Nurse Associate inLuton inLuton PUBLISHED WED 16 OCT 2024

Keech Hospice is seeking a dedicated Nursing Associate to join our multidisciplinary team, supporting our care services across inpatient/outpatient units and community care settings.

As a Nursing Associate based primarily in the community, you will play a vital role in offering professional and compassionate healthcare support to patients and their families navigating the challenges of illness progression and end-of-life care.

This role offers 30-37.5 flexible rota-based hours, 8.30am to 10pm on weekdays and weekends and Bank Holidays, 9am to 9pm.

• Act as a role model in maintaining Keech Hospices values and always delivering exceptional care.
• Support the development and mentorship of support workers, coaching them in clinical competencies and contributing to their ongoing learning.
• Support with the day-to-day management of the community palliative care support worker team
• Deliver holistic care to patients, families, and service users, ensuring high standards of patient safety and wellbeing
• Provide essential clinical care within the scope of your assessed competencies
• Collaborate with the team to contribute to care planning, ensuring patients preferences and needs are integrated
• To provide emotional support, personal care and support at the end of life for patients and families
• Communicate effectively with patients, families, and team members, ensuring clear, concise information is provided
• Take lead in clinical governance, maintaining compliance with regulatory standards, and contributing to audits.
• Work flexibly across the hospices services, ensuring continuity of care and supporting service delivery improvements.

About us

Job Purpose

The Nursing Associate (NA) will adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery Code of Conduct for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates and work within their scope of practice following the professional standards of practice and behaviours for nurses, midwives and nursing associates and the standards of proficiency.

The NA will work within a multidisciplinary team and have the knowledge and skills to work at a high level of competence with agreed protocols and clearly defined lines of accountability for delegated work.

The NA will support the training, development and mentoring of other support workers. The NA will assess basic competencies for Band C PCSW, and coaching students in tasks as designated by the students Mentor.

The NA will provide holistic, safe, and effective care and support to patients, their families and service users under the direction of a Registered Nurse, without direct supervision, in line with an agreed plan of care. The NA will contribute to a variety of activities of patient/client care to the level of experience and competency assessed skills and protocols they have acquired.

The NA will work flexibly across Adult Services as required to ensure continuity of patient care (Adult inpatient unit, Wellbeing Centre Outpatient Service, My Care Co-ordination Team (MCCT).

Lead Focus

Lead by example in working as one adult services team and maintain good relationships with all the hospice teams.

Mentor PCSWs, including regular 1:1s as delegated.

Coach PCSWs to develop their skills and knowledge to achieve their clinical competencies.

Take the lead in designated link roles, ensuring regulatory compliance and participating in audits as requested.

Support PCSWs in their induction and their link roles, helping them to achieve their objectives for service delivery and improvement.

Key relationships

Keech Inpatient and Outpatient teams; Medical Team; Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialists; Social Work Team; MCCT; Supportive Care Team; Community Macmillan & District Nursing Teams; GPs; Palliative Care Hub; Care Agencies.

Specific Duties

RESPONSIBILITY

The NA will be responsible to the Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist/Paramedic of their primary base.

The NA will act professionally at all times in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code and Keech Hospice Care values, behaviours, policies and guidelines.

The NA will use their knowledge and experience to make evidence-based decisions and solve problems, recognising and working within the limits of their competence as defined by the NMC standards of proficiency for NAs.

The NA is responsible for their own actions and omissions and will escalate concerns appropriately. They will display a personal commitment to professional standards and ethical practice, operating within national and local ethical, legal and governance requirements.

The NA will act as a role model for others acting with probity and personal integrity in all aspects of practice and maintain active status on the NMC register.

MAIN DUTIES

COMMUNICATION

Recognise and maintain confidentiality of information in all communications, including on-line media relating to patients/clients and their records.

Demonstrate clear, concise verbal and written information on patient records, when communicating with patients/clients and their relatives as well as other members of the MDT and in answering questions within the sphere of ones own knowledge.

Report changes in patients condition to the registered nurse on duty (inpatient or community team) and participate in shift handover to ensure continuity of care, handing over the care of those patients they may have been directly responsible for during their shift.

Be a positive role model when contributing to the ongoing support of patients and others significant to them, enabling patients to maintain their interests, identity, and emotional well-being. Adapts to individual situations and modifies communication appropriately.

Presents a positive image and demonstrates good customer service, equality, and respect to other visitors in the department. Welcomes and introduces them to the facilities and services provided.

Answers the telephone in a clear, friendly, helpful, and professional manner. Take messages accurately and refers to a registered nurse as necessary.

Demonstrates a caring approach to patients, their families and visitors and has good verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Acts as a patient advocate at all times.

Demonstrates competence in the hospice electronic patient record system (Systmone).

IMPLEMENTATION OF NURSING PRACTICE

Contributes to the promotion of equality for all individuals by supporting anti-discriminatory practice, patient choice and acknowledging individuals personal beliefs and identity, in addition to maintaining the patients privacy and dignity. Demonstrates informed consent and obtains permission before undertaking activities with patients.

Undertakes assessment and individualised care planning for a designated group of patients, once training and assessment of competence is obtained, as designated by a registered nurse, in accordance with the scope criteria of the ward or department. Recognising, reporting, and escalating where required any situations, or errors that could result in poor care outcomes.

Actively engage with individuals, their families and/or carers and contribute to care planning, by establishing their needs, wishes, preferences and choices and incorporate these into care planning.

Provision of care to meet activities of daily living needs for a designated group of patients. Explains and carries out tasks and planned care.

Provide health promotion or advice specific to the clinical area or procedure undertaken. Can support physio or OT programmes, reporting into the professional responsible for the plan of care.

Undertakes assessment and treatment planning by obtaining samples as required; MSU, CSU, stool specimens, skin and wound swabs, sputum, and blood samples according to level of assessed competence.

Maintains personal and organisational standards of health, safety, and security, e.g., Attendance at mandatory training, following the uniform policy, infection control processes. Reports incidents via the incident recording system directly. Takes reasonable steps to ensure safekeeping of patients property.

Appropriately responds in the event of a health/clinical emergency e.g., cardiac arrest, major bleed. Initiates activities to deal with the emergency within limits of own knowledge and skills.

MANAGEMENT

To manage time effectively and perform allocated tasks within a reasonable time frame, knowing when to seek support, assistance, and advice from other team members.

Support registered staff by planning the induction programme for new PCSW and by coaching, supervising, and assessing the competence of PCSWs and other staff, e.g., volunteers. Give feedback sensitively to assist in the appraisal of PCSWs.

Ensure that those they are supervising or delegating tasks to have the knowledge and skills to maintain high standard of care.

PROBLEM SOLVING

Identify, report, and take appropriate actions as per level of competence for any untoward incident/accident, problem, and risk as soon as possible to the nurse in charge.

TEAM WORKING

Participate with all team members, in maintaining and monitoring standards and assisting with adults. Help to identify potential improvements within the environment.

Be a supportive role model and contribute to the team as an active member, always demonstrating a flexible and co-operative approach, attends and contributes to team meetings. Take a link worker role in an area designated by the service manager i.e., moving & handling, infection control.

CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT

Maintain high standards of care ensuring that all procedures and guidelines are followed. Takes part in the maintenance of quality standards, benchmarks or audits that affect area of practice. May represent the department at specialist link nurse meetings such as moving and handling, continence, infection control.

Following training and assessment of competence undertake practical tasks as designated by a registered nurse.

Able to link theory to practice and offer suggestions that are evidence based supporting care delivery.

PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Understand own limitations and know where to find advice and assistance.

Be self-motivated and seek ways to flexibly extend own knowledge skills, using basic reflective models. Articulates own strengths and weaknesses, actively seeks feedback. Maintains own personal development plan, prepares for own appraisal, and undertakes the appraisals of mentees.

With assistance identify own training needs and limitations and actively participates with training and attends relevant training sessions including all mandatory requirements are met. Articulating new knowledge gained and how it can affect work practice.