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

General practitioners
District nurses
Secondary care teams at local hospitals
Specialist clinical nurses
Specialist palliative care team

Medical director
Palliative care consultants
Speciality doctor
General practitioners
Advanced nurse practitioner
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.

The post is subject to an enhanced disclosure check with the Disclosure and Barring Services
(DBS).

Signed.........................................................................................        Date..................................

Person Specification

Experience

Qualification

Essential
•

 4 years post registration
experience, including 1 years
relevant experience in allied
specialities (e.g., GP, general
medicine)

•  Medical Degree  MBChB

equivalent

•  Full GMC Registration

Skills/Abilities

•  Computer literate
•  Procedural skills relevant to

experience

•  Excellent communication skills
•  Commitment to patient

involvement in the design of
service improvements
•  Ability to plan undertake
clinical audit and research

•  Ability to demonstrate a

commitment to team and
multi-professional working
•  Ability to work with groups of

staff from a variety of
professional backgrounds in a
collaborative manner
•  Ability to demonstrate

reasoning skills to address
challenge

•  Ability to organise self and

others

Knowledge

•  Knowledge of Clinical

Governance
•  Audit experience
•  Self-motivated
•  Able to meet the travel/health
requirements of the job
•  Effective time management

skills
•  Flexibility
•  Open honest approach

Personal
qualities

Other

Desirable

•  Palliative care or hospice experience
•  Experience in safeguarding
•  Experience in practical procedures

•  MRCP, MRCGP
•  Diploma in palliative medicine or

equivalent

•  Masters

degree

experience

in

research and / or MSc

•  Membership of special interest group
•  Point of care ultrasound course or

similar

•  Able to drive and access to a car
•  Welsh speaker