, and progressing towards our organisational aims and vision.
Main duties of the job
To be successful in this role, the IPU Team Leader has to be an experienced registered nurse, educated to degree level, comfortable being nurse in charge and naturally inclined to lead by example, inspiring others and developing their skills to collectively delivery excellent care.
The IPU Team Leader will be caring, empathetic and compassionate, with excellent communication skills, highly organised and able to assess, prioritise and understand the needs of those receiving palliative and end of life care.
Whether you are an expert in palliative and end of life care, or are new to that field, we welcome applications from qualified nurses who will actively support the Trusts mission to deliver high quality care and meet the needs of patients across all hospice services.
This role is a great opportunity for an experienced nurse wishing to progress their career without (yet) having the responsibilities of an IPU Ward Manager.
A variety of shifts is available, so please let us know what your preference is as we appreciate that a healthy work/life balance enhances performance and engagement.
About us
St Peter & St James Hospice is set in 36 acres of beautiful countryside and employs approximately150 employees, has support from around 400 volunteers, and its 11 charity shops across Sussex including the towns of Lewes, Haywards Heath, Uckfield, Lindfield and Burgess Hill and Distribution Centre in Hurstpierpoint.
Our friendly, professional and nurturing team of employees and volunteers work side-by-side to provide specialist hospice care for adults towards and at the end of life. We support patients and their carers in their journey both in the comfort of their own homes as well as at the hospice in North Chailey.
Our values are evident in everything we do, which is what compels our employees and volunteers to stay with us for years. (One of our volunteers has been with us for 21 years!).
Our donkeys Dylan and Dudley and resident cats, Jasper and Willow, are also much-loved additions to the friendly team at St Peter & St James Hospice!
Job description
Job responsibilities
ROLE PURPOSE:
To provide visible clinical leadership and expertise to support the delivery of high standards of patient and carer support. Job description and person specification March 2023.
To be part of the senior clinical team which ensures availability of advice and support across 24/7and work as part of a multi-professional team providing palliative nursing care interventions for patients and their families across hospice services.
To provide clinical and managerial leadership to nursing and allied staff, ensuring effective day to day running of the IPU, whilst supporting the IPU Ward Manager.
PRIMARY DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Work collaboratively with other Healthcare professionals to provide patient care which promotes best practice and maintains the patients optimum independence.
Use outcome and complexity measurements (OACC) competently and understands the importance of accurate data management for care services.
Work with patients and families to create management plans addressing their individual physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs reflecting the holistic principles of palliative care and always promoting dignity.
Demonstrate specialist clinical knowledge and expertise in palliative care to provide excellent patient care and to recognise the need for, instigate and interpret complex information and clinical investigations to address reversible causes of symptoms.
Demonstrate advanced communication skills with patients, carers and other health care professionals both face to face and via the telephone to share and gather information, offer support and advice and, initiate conversations with patients and their families to enable them to make informed decisions about their care at end of life.
Initiate and lead conversations surrounding advance care planning ensuring patients and carers are aware of choices at each stage.
Recognise signs of dying to initiate anticipatory prescribing so that symptoms can be addressed.
Maintain practical skills such as venepuncture, management of PICC lines, and male / female catheterisation and intravenous drug administration.
Ensure adequate ordering to control stocks of medical supplies and drugs.
Work within the boundaries of a multi-disciplinary team, instigate, lead, and contribute to multi-disciplinary discussions, including multidisciplinary team meetings, and refer to other members of the team to enhance patient care.
Plan, organise and allocate staff according to competencies, workload, and patient dependency to provide excellent patient care and best use of resources, across all hospice services.
Frequently undertake the role of the nurse in charge.
Take part in clinical audit and undertake risk assessments in line with the Trusts clinical governance processes.
Undertake activities associated with the line management of Registered Nurses, Paramedics, Nursing Associates and HealthCare Assistants (including but not restricted tosupervision and support, absence and performance management, recruitment and induction)
Support the management of ward support volunteers.
Undertake mentorship of student nurses and return to practice nurses.
Participate in teaching and education programmes and assist in mentoring junior staff, student nurses and nursing assistants.
Demonstrate presentation skills to actively contribute to education and training both internally and externally as part of sharing good practice to enhance patient care.
Take part, under supervision, in investigations into complaints or incidents, completing the relevant sections of the accident, incident and near miss reports.
Maintain active registration on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register and meet the requirements of nurse revalidation.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
1. Experienced Registered Nurse with NMC registration.
2. Educated to degree level (level 6).
Desirable
3. Mentorship qualification.
4. Level 6 Leadership qualification or commitment to undertake level 6 study in leadership (if not obtained already).
Experience
Essential
5. Experience of assessing and planning care for patients.
6. Experience of co-ordination clinical shifts.
Other Knowledge, skills and personal qualities
Essential
7. Ability to handle feedback from patients and carers, including
8. complaints, sensitively and in a timely manner.
9. Demonstrable knowledge in symptom control to ensure the
10. patients symptoms are addressed, and to guide other members
11. of the health care team.
12. Ability to maintain accurate written and computerised records,
13. and minimum data requirements for accessing and recording
14. information in accordance with NMC Guidelines for Records and
15. Record Keeping (2009) and Code of Professional Conduct (2008).
16. Strong leadership and effective delegation skills.
17. Empathetic and courteous, always treating patients and their
18. loved ones with care and consideration.
19. Ability to work flexible shifts and take part in the senior nurse oncall rota to provide appropriate delivery of service on a rolling
20. seven-day rota basis.
21. Willingness to participate in own clinical supervision ensuring
22. personal wellbeing and resilience and safe practice.
23. Ability to demonstrate leadership through engagement with
24. innovation in practice.
25. Ability to demonstrate leadership through engagement with
26. innovation in practice.
Desirable
27. Post-registration education in a relevant subject.
28. Evidence of recent professional development.
29. Evidence of practice in a palliative care setting.