Band 6 Nurse

• To offer specialist knowledge and skills in caring for patients with life limiting illness and their carers.
• To assess, plan, implement and evaluate care from the point of admission through to discharge or death.
• To be skilled in specialist communication, e.g., delivering significant news about disease progression, prognosis and dying and be skilled at supporting patients and families through this, as well as coaching other team members.
• To ensure patients have the opportunity for personalised care and support planning that includes advance care planning, ReSPECT and treatment escalation planning.
• Have knowledge of and providing care to patients and families of different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds.
• Participate in the hospice MDT, patient planning meetings, discharge planning and bereavement meetings as necessary.
• To ensure that the dignity, safety and confidentiality of all patients is respected at all times and that all patients receive the highest possible standards of physical, psychological and spiritual care.

Essential

• A minimum of 2 years experience of life limiting disease management or palliative and end of life care
• Experience of team and ward management
• Experience of personalised care and support planning that includes advance care planning, ReSPECT and treatment escalation planning
• Experience of multidisciplinary team working

Desirable

• Recognised History Taking and Physical Assessment Training or willingness to undertake.
• Advanced communication skills and ReSPECT training
• Mentorship qualification or Practice Assessor and Practice supervisor training
• Leadership course/experience

Essential

• Able to demonstrate knowledge of research based clinical experience
• Able to demonstrate knowledge of the needs of patients living with life limiting illness
• Able to demonstrate the needs of the families, carers and those close to patients living with life limiting illness
• Able to demonstrate the governance needed to ensure safe delivery of care

Desirable

• Extended clinical knowledge and skills
• Evidence of further study relating to frailty, palliative care or end of life care
• Evidence of service development
• Non-medical prescribing
• Understanding of relevant national policy and practice initiatives

Essential

• Understands a high standard of patient care and works in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct and Practice
• Ability to assess complex needs of patients and plan, implement and evaluate appropriate nursing interventions
• Ability to lead team by acting as nurse in charge for shifts
• Ability to motivate nursing team and take initiative when appropriate
• Excellent verbal, non-verbal and written communication skills
• Time management skills
• Teaching skills, able to teach students, junior staff other health care professionals
• Computer skills with the ability to use electronic patient record systems

Desirable

• To be able to support colleagues in stressful and emotional situations
• To be able to solve complex issues
• To be able to balance conflicting priorities and manage a challenging workload in a calm and professional manner
• Experience of the use of audit to support quality improvement
• Understanding of the process of introducing change and innovation into nursing practice.