JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title Speciality Doctor in Palliative Medicine
Responsible to Medical Director
Professionally Accountable to Medical Director
Pay Band As per pay scales for SAS doctors in Wales
Enhancements 6% Uplift for 1 in 4 weekend cover
Primary Location Nightingale House Hospice (NHH) Wrexham
Job Summary
As a speciality doctor in palliative care, you will work within the medical team at Nightingale
House Hospice to provide a high standard of medical care to patients admitted to the
inpatient unit for symptom management, end of life care or respite, as well as patients
attending outpatients or the wellbeing programme. This post offers an opportunity to
develop palliative care experience and skills, with SPA time and a culture of learning and
developing professionally. You will also have the opportunity to participate in audit, teaching
of GP registrars, medical students and disseminating knowledge to the wider team.
The medical team consists of the medical director, 2 speciality doctors (including you), 1 GP
registrar and 2 advanced nurse practitioners. We work with palliative care consultants who
remotely review the patients twice a week, at a board round. You will work alongside the
nursing team, pharmacist, patient flow, rehab, family support team, chaplain and
complementary therapist to deliver care to patients with life limiting conditions. You will
deliver individualised, holistic care to patients and their loved ones, with empathy,
compassion and kindness, respecting patient's dignity and with an aim to empower them to
live well with a palliative diagnosis.
Main responsibilities
* Admit patients to the inpatient unit for end-of-life care, symptom management or
respite.
* Along with the rest of the medical team, nursing team and consultants, provide care
for inpatients, outpatients and patients attending wellbeing or rehab appointments if
needed, including initial assessment, daily reviews, planning and management.
* To identify and address the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of
patients and the emotional, spiritual and psychological needs of their families and
friends.
Reviewed October 2025 – Medical Director
* Work closely with and support the nursing team and wider MDT, maintaining positive
working relationships and close teamwork.
* Communicate compassionately with patients and their families regarding their
condition, treatment, prognosis and advanced care planning.
* Participate in weekend rota (1:4 weekends), being on-site Saturday and Sunday 9 to
5.
* Participate in clinical meetings as part of the MDT.
* Complete administrative tasks arising from medical work – discharge summaries,
letters following outpatient appointments, death certificates, coroners reports.
* Liaise closely with external partners – such as GPs, Specialist Palliative Care Team,
district nurses, specialist clinical nurses and secondary care.
* Develop and maintain high professional standards within the service and promote
multidisciplinary team working
* To promote and participate in teaching and educational activity, teaching medical
students, GP registrars, colleagues, patients and families.
* To participate in clinical governance activities e.g. quality improvement activities and
ensure implementation of best practice guidelines.
* Promote the ethos of audit in the organisation and where possible participate in
clinical audit
* To maintain personal development through personal development reviews, monthly
1:1 meetings, clinical supervision, training, SPA time and appropriate courses, which
the hospice will support.
* Engage in the appraisal process, the organisation has the required arrangements in
place and ensures all doctors have an annual appraisal with a trained appraiser and
supports doctors going through the revalidation process.
Key working relationships External key relationships
Medical director General practitioners
Palliative care consultants District nurses
Speciality doctor Secondary care teams at local hospitals
General practitioners Specialist clinical nurses
Advanced nurse practitioner Specialist palliative care team
Director of clinical and patient services
Patient flow lead and co-ordinator
Ward manager and deputy ward managers
Wellbeing lead
Family support team
Pharmacist
Physiotherapists
Occupational therapist
Chaplain
Complementary therapist
Ward Clerk/ clinical administrators
General Requirements
This post is subject to the Terms and Conditions of employment of the Hospice as
specified in the staff handbook
Competence
You are responsible for limiting your actions to those that you feel competent to undertake.
If you have any doubts about your competence during the course of your duties, you should
immediately speak to your line manager / supervisor.
Risk Management
It is a standard element of the role and responsibility of all staff of the Hospice that they fulfil
a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk
assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents,
near misses and hazards. It is a requirement that you adhere to Nightingale House Hospice
Policies, Procedures, Protocols and guidelines at all times.
Health and Safety Requirements of the Hospice
All employees of the Hospice have a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and
that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. Employees are required to co-
operate with management to enable the Hospice to meet its own legal duties including
attendance at mandatory training updates and also to report any hazardous situations or
defective equipment.
Data Protection and Confidentiality
The post holder must treat all information, whether corporate, staff or patient information,
in a discreet, secure and confidential manner in accordance with the provisions of the current
data protection legislation and organisational policy. Any breach of such confidentiality is
considered a serious disciplinary offence, which is liable to dismissal and / or prosecution
under statutory legislation and the hospice's disciplinary policy. This duty of confidence
continues after the post holder leaves the organisation.
Records Management
As an employee of the hospice, the post holder is legally responsible for all records that they
gather, create or use as part of their work within the organisation (including patient health,
staff health or injury, financial, personal and administrative), whether paper based or on
computer. The post holder should consult the IG Lead if they have any doubt as to the correct
management of records with which they work.
Flexibility Statement
The content of this Job Description represents an outline of the post only and is therefore not
a final list of duties and responsibilities. The Job Description is therefore intended to be
flexible and is subject to review and amendment in the light of changing circumstances,
following consultation with the post holder.