JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title

St Barnabas DementiaClinical Nurse Specialist

1.0 wte (37.5hrs p/w)

Responsible to

Community Services Manager

Principal contacts

(a) Internal: All hospice clinical teams and managers, volunteers, education department

(b) External: Patients,families & carers,primary and secondary care providers, primary and secondary care professionals, carer support groups, relevant local charities and voluntary groups

Environment

The post is based St Barnabas House with some duties performed in the community

Job purpose

  • To act as the organisation’s clinical lead in order to conceive, develop and execute the hospice’s dementia strategy with regards to the needs of St Barnabas patients living with dementia, their carers and families in the Worthing, Arun and Adur regions
  • To ensure that all St Barnabas services and environments are dementia friendly and to review and address the dementia training needs of all staff and volunteers at St Barnabas House
  • To developprofessional networks and formal working relationships with primarysecondary care providers, carer support organisations, local charities and voluntary groups
  • To act as a resource and support to health and social care professionals involved in the delivery of care through the giving of advice, information and education

Principal duties and responsibilities

  • To audit all current St Barnabas services and environments to ensure that they are made dementia friendly
  • To review and address dementia training needs of all staff and volunteers and to ensure that processes are in place to ensure the sustainability of that training
  • To coordinate palliative care and management plans for people known to St Barnabas, living with end stage dementia and their carers in their home or other community settings as part of a MDT
  • To develop and deliver education provision to health care professionals from a variety of care environments
  • To develop and maintain own knowledge and skills through continual professional development and the appraisal system, ensuring that own practice is in line with the developing Nurse Specialist role.
  • To take personal responsibility for organisation of workload, using planning and time management skills effectively, ensuring service needs benefit patients and their families.
  • To contribute to the development of excellence in patient care, by adhering to professional Code of Practice, national guidelines and both internal and external(where appropriate) policies and procedures, conducting and documenting relevant risk assessments, taking appropriate action, and identifying changes to practice as a result.
  • To participate in quality monitoring and improving services, by carrying out annual audits, and participating in active research and implementing findings into practice.This will include recording and reporting on agreed qualitative and quantitative outcome measurements

Person Specification

Essential

  • RMN with minimum of five years relevant post registration supervisory or management experience
  • Five years’ experience of working with dementia in a community, hospital and/or hospice setting
  • Three years’ experience of working with groups and individuals in community, hospital and/or hospice setting
  • Demonstrable ability to develop and manage services
  • Advanced communications skills
  • 1st level degree
  • Willingness to undertake training in palliative and end of life care
  • Masters level qualification, or willingness to undertake
  • Advanced physical assessment skills, or willingness to undertake
  • Non-medical prescribing qualification, or willingness to undertake
  • Ability to demonstrate emotional resilience to manage excessive exposure to dying people, and family distress.
  • Ability to demonstrate high level of critical analytical thinking.

Desirable

  • Experience of working within a palliative care setting
  • Experience of evaluation and auditing of services, skills and environments

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES:

  • In-depth knowledge of the needs of people living with dementia, their carers and families
  • Ability to work within a multi-professional team
  • Excellent oral and written skills
  • Adequate IT skills
  • Strong emotional resilience to manage stress
  • A thorough grasp of local and national issues relating to the delivery of dementia and palliative care services
  • Knowledge of local dementia services and service providers
  • An ability to translate equal opportunities and fair access values into practice

OTHER DUTIES

To undertake any other duty within your ability and within reason, as may be required from time to time, at the direction of your line manager.

ASSISTANCE

The Hospice has the advantage of being supported by a number of volunteers. If a volunteer is assigned to assist you at any time, you will still retain responsibility for the requirements of this job in terms of accuracy, efficiency and standards of completion. You will also ensure good communication and be mindful of your responsibility towards that volunteer in terms of Health and Safety.

CONFIDENTIALITY

You should be aware of the confidential nature of the Hospice environment and/or your role. Any matters of a confidential nature, relating to patients, carers, relatives, staff or volunteers must not be divulged to any unauthorised person. Ensuring patient confidentiality is maintained in accordance with the Caldicott principal and Data Protection Act.

DATA PROTECTION

You should make yourself aware of the requirements of the Data Protection Act and follow local codes of practice to ensure appropriate action is taken to safeguard confidential information.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

You are required to take reasonable care for your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your acts or omissions and you should ensure that statutory regulations, policies, codes of practice and safety and good house-keeping rules are adhered to, attending safety and fire lectures as required.

JOB DESCRIPTION

This Job Description is not intended to be restrictive and should be taken as the current representation of the nature of the duties involved in your job and needs to be flexible to cope with the changing needs of the job and the Hospice.

OTHER

Full clean driving license is essential