Clinical Nurse Specialist ( Band 6)

  Within one of our four boroughs (Newport, Caerphilly, Monmouth or Torfaen)

About the role

Salary: Agenda for Change Band 6

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Closing date: Thursday 25th April 2024

Role type: Permanent

Job Summary:

The post holder will facilitate the provision of high quality palliative care to patients with cancer and other progressive illnesses.  The nurse will provide direct support and advice to patients and their families and act as a resource to other professionals in the community.  This post operates as part of an inter-professional team and the post holder will contribute to the development of an integrated approach to patient care.

Key Working Relationships

  • Day Hospice Team
  • Key Members of the Primary Health Team
  • Family Support Team
  • St David’s Hospice Care
  • ABUHB Palliative Care Team

Aims of the post: 

  • To facilitate the provision of high quality specialist nursing care to patients with cancer and other life threatening illness.
  • To provide direct support and advice to patients with cancer and other life threatening illnesses.
  • To advise and support the multi-disciplinary team involved in the patient’s care particularly on symptom control issues and psychological, spiritual and bereavement care.
  • To take part in planning and delivering education programmes within the Community in conjunction with the Education Department.  Research based practice and participation in research are important aspects of the role. 
  • To work closely with Team members to ensure consistency of approach and intervention.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

Clinical

  • In collaboration with other members of the multi-disciplinary team, assess the needs of patients, families and other carers and provide specific advice or support as appropriate. 
  • Advise and support the multi-disciplinary team to provide high quality care.  This might include advice on pain and symptom control; care planning, social and psychological care, communication and resources. 
  • Collaborate with other health care professionals and relevant agencies to promote planned co-ordinated care. 
  • Maintain adequate records of all patients and ensure all relevant information is documented in the patients’ medical/nursing notes.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of nursing interventions and treatment protocols.
  • Facilitate the provision of bereavement support to families and other carers.
  • To participate in the provision of information to patients and their carers regarding their illness, treatment and services available.
  • To work with the primary health care team in developing the use of the Care Decision tool
  • To take part in an out-of-hours advice on call rota.

Management

  • Effectively utilise the resources required to meet service objectives.
    Participate in personal and organisational objective setting.
  • Submit statistics and activity data as required.
  • Assist in the development of policies, procedures and clinical protocols related to palliative care.
  • Develop standards of practice against which quality of care may be measured.
    Contribute to clinical audit as required.
  • To assume specific responsibilities in the absence of the Line Manager.

Education

  • Identify the specific education needs of individual patients and carers and facilitate meeting those needs.
  • Assist in the training and education of the multi-disciplinary team under the direction of the Education Department.
  • Prepare and provide learning materials for those within the clinical areas, in collaboration with the Education Department.
  • Act as a role model and mentor to staff.  Provide informal education and support to staff in their provision of palliative care.

Audit and Research

  • In consultation with the Director of Nursing, and collaboration with other Specialist Nurses, identify and encourage research based practice in relation to palliative care in the community. 
  • In conjunction with the Director of Nursing, participate in multi-disciplinary audit.
  • Participate in nursing and collaborative research in palliative care.
  • Participate in the clinical governance strategy of SDHC.

Personal and Professional Development

  • Keep up-to-date with relevant nursing issues.
  • Read relevant journals, articles and papers available.
  • Ensure personal development in accordance with the NMC's Revalidation requirements.
  • Participate in clinical supervision as per St David’s Hospice policy.

Additional Duties

All job descriptions are subject to review.  Job holders are expected to be flexible and be prepared to carry out any similar or related duties which do not fall within the work outlined.  Any review will be undertaken by the line manager, in consultation with the post holder.

Person Specification

Education

Essential 

  • First Level Registered Nurse.
  • Palliative care experience.

Desirable

  • Possession of or actively working towards a relevant first degree/ or Masters.

Experience

Essential 

  • Four years post registration experience at least two of which have been gained in Palliative Care and /or Oncology Nursing.

Desirable

  • Expert knowledge in pain and symptom management usually gained through clinical experience
  • Palliative care and Oncology background

Skills/Knowledge

Essential 

  • Excellent communication including in verbal, written, presentation.

Desirable

  • Computer Literate.
  • Clinical Audit.
  • Business planning/service review skills.
  • Advanced communications skills.

Qualities/Attributes

Essential 

  • Versatile and flexible.
  • Empathetic.

Candidate must hold a clean driving licence and have their own transport.

Other Information

Health and Safety

To ensure that the agreed procedures are carried out and be aware of the responsibilities placed on employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act. To maintain a safe environment for employees and visitors.

Data Protection

If you are required to do so, process and/or use information held on a computer or word processor in a fair and lawful way. To hold data only for specific registered purposes and not to disclose it in any way incompatible with such a purpose. To disclose data to authorised persons or organisations as instructed.

Equal Opportunities

It is the aim of St David's Hospice Care (SDHC) to ensure that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, race, colour, nationality or ethnic origins, or is placed at a disadvantage by conditions or requirements which cannot be shown to be justifiable. To this end, SDHC has an Equal Opportunities Policy and it is for each employee to contribute to its success.

No Smoking Policy

SDHC operates a No Smoking policy.

Conditions of Service:

In accordance with SDHC Employment Manual.

Pension Scheme

A Pension Scheme is offered on appointment.  Staff may prefer to make their own arrangements.

Confidentiality

All information concerning patients/clients and staff must be treated as strictly confidential at all times.

Application form

If any parts of this form require an answer but do not apply, please enter 'Not applicable' or 'N/A'.

Section 1: Personal Details






May we contact you at work?*
  






Are you free to remain and take up employment within the UK with no current immigration restrictions?*   

Please indicate how you learnt of this vacancy


Section 2: Education, Training & Qualifications




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Section 3: Courses attended not leading to professional qualifications



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Section 4: Membership of professional bodies





Section 5: Present or most recent employer










Hours*
   


Section 6: Employment record

Please include a full employment history since leaving full time education accounting for any gaps, most recent first.








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Section 7 : Other employment


Section 8: Leisure


Section 9: Experience and other information


Section 10: Cautions, Rehabilitations and criminal records


If, due to the nature of the work for which you are applying (please refer to Job Description / Person Specification) your application is exempt from the provisions of Section 4(2) of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, (Exemptions) Order 1975, you will not be entitled to withhold information about convictions which are for other purposes 'spent' under the provisions of the Act. In the event of employment, any failure to disclose such convictions could result in dismissal. Successful candidates will be required to complete a Disclosure Application at Standard or Enhanced level, depending on the nature of the post, for submission to the Disclosure Barring Service. St. David's Hospice Care complies fully with the DBS Code of Practice and the Data Protection Act 1998 regarding disclosure information. Any information given will be treated as completely confidential and will only be considered in terms of its relevance to an application for positions to which the order applies. A criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining a position. If you have any concerns or queries on this matter, please seek advice from the HR Manager.

Section 11: Driving licence

Do you hold a current UK driving licence?*
   



Do you have access to a car?*
   

Section 12: Employment status

Are there any restrictions on you taking up work in the UK?*
   

Section 13: Referees

Please give below the names of two referees who have agreed to give a reference on your behalf and who are not related to you. One of them should be your existing or most recent employer.

Referee 1



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May we contact this referee prior to interview?*
   

Referee 2



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May we contact this referee prior to interview?*
   

Section 14: Background information

Have you had a recent bereavement of a close family member or friend?*
   

We advise a person who has had such a bereavement not to begin employment at St David’s Hospice Care until at least one year has elapsed. If, however, you feel able to begin employment and would like to discuss the possibility of doing so, please contact the Personnel Manager, who will be happy to discuss this with you.

Section 15: Declaration

Privacy Policy

Data protection: Information from this application may be processed for purposes registered by the Employer under the Data Protection Act 1998. Individuals have, on written request the right of access to personal data held about them.

Thank you for your application

We will get back to you as soon as we can.

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