Clinical Nurse Specialist - Palliative and End of Life Care

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a unique organisation, serving as the sole integrated provider in the Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon, and Wiltshire system. Our scope extends beyond boundaries as we oversee adult community services in Swindon and provide acute care from the Great Western Hospital.

Our 5,500 staff have 1.2m patient contacts a year, with 13,000 operations carried out in our Theatres, around 4,000 babies born, and our emergency attendances are now well over 100,000 per year. Those numbers only tell part of our story about what an exciting time it is to join Great Western Hospitals.

We are cultivating a culture that fosters our ambitions, prioritising equality, diversion, inclusion, wellbeing, and leadership. We aim to create an environment where every member of our team can truly thrive.

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

If we receive a high volume of applications, we may close adverts prior to the published closing date. Therefore, we advise you to complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

Job overview

We are looking for a motivated and compassionate Band 6 Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our Palliative and End of Life Care team at Great Western Hospital.

The post holder will work as part of the Palliative and End of Life Care team providing advice and support to patients, families and staff across the Trust. The role includes supporting patients with complex palliative and end of life care needs, helping to ensure patients and those important to them receive high quality, compassionate care.

The team works closely with ward teams, discharge services and community partners to support patients who may wish to be discharged to their preferred place of care. This is a rewarding role for someone who is passionate about improving end of life care and supporting patients and families at an important time.

Previous applicants need not apply.

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The post holder will work as part of the Palliative and End of Life Care team providing specialist advice and support across the Trust.

Main duties include:

• Supporting patients with complex palliative and end of life care needs across the hospital

• Working with patients, families and ward teams to support care planning and decision making

• Supporting discussions around goals of care, treatment escalation plans and preferred place of care

• Working collaboratively with ward teams, discharge teams and community services to support safe and timely discharge planning where appropriate

• Acting as a resource for staff across the Trust in relation to palliative and end of life care

• Supporting education and development of staff to improve confidence in caring for patients approaching the end of life

• Contributing to service development, audit and quality improvement within the Palliative and End of Life Care service

Working for our organisation

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group – a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Demonstrate exemplar nursing practice and the implementation of evidence-based care, the provision of a high standard of individualised patient care and experience, upholding the Trust Nursing Strategy which includes the 6Cs.

2. Responsible for ensuring own knowledge and compliance of appropriate NMC standards and Trust professional guidelines and that these are applied to practice, including NMC Revalidation.

3. Ensure accurate and contemporaneous patient, staff and other records are maintained, submitted and stored meeting NMC requirements.
4. Acts as a role model for other team members, promoting and demonstrating the standards of care expected. Challenges, influences and works with other nursing teams to continuously improve standards through shared governance
5. Participates and attends national and international conferences, as part of the team.

Thank you for expressing interest in this role. For further employer guidance, please review the attached supplementary applicant information.

Certificate of Sponsorship - Sponsorship can only be offered where the role meets the relevant eligibility criteria, including minimum salary requirements. Please note that not all roles within the organisation are eligible for sponsorship. Eligibility for this role includes:

• Current right to work in the UK, subject to verification

• Meeting the Skilled Worker visa criteria, where applicable

From 4 April 2024, UK immigration policy changes increased the minimum salary levels required for Skilled Worker visas. Further information is available on the UK Visas and Immigration website.

Current employees should be aware that this position is advertised as a Great Western Hospitals position and appointment ends any TUPE protection.

Candidates are responsible for covering the cost of their own DBS check if required: £21.50 for a Standard DBS check, recoverable from the first pay, or £49.50 for an Enhanced DBS check, divided and recoverable over the initial two pay periods. Payment for DBS checks for bank posts must be settled prior to commencement. Apprentices are exempt from DBS payment.

We are committed to supporting our staff in achieving a healthy work-life balance through flexible work arrangements. Upon joining the Trust, you have the right to request flexible working, with an unlimited number of requests allowed.

Upon acceptance of a job offer, your information will be transferred to the national NHS Electronic Staff Records System. All communication regarding your application will be conducted via email; please ensure to check your junk/spam folders as emails may occasionally be filtered there.

The Trust is a Disability Confident Employer; all applicants who have a disability can opt to be considered under the guaranteed interview scheme, which means that, providing they meet the minimum essential criteria for the post, they will be offered an interview. We are also proudly accredited as a Veteran Aware organisation and have signed The Armed Forces Covenant.