Clinical Nurse Specialist (Prescriber)
Job Description
Job summary
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (Prescriber) is a key senior role within the Nursing team, acting as the clinical specialist lead and overseeing the community nursing service for a defined area on a rotation basis.
Working with an integrated team of nurses, you will contribute to the overall care of patient and families referred to St Giles Hospice within the community setting. This role will report directly into the Clinical Lead for Community Services.
As a team member, you will contribute to a positive supportive working environment with an emphasis on teamwork and cooperation. You will participate in a rota system providing a 7 day a week, face to face and telephone service for patients and their families and, in the out of hours rota, providing telephone advice and support. This may include visiting out of hours in exceptional circumstances.
It is anticipated that the work plan will be 80% clinical (clinical management) 10% Service Development and 10% Education and Teaching.
Main duties of the job
The role includes activities such as audit, quality and risk management initiatives and Nurses working at an advanced level will:
Practice autonomously and be self-directed.
Appropriately analyse complex situations.
Undertake assessment of individuals using a range of different assessment methods, which may include physical examination, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests or advanced health needs assessment.
Draw on a diverse range of knowledge in their decision-making to determine evidence based therapeutic interventions; this may include prescribing medication and actively monitoring the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.
Actively seek and participate in peer reviews of their own practice.
Appropriately define the boundaries of their practice and understand the parameters of their professional role.
Promote and participate in the implementation of the local and national strategies and St Giles Hospice core standards.
About us
St Giles Hospice is a registered charity founded in 1983 by the Reverend Paul Brothwell, originally to improve the care of local people dyingwith cancer. We now support people in our community whose illnesses may not be curable such as cancer, motor neurone disease, heart failure, MS and respiratory disease. We also offer support for families and helpers.
Our dedicated team provides individually-tailored care either at the hospice or in patients own homes across our communities.
The range of specialist services is provided free of charge to those who need it. Although St Giles receives some funding from the Government, we rely heavily on donations and fundraising.
Job responsibilities
The role entails but is not limited to:
Leadership and Managerial
Be an effective role model to the team and other primary healthcare colleagues.
Provide effective leadership to the team, acting as a role model for best practice and with honesty and integrity.
Provide professional/clinical leadership to other Clinical Nurse Specialists and other grades of staff, acting as a point of expertise, providing advice and support.
Input into workforce planning process and maintaining effective use of resources (rota and rotation of staff) supported by clinical administration.
Participate in multi-professional meetings, acting as a patient advocate and contribute to the decision making regarding service delivery.
Attend appropriate patient related and team meetings.
Participate in service development initiatives as required instigating and managing change within a complex environment.
Work with the Deputy Director of Clinical Services to develop St Giles Hospice policies and processes and ensure team compliance.
To be responsible for assurance of quality standards and clinical governance, standard setting and audit.
Maintain high professional standard in accordance with Hospice policies and procedures and the NMC Code of Professional Conduct.
Clinical
Be responsible for the continued co-ordination of the content and delivery of your allocated patient's care plan and ensure that the patient is getting the right service from St Giles Hospice.
Undertake patient clinical assessments and nurse prescribing.
In liaison with other Clinical Nurse Specialists and other members of the community team, ensure the overall quality and provision of nursing care of patients and families referred to St Giles Hospice in the community setting and that their needs are met.
To promote the principles and practice of palliative care as an extension of the Hospice into the community.
To work across a range of settings, including community visits e.g. home/care home/community hospitals, telephone conversations and reviewing patients in outpatient settings.
To assess the holistic needs of patients and their carers and identify their respective physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual needs.
To work within a team framework, collaborating with colleagues and members of other disciplines.
Work across all St Giles Hospice clinical areas.
To use a proactive, sensitive and empathetic approach with patients and relatives to enable involvement in advance care/treatment planning.
To undertake ReSPECT discussions and decisions where appropriate with patients and families.
To assess peoples information needs and provide relevant information to meet those needs.
To offer bereavement support to carers in collaboration with the Supportive Care Team or refer them onto the appropriate service.
To provide appropriate nursing interventions.
To work alongside and liaise with DNs, GPs and other external Health and social care providers to ensure patients and families receive appropriate care and support.
To participate in the out of hours rota to provide telephone advice and exceptional visits if indicated.
To contribute to patient management by attending Gold Standard Framework, hospital and other practice based meetings.
To liaise and communicate with community, nursing home and hospital staff in order to raise awareness and promote understanding of Hospice services.
Ensure that all relevant information is documented and recorded on the appropriate systems.
Foster positive working relations with the Primary Healthcare Team and with other health care professionals in the delivery of community based palliative care.
Allocated Lead Responsibilities
For those working in the community, these roles will also take lead responsibility for a defined area on a rotational basis working on:
Audit and research programmes.
Input into Clinical Governance framework.
Chairing the Caseload Review meetings.
Undertake leadership responsibilities for all areas.
Service Development
Provide input to service development initiatives.
Ensure systems are in place to ensure continuous improvement, quality assurance and effective Clinical Governance and participate in the development of policies, protocols and clinical guidelines to support specialist palliative care nursing.
Promote and engage staff in new ways of working - such as the use of technology and working off site.
Promote a questioning and open culture.
Support and review departmental policies and processes and ensure team compliance.
Keep abreast of current advances in nursing practice and research.
Together with the Deputy Director of Clinical Services, initiate, promote and participate in nursing and inter-disciplinary audit projects.
Together with the Deputy Director of Clinical Services, take a key role in supporting the hospice Clinical Governance framework.
Work across professional boundaries using creative reasoning and problem solving.
Education and Training
To take responsibility for attending mandatory Hospice training and in-house courses in line with organisational policy and current legislation.
To actively participate in and contribute to the ongoing educational programme of the Hospice.
To attend and actively participate in the identified CPD opportunities provided.
To proactively maintain appropriate level of clinical competence as identified within the St Giles Hospice Competencies.
To identify training and education needs, in line with service provision, with the clinical education team.
To assist in orientation programmes for new members of staff.
To act as a mentor/supervisor for developing staff under the direction of the Deputy Director of Clinical Services.
To participate in research projects as required.
To take personal responsibility for life-long learning, self-development and reflection.
To participate in informal and formal education.
Just so you know:
We may review applications before the application review date, however, if you apply after the application review date, your application may not be considered. We will accept applications until we have successfully filled the role, this may be earlier than the closing date.
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