Job summary
Do you have a Social Worker background in Palliative Care?
Are you passionate about supporting and empowering patients to live well until their very last moment in their life?
- Through holistic needs assessment
- Providing individually planned care informed by patient wishes
- Supporting patients and their families/carers to have open and honest conversations about their wishes for end of life care
If so, then the role ofSocial Workerat Pilgrims Hospices may be just the job for you!
As an award-winning employer, Pilgrims Hospices provides end-of-life care services to patients and their families across east Kent.
Main duties of the job
We are seeking well-motivated and forward thinking professionals to join our multi-disciplinary team, in supporting patients across east Kent.As a member of the wider clinical team, the successful candidate will be involved in assessing and developing appropriate plans of intervention and support for patients and their families, acting as a resource in providing advice on active palliative care management.
Key duties include:
- Being responsible for social, psychological and practical aspects of patient and family care, in respect of all patients under the care of the hospice both in the hospice and in community setting
- Recognising and appropriately responding to changes in patients conditions
- Acting as an independent prescriber
- Actively contributing to service development
- Being involved in the supervision and education of other health professionals
- Undertaking evidence based projects and audit
- Making recommendations for the development of and changes to working practices and processes as required
About us
Our Vision
We recognise that our workforce is integral to the delivery of our Vision and our organisational and charitable aims.
To achieve our Vision, we have a shared set of values and behaviours that enable us to be the people and the charity that patients and their loved ones need us to be. They form our CODE, which guides us in our daily working and decision making:
CompassionateWe treat everyone with compassion and care
OpenWe communicate openly, honestly and effectively
DynamicWe are dynamic, improving and developing our service
EmpoweredWe empower people to achieve their outcomes
Our hospices offer:
- Modern, friendly and highly professional working environments
- Opportunities for professional development through a range of extensive learning (upon successful completion the post holder will move to a Band 6 role)
- Alignment with NHS pay rates and continuity in membership of the NHS pension scheme
- A sense of achievement in supporting a worthwhile cause
- A sense of wellbeing
- A good work-life balance
- Locations across well-populated areas of east Kent all providing very good road and rail links
- NHS and financial discounts i.e. Blue Light Card
- Free hospice parking
If you think this is your ideal role and want to join us and contribute to providing high quality patient care and support to those at the end of their life, then we would love to hear from you.
Job description
Job responsibilities
DUTIES AND KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
A Patient / Family Support
Complete
holistic assessment of family circumstances, social and emotional issues
relating to patients, families and carers, providing focussed input to address
complex psychosocial needs
Co-ordinate
and facilitate arrangements and assessments for patients discharge plans and care needs as appropriate, including Continuing Care and Local Authority
assessments where required
Support
patients and their families regarding welfare right entitlements. Provide advocacy and support in complex
circumstances and referral to specialist welfare benefit services as
appropriate
Provide
support to families with the adjustment needs of children and when necessary
the planning of their future care in collaboration with external agencies such as
Local Authority Childrens Services and specialist childrens support services
Coordinate
and facilitate carers support services, undertaking carer needs assessment and
bereavement risk assessment where required
Provide
individual and group bereavement support where required in collaboration with
wider psychosocial team
Keep
up to date records in compliance with GDPR legislation and in support of organisational
Quality & Governance reporting
Keep
up-to-date with changes in relevant health & social care policy/legislation/
guidance and contribute to development of practice and processes in response to
changes
B Multi-Disciplinary
Working
Work
collaboratively with MD colleagues towards meeting the psychosocial and future
care planning needs of the patients, families and carers in the context of
palliative care
Provide
support and guidance to the MDT with regard to Safeguarding and Mental Capacity
Act including Best Interest Decision Making and DoLS
Participate
fully in MDT meetings contributing to discussions regarding the social and
psychological needs of patients/carers/bereaved
Contribute
to the induction of MDT colleagues and provide shadowing opportunities to
colleagues from other agencies
Participate
in the teaching activities of the Hospice in collaboration with the Hospice
Education Department
At
the discretion of the Lead Social Worker support social work student placements
and supervision in collaboration and within the requirements of local training
providers and any trained practice educators within Pilgrims
C Other
Social
Workers will adhere to the appropriate professional code of practice
Social
Workers will receive regular six-weekly professional supervision
The
post holder will assist the organisation to maintain its services as detailed
in the Statement of Purpose
Assist
with the development of hospice philosophy and play a part in further
developments in the work of the Pilgrims Hospices, research initiative and
service evaluations
Interface
with the acute and primary psychosocial areas of care
Maintain
CPD in line with registration requirements and keep up to date with Statutory
and Mandatory training requirements
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Appropriate qualification, e.g. CQSW or Dip.SW, Social Work degree;
- Registration with SWE;
- Up-to-date knowledge of health & social care legislation including Safeguarding guidance and procedures;
- Knowledge of relevant theories and evidence base to inform and support best practice;
- An understanding of hospice and palliative care philosophy;
- Knowledge and understanding of equality & diversity, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice.
Desirable
- Previous palliative care experience;
- Group work experience.
Experience
Essential
- Experience in multidisciplinary team working or the ability to adapt to multidisciplinary team and collaborative working;
- Previous palliative care experience;
- Group work experience;
- Experience of working with inter-generational families to assess and support a variety of needs that may be conflicting;
- Excellent communication skills with both service users and colleagues from internal/external services;
- Ability to facilitate and mediate difficult and emotional conversations;
- Confidence to professionally challenge and advocate for patients and families;
- Ability to be creative to promote best outcomes for individuals;
- Experience in supporting bereavement and multiple losses.
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
Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent
Address
Pilgrims Hospice
Hythe Road
Willesborough
Ashford
Kent
TN24 0NE