Job description

Job responsibilities

3. Duties:

Professional and Clinical duties include:

• To assist families affected by dementia and /or colleagues, to develop skills and competencies in understanding and coping with challenges and difficulties they may face, in both individual and group situations. For example, managing complex conditions, adapting responses when supporting the person with dementia, changes in relationships, distressed behaviour.

• To offer expertise and guidance to professional colleagues, the public and others in supporting family and relationship-centered approaches and best practice in dementia care.

• To meet the multiple and often complex needs of families affected by Dementia through ongoing assessment of health and wellbeing.

• To provide a range of psychological and social interventions to promote health and assist with the alleviation, prevention and management of stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health needs of carers.

• To maintain clinical records using EMIS and provide verbal and written feedback appropriately and as required, to carers, persons with dementia (as appropriate), referring agencies and professional colleagues.

• To liaise with GPs, case managers, primary health care practitioners, statutory and voluntary agencies regarding the best possible care for the family affected by dementia.

• To act as an advocate to facilitate access to services and influence care provision.

• To identify development options for addressing inequality and to contribute to strategies designed to improve access to services for people with dementia and carers who are socially excluded.

• To ensure that care is delivered in accordance with relevant local and national standards such as those recommended in NICE guidelines, national dementia and carer strategies/ plans and all relevant East Cheshire Hospice policies

• Ensure that all legal requirements relating to Mental Capacity Act (2005), Safeguarding and Mental Health Act (2007), and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (2015) are considered and adhered to.

• Recognise the limits of own competency and professional boundaries and make appropriate and timely referrals to other services where required.

• Undertake other duties as may be required and which are commensurate with the post and grade.

Education:

• To participate in and/or lead, where appropriate, formal training events such as courses, conferences, seminars and workshops at all levels, maintaining and contributing to higher level educational programmes in dementia care, and promoting best practice in dementia care.

• To act as a clinical role model to others and take an active role in student nurse placements, including mentoring as appropriate.

• To maintain up to date knowledge base of resources, service provision, policy context, new approaches, interventions and treatments in dementia care and contribute to local policy and procedure development and review

Evaluation and Audit

• Support the audit and evaluation of practice and interventions, quality improvements and initiatives aimed at improving the delivery of palliative and end of life dementia care at East Cheshire Hospice.

• Be fully aware of and comply with the Data Protection Act(1998) and Caldicott principles in relation to protecting the confidentiality of patient and service-user information and enabling appropriate information-sharing.

Professional

To promote professional standards of behaviour and ensure personal accountability as articulated in the Code of Professional Conduct of the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC).

• To maintain professional registration in line with NMC guidance, including re-validation.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based palliative and end of life care recommendations on supporting people with dementia at the end of their lives and their carers/families.

• To work collaboratively with colleagues in all settings to maintain effective relationships and promote the work of East Cheshire Hospice.

• Be aware of current research related to dementia treatments/interventions and support people with dementia/carers/families to get involved in research where appropriate.

• Participate in local/ Hospice steering groups and develop and maintain positive working relationships within the local care communities.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with groups and individuals in a variety of roles and settings
• Experience of assessing patients and providing symptom control advice.
• Demonstrated experience of working as an autonomous practitioner with good organisational skills.

Desirable

• Significant post-registration clinical experience of working with people with dementia and their carers in different settings
• Experience of delivering educational programmes within a healthcare setting
• Experience running structured groups.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (RMN/RGN/RNLD/RNMH)

Desirable

• Teaching qualification
• Palliative/End-of-life Care qualification

Other Requirements

Essential

• Commitment to professional development.
• Flexible approach to meet the needs of the service.
• Ability to travel freely/ daily across the East Cheshire Hospice catchment area.

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Excellent facilitation and presentation skills
• Excellent communication.
• Ability and desire to work independently and within a team.
• Commitment towards various quality and professional standards.

Desirable

• Understanding the needs of carers

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website .

Employer details

Employer name

East Cheshire Hospice

Address

Millbank Drive

Macclesfield

Cheshire

SK10 3DR

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