Palliative Care RGN (SMH B6) - SMH Hospice at Home
We are launching a new 24/7 Hospice at Home service and are recruiting a Registered Nurse to join our expanding team at St. Michaels Hospice. This specialist role provides compassionate, expert care to patients in the last weeks and days of life within our community.
The service visits patients in their homes who meet our criteria, and offers flexible working options, including part‑time arrangements. This is an ideal opportunity for nurses wishing to specialise in palliative and end‑of‑life care, or for those with existing experience in this area. Community experience is advantageous.
Applicants must be NMC‑registered with an active PIN, have excellent communication skills, empathy, and the ability to work both independently and within a multi‑disciplinary team. Responsibilities include assessing patient needs, planning and delivering high‑quality care, and advocating for the best possible outcomes, while demonstrating clinical judgement and effective workload management.
The role involves shift work, including long days and nights (07:30‑20:00 / 19:30‑08:00), with some flexibility for night‑only preferences. A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle are essential due to travel across the hospice catchment area.
Closing date – 01 February 2026
Main duties of the job
Working collaboratively with the wider multi‑disciplinary team, you’ll assess, plan, and provide holistic care that meets the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients. You’ll also play a key role in contributing to service improvement and promoting best practice in end‑of‑life care.
Key responsibilities
* Deliver personalised palliative care and symptom management at home, visiting patients 24/7.
* Support the SMH Living Well Service, including MND and long‑term neurological conditions.
* Maintain high standards of care, communication, and record‑keeping.
* Collaborate with healthcare professionals, patients, families, and carers to ensure a seamless, compassionate service.
St. Michaels Hospice is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable adults, children and young people. All staff are expected to share this commitment. Successful candidates will be required to undergo relevant background checks, including a DBS check and provide satisfactory reference before starting the role.
About us
St. Michaels Hospice is a registered charity providing specialist palliative and end‑of‑life care services since 1992, for the people of North Hampshire. We are dedicated to providing care to people throughout North Hampshire who are affected by life‑limiting illness to attain the highest possible quality of life by providing a choice of specialist care and support.
As a charity, we depend on the kindness and support of our local community to continue offering our services free of charge. This care is made possible by supporters donating, taking part in fundraising events and activities, playing our lottery, shopping in our retail outlets, leaving gifts in their wills or giving freely of their time to volunteer.
We offer attractive benefits, including free onsite parking, life assurance, 27 days annual leave with service increments, plus bank holidays, and an extensive health and wellbeing plan and contributory pension.
Job responsibilities
The Hospice at Home Team provides both planned and reactive service to those deemed to be in their final weeks of life requiring specialist palliative care advice and support. The Nursing team specialise in providing palliative care and support to patients at the End of Life. The specialists provide clinical assessments, advice on symptom management at end of life and provide clinical interventions to enable the patient to remain at home. The team is supported by the wider multi‑professional team within St. Michaels Hospice.
You will be responsible for the assessment of the person's care needs. You will develop, implement and evaluate care plans in conjunction with patients, relatives and other professionals ensuring individual physical and psychological needs are met.
Responsibilities
Proactively assess, plan, implement and evaluate patients based on an agreed plan of care, that supports quality and timely care, in line with their needs.
Create and maintain good relationships internally with the wider community palliative care team as well as other community health and social care providers.
Provide reactive work to the workload coming in per day, and prioritise appropriately.
Mentor, support and supervise the work of junior colleagues, unqualified staff, students, and volunteers.
Actively enable the education and development of professionals involved in the care of palliative service users.
Clinical
To develop a high level of clinical expertise in the field of palliative and end‑of‑life care.
Develop the knowledge of initial assessment, history taking, physical examination and psychosocial functioning of patients in a holistic manner.
Develop skills to review and interpret all information available utilising a systematic process of complex diagnostic reasoning to make a working and differential diagnosis while under direct supervision.
Develop and record a treatment plan consistent with the outcome of assessment and most probable diagnosis and taking into account patient wishes and preferences.
Assess patients and advise colleagues regarding the treatment of appropriate reversible causes.
Recognise when patients are approaching the last weeks / days of life and adjust care accordingly to meet their needs and priorities.
Provide nursing skilled clinical interventions within the home/community setting.
Proficient in verification of death process.
To be able to support and provide care for patients and their families at the time of death taking into account any spiritual or cultural needs.
Support clinical colleagues and team members following a patient's death or distressing situation.
Support equality and diversity.
Be able to plan and manage own workload / caseload in a flexible manner ensuring that service provision meets the needs of patients.
Be willing to undertake advanced practice accredited courses at masters level.
Communication
Participate in discussion during multi‑professional meetings.
Provide clear and concise handovers to colleagues to improve coherent care across the service.
Review, evaluate and update nursing care, ensuring accurate documentation and reporting in accordance with NMC guidelines and SMH policy.
Apply empathetic communication and approach discussions in a sensitive and dignified manner.
To liaise and develop effective relationships with external health care professionals and other agencies ensuring patient continuity across all care settings.
Attend and participate in team meetings and clinical supervision.
Management
Manage allocated resources effectively. Ensure competency in the use and function of equipment and report malfunctions.
Manage time in an efficient and appropriate manner, showing the ability to triage, delegate and plan work accordingly.
Report any feedback, concerns or complaints from patients, their relatives, or other advocate, to the Team Lead as appropriate.
Ensure team cohesion and spirit is maintained, through ongoing supportive relationships and consideration of colleagues at all times.
Take opportunity to empower and lead junior colleagues to enhance their knowledge and build confidence.
Adhere to the lone working policy in the community.
Education
Show competence in supporting student nurses in Practice Assessor roles.
Contribute and participate in professional teaching sessions both internally and externally.
Maintain own clinical ability by ensuring level of knowledge is based on current evidence‑based research.
Maintain up‑to‑date clinical experience and knowledge and be able to provide evidence of this for nursing revalidation.
Through SMH annual appraisal, encourage professional growth and identify areas for personal and professional development.
Strengthen and develop clinical skills across all care settings in conjunction with line manager.
Take keen interest in service enhancement and improvement, taking ownership for improving the services.
Research and Audit
Implement findings of evidence‑based practice.
Participate in research and audit within the SMH environment as appropriate to the service area.
Have a basic awareness of current research and developments within palliative care settings.
Professional
Understand and work within relevant legislation and SMH philosophy, mission and values.
Be mindful of own professional behaviours, conduct and practice, when working as part of a multi‑disciplinary team.
Be accountable for own professional practice within the NMC Code of Conduct.
Ensure knowledge about patients is maintained in the strictest confidence, and is not divulged, except to professionals where it would materially exist with the programme of care or protection of the individual.
General Responsibilities
Work to maintain the values, vision and aims of St. Michaels Hospice.
Additional duties in discussion with the line manager to undertake work, as and when required, in support of St. Michaels Hospice as an organisation.
Public Relations: represent St. Michaels Hospice in the community and public domain, including social media, appropriately.
Undertake all statutory and mandatory training, as required.
Be conversant with and adhere to all St. Michaels Hospice Policies and Procedures.
Be responsible for upholding and promoting St. Michaels Hospice safeguarding policies, ensuring the safety and well‑being of all individuals, and promptly reporting any concerns or incidents in accordance with established procedures.
This is an outline job description and may be subject to change, according to the needs of the service, in consultation with the post holder.
Take responsibility for own personal safety and of others whilst at work. You will take appropriate action or report any concerns to address any health and safety issues that you or members of your team may be aware of.
This job description is an outline of the role and responsibilities. From time to time, due to the needs of the service, we may ask you to flexibly undertake other duties that are consistent with your role and banding, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Relevant professional qualification and registration (RN)
* Masters degree/modules or working towards.
* Degree/modules in leadership/management or willingness to undertake.
* Evidence of continued professional development.
* Physical Assessment qualification or willingness to undertake.
* Independent nurse prescriber or willing to undertake.
* Nurse Assessor/Mentor training
Experience
* Substantial post‑registration experience and experience with supporting patients and relatives through the dying process
* Demonstrable experience of working with or within an MDT setting
* Experience of developing and teaching others
* Advanced assessment and care planning skills
* Advanced communication skills
* Work independently as part of the wider nursing team
* Management and distribution of workload
* Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively communicate on the telephone and have IT experience
* Listening, negotiation and influencing skills
* Demonstrable computer literacy with knowledge of databases, Microsoft, use of email and aptitude to learn computer packages that are essential to the role
* Demonstrable knowledge and awareness of quality and governance
* Community experience
* Ability to effectively manage a clinical service
* Proactive, influential, motivational leader
* A positive approach to all aspects of work including influencing, managing and supporting change
* Quality focused, 'customer care' ethos
* Resilient practitioner and decision maker
* Ability to foster positive relationships
* Diplomatic, honest, behaves with integrity
* Ability to work on own initiative, independently and as part of a team
* Confidence and self awareness of own limitations and professional boundaries
* Resilient practitioner with the ability to work under pressure from time to time
* Demonstrates commitment to St Michael's vision and values
Other requirements
* Full UK driving licence
* Access to transport to travel within the community setting across the SMH catchment area
* Business use on vehicle insurance
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.
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