Registered General Nurse

Job Description

Job Title:

Registered General Nurse

Tenure:

Annualised Hours

Base:

Workington Community Hospital / Cleator Moor

Responsible to:

Home Nursing Services Team Leader

Salary:

Annualised hours (25.5 hours):

£24,437 per annum (FTE £35,937) plus the following enhancements
for working unsociable hours:
  £2.59 per hour - for working hours between 10pm to 6.59am
  £1.48 per hour – for working hours between 7am to 9.59pm

JOB SUMMARY:

The role of the Registered Nurse is to work autonomously, without direct supervision on a
one-to-one basis with patients. This includes the provision of nursing care, emotional, social
and psychological support to individuals with palliative care needs and involves regular and
extended involvement of assessing and managing the fluctuating needs of the dying patient
and their families.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE POST:

Key Responsibilities of the job

  Understands that any care and support provided within palliative and end of life care
complies with best practice and regulatory requirements and is up to date with
changing policies and practices to ensure that essential standards of quality and
safety are maintained.

  Undertakes and observes the Hospice at Home West Cumbria Initial Home

Assessment, recognising when to inform the team lead / senior hospice nurse or out
of hours on call of any situations which may pose a risk or threat to colleagues,
patient or family.

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  Undertakes  continued  assessment  of  the  patient  during  the  episode  of  care  and
recognises  and  responds  to  any  change  in  the  patient’s  condition.  This  includes
seeking  additional advice  and  support  from  out  of  hour  professionals  in  relation  to
direct patient care and management.

  Assesses the need for symptom control and administer medications either orally, by
injection  or  by  syringe  driver  as  prescribed,  reviewing  effectiveness  and  potential
side effects e.g., opioid toxicity.

  Advises patients and family members about symptom control (e.g., pain, nausea &
vomiting, constipation) to ensure continued relief from pain and other distressing
symptoms.

  Provides  families  and  carers  with  emotional  and  psychological  support,  effectively
communicating  complex  and  sensitive  information  to  improve  their  end-of-life
management and the bereavement experience of those important to them.

  Undertakes verification of death  to confirm  the patient is deceased and assist with

‘last offices’ as and when needed.

  Attends and participate in supervision and de-briefings for patients, families and

carers alongside other health and social care professionals on an as required basis
and as part of maintaining own resilience and wellbeing.

  Produces documentation of the care given which complies with documentation
standards and is legible, traceable, permanent, contemporaneously recorded,
original and accurate.

  Works as a member of the wider hospice and organisational teams and to participate

and support the induction of new staff and existing staff. To build positive
relationships internally and externally including peers and local health care
professionals.

  To  act  as  a  Link  Nurse  or  trainer  as  and  when  identified  and  support  with the  HCA

clinical supervision.

Personal Development:
  To be committed to personal and professional development and complete mandatory

and statutory training as required. To set challenging goals through the appraisal process
to ensure the effective delivery of personal objectives.

  To  keep  updated  with  current  policies  and  procedures,  as  well  as  external  trends  and

developments.

  Commitment to evidence on-going self-development and take responsibility for meeting

revalidation requirements.

  To keep updated with current nursing developments.

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General
  To ensure that personal conduct, ways of working and work activities are always aligned

to the Hospice’s purpose and values.



In accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection
Regulations, to ensure the maintenance of confidentiality in respect of staff, volunteer
and client records and all privileged information relating to the services of the Charity,
its patients, staff and volunteers and particularly of the area for which directly
responsible.

  To promote and foster the Hospice’s reputation and standing within the community and

with private, statutory and voluntary sector agencies and organisations.

  To adhere to the Health and Safety policy and report all accidents, incidents or near

misses promptly and when requested to co-operate with any investigations undertaken.

  To be aware of obligations and to abide by the spirit and nature of the Equal

Opportunities policy to avoid direct and indirect discrimination.

  To undertake any other duties which may be reasonably required.

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Practical
Knowledge and
Qualifications

Skills and
Competencies

Experience

Person Specification
Registered General Nurse

Qualities Required

NMC Registered General Nurse
Demonstrable clinical competence in palliative care or a
willingness to undertake additional training to gain a
palliative care qualification
Awareness of Hospice at Home West Cumbria and care
services
Demonstrable knowledge of current and relevant
legislation and guidance including clinical governance
Ability to communicate and transfer complex and
sensitive information effectively with patients, families,
carers, and other health care professionals
Ability to work in isolation without direct supervision for
the provision of clinical care, including the need for
symptom management, medication administration with
an understanding of drug calculations and potential side
effects.
IT skills with a working knowledge of Office applications
and a willingness to develop competencies within
organisational and EMIS clinical systems
Ability to cope with constantly changing situations,
undertake complex decision making and use own
initiative to achieve the best outcomes for patients,
carers or family members
Ability to work as a member of a team and to build
positive relationships internally and externally
Ability to empathise and understand the needs of others

Ability to recognise self needs to maximise resilience

Ability to handle conflict to de-escalate challenging
situations
Flexibility during times of change to support new ways
of working and to respond to changing working patterns
over a 24 hour period 7 days a week
Must be able to travel across the geographical area
covered by the post and holds a current driving licence
Willingness to travel to attend meetings or undertake
training (face to face or remote)
Evidence that demonstrates a wide breadth of post
registration experience
Evidence of recent use of Syringe Drivers and
administration of end-of-life core medication
Experience of providing palliative care in a variety of
settings

Essential (E)
Desirable (D)
E
E

Method of
Assessment
A
A

D

E

E

E

E

E

E

E
E

E

E

E

E

E

E

D

A/I

A/I

A/I

A/I

A/I/E

A/I

A/I

A/I
A/I

A/I

A/I

A

A/I

A/I

A/I

A/I

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Experience of working in the community i.e., patients’
own home
Experience of working in isolation with an awareness of
associated risks
Experience of working in a variety of settings/locations

D

D

D

A/I

A/I

A/I

A = Application Form

I = Interview

E = Exercise

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