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Clinical Nurse Specialist - Children’s Outreach Nurse Life Limiting Conditions
Job Specification and Terms and Conditions
Job Title and Grade /Clinical Nurse Specialist - Children’s Outreach Nurse Life Limiting Conditions
(Grade Code 2626)Campaign Reference / NRS0464
Closing Date / 7th November 2011 at 12 noon
Proposed Interview Date(s) / 1st December 2011
Taking up Appointment / To be indicated at Job Offer Stage
Organisational Area / Health Service Executive West
Location of Post / Mid West Regional Hospital
Dooradoyle
Limerick
The person will have remit to in-patients in the Acute Services and children with life limiting conditions in the community - Mid West Area.
As the Health Service Executive moves towards an Integrated Care Model of Service Provision, you will be required to work in a hospital setting and/or a primary care setting and across all population groups to meet service needs and/or to rotate between both the hospital and a primary care/community setting.
Details of Service / Background to this Post:
An average of between 536-592 children die in Ireland each year prior to their eighteenth birthday. The prevalence of life-limiting conditions in the Irish child population is unknown. An estimate based on rates in the United Kingdom is 12/10,000. The duration of life-limiting conditions can extend from days to weeks to months and even to years. This leads to a significant need for care services for these children and their families. The provision of such services should preferably be in the child’s own home.
Palliative care means the total care of children and their family at a time of serious illness when the aim of treatment has changed from cure to improving quality of life. “It is an active and total approach to care, embracing physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements. It focuses on enhancement of quality of life for the child and support for the family, and includes the management of distressing symptoms, provision of respite and care through death and bereavement”. (Association for Children with Life-Threatening or Terminal Conditions and their Families (ACT) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Heath (RCPCH), 2003, Bristol, UK)
A comprehensive paediatric palliative care service needs to function within a co-operative model with close liaison between general practitioner, community paediatrician, nursing services, children’s hospitals and hospitals with paediatric units. The post holder will endorse a palliative care approach and promote seamless care between agencies and professionals involved in the child’s care.
The Service will provide total care of children and their family at a time of serious illness when the aim of treatment has changed from cure to improving quality of life.
The Service will be active in it’s total approach to care, embracing physical, emotional, social and spiritual elements. It focuses on enhancement of quality of life for the child and support for the family, and includes the management of distressing symptoms, provision of respite and care through death and bereavement”
The Service will establish close liaison between general practitioner, community paediatrician, nursing services, children’s hospitals and hospitals with paediatric units.
Reporting Relationship / The post holder:
· Is professionally accountable to the Director of Nursing (DON) or designated officer
· Will report to the Assistant Director of Nursing or designated officer as required on operational matters
· Is clinically accountable to the Clinical Director / Lead Consultant
Purpose of the
Post / Role Summary / The role of the Clinical Nurse Specialist - Children’s Outreach Nurse Life Limiting Conditions is addressing a prioritised service need as outlined in A Palliative Care Needs Assessment for Children (DOHC & UGF 2005)
· To co-ordinate a service that provides continuity of care and quality of life for children with life limiting conditions and their families.
· Plan, implement, deliver, and evaluate care for a caseload of patients in collaboration with local healthcare professional/carer especially those with specific palliative care needs. This role will apply to acute and community care setting.
· Act as an informed resource for health and social care professionals involved in the care of children with life limiting conditions.
· Facilitate education and training for health and social care professionals in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
· Support collection of data in relation to children with life limiting conditions to support national programme development.
Principal Duties
and
Responsibilities / Clinical Responsibilities
· Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care for a caseload of patients with local healthcare professionals/carers
· Collaborate with health and social care team to develop a plan of care within the regional paediatric unit and the community. To provide pain and symptom management for children with a life-limiting illness.
· Co-ordinate a supportive service for children and families having assessed their psychosocial and spiritual needs and refer for formal counselling services as required.
· Establish and maintain good working relationships with nursing staff and medical staff involved in the provision of quality care to children with life limiting conditions.
· Act as a resource to colleagues, members of the multidisciplinary team in the regional paediatric unit, outpatients and community, including GPs, PHNs, specialist palliative care services and voluntary services.
· Educate and support the primary health care team and voluntary services throughout the course of the child’s illness, assisting in symptom management and terminal care.
· Refer families for bereavement support as necessary
· Have a working knowledge of HIQA Standards as they apply to the role for example, Standards for Healthcare, National Standards for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, Hygiene standards etc
Child/Family Advocacy
· Have knowledge and regard for the entire family as a unit, assessing and respecting their coping mechanisms while encouraging healthy family patterns.
· Act as the child’s advocate for the palliative care approach within the health and social care team
· Collaborate with health and social care team to address ethical issues
· Ensure that the dignity of the child is maintained and respected
· Collaborate with statutory and voluntary agencies to support the provision of optimum care
Education and Training
· Take every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve knowledge and professional competence of oneself with reference to An Bord Altranais Scope of Nursing Practice Framework and code of professional conduct.
· Identify the education and training needs of staff and initiate strategies to meet these needs
· Support training and education of families, local hospitals, community health care professionals and voluntary services about the needs of children with life limiting conditions.
· Liaise with the relevant education providers and participate in teaching on various aspects of pre and post registration nurses and allied healthcare professional programmes.
· Attend study days and conferences in order to update knowledge in the field of children’s nursing/ life limiting illness conditions/palliative care and related subjects.
· Assist in developing education material e.g., information leaflets and booklets for parents and children relating to their conditions with their interdisciplinary teams.
Research & Audit
· Audit the activities of the service with a view to assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the service
· Monitor and evaluate the role of the Outreach Children’s Nurse
· Participate in data collection to support own role and service provision
· Demonstrate an interest in learning new techniques and skills and apply these to practice
· Identify clinical issues of interest and ensure they are incorporated into clinical practice through teaching and example
· Publish work related research and personal projects
· Identify and implement operational processes to the standards of best practice in order to optimise use of resources and to ensure compliance with statutory requirements.
· Set up clinical standards of care and ensure they are appropriately audited
· Maintain statistical data of patient/service activity and supply annual reports to line manager
· Co-ordinate and develop nursing/clinical policies and protocols in area
· Monitor, access, utilise and disseminate current relevant research findings in order to advise and ensure the provision of informed evidence based practice in the care of children with life limiting conditions.
· Be responsible for identifying opportunities for nursing research which would contribute to the development of services
· Report accidents/incidents, complaints immediately to the consultant in charge of the child and follow the regional paediatric unit’s and the community’s incident monitoring and complaints policy.
Consultancy
· To act as and be available as a clinical resource and consultant, providing professional advice inter and intra disciplinary, in the area of life limiting conditions to those within and outside the service in order to promote improved patient management and continuity of care.
· To accept referrals and to refer in line with local and regional guidelines
· To establish, standardise and monitor clear communication channels for such consultations, inter and intra disciplinary.
This above Job Specification is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.
Eligibility Criteria
Qualifications and/ or experience / Candidates must, at the latest date for receipt of completed applications for the post:
(a) Be currently registered in the Children’s Nursing Division of the Register of Nurses & Midwives maintained by An Bord Altranais or be entitled to be so registered.
And
(b) Have at least 5 years post-registration experience in the Division of the register in which the applicant is currently practising.
And
(c) Have a minimum of 2 years experience in the specialist area
And
(d) Have the ability to practice safely and effectively fulfilling his/her professional responsibility within his/her scope of practice
And
(e) Must demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development
And
(f) From the 1st September 2010 must have acquired a level 8 post registration National Qualifications of Ireland major award relevant to the area of life limiting conditions prior to application*.
*Examples of qualifications relevant to the area of life limiting conditions include Palliative Care, Neonatology, Oncology, ICU, Motor neurone, Cystic Fibrosis etc. Please note this list is not exhaustive.
Post Specific Requirements / Demonstrate experience in the area of life limiting conditions.
Essential skills, competencies and/or knowledge / Professional Knowledge:
· Demonstrates practitioner competence and professionalism in order to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role
· Expert knowledge of caring for children with life limiting conditions
· Overview of Children’s Healthcare Services
· Relevant Strategies or Documents - A Palliative Care Needs Assessment for Children (2005)
· All clinical and theoretical knowledge appropriate to care of children with life limiting conditions
· Clinical Developments in the Speciality
· Evidence based practice in dealing with Children with Life Limiting Conditions
· Demonstrates an awareness of legislation and standards relevant to the role
· Demonstrates a commitment to educational and professional development issues
· Demonstrates an understanding of key issues and priorities in the health sector both locally and professionally within nursing.
· Demonstrate a willingness to engage in and develop IT skills relevant to the role
· Adopts and develops the concept of customer care and challenges any interaction which fails to deliver a safe, quality service to internal and external customers.
Interpersonal / Communication Skills:
· Excellent Interpersonal and Communication skills both verbal and written
· Ability to develop positive working relationships both internally and externally
· Experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams
· Demonstrates evidence of ability to empathise with and treat patients, relatives and colleagues with dignity and respect.
Management / Leadership Skills:
· Ability to Manage Change / Change Management skills
Planning & Organisational Skills:
· Demonstrate evidence of effective planning and organising skills including awareness of resource management and importance of value for money.
· Organisational & time management skills
· Awareness of extended environment
· IT / PC skills – database management & report writing
· Ability to own on own initiative
· Functions autonomously, without direct supervision in specialist nursing practice
· Ability to meet deadlines
· Ensure quality exists within the service through ongoing quality improvement plans, Audits and re-evaluation.
Teamwork / Influencing Skills:
· Ability demonstrate leadership and teambuilding
· Ability work in a team
· Ability to demonstrate motivation of self and others
· Demonstrates the ability to build and maintain relationships including the ability to work effectively as part of a multi disciplinary team
Problem Solving and Decision Making:
· Display evidence-based clinical knowledge in making decisions regarding client care
· Demonstrate strong analytical, problem solving and decision making skills
Other requirements specific to the post / Access to transport as post will involve travel.
Campaign Specific Selection Process
Ranking / Shortlisting / Interview / A ranking and / or shortlisting exercise may be carried out on the basis of information supplied in your application form. The criteria for ranking and / or shortlisting are based on the requirements of the post as outlined in the eligibility criteria and skills, competencies and / or knowledge section of this job specification. Therefore it is very important that you think about your experience in light of those requirements.
Failure to include information regarding these requirements may result in you not being called forward to the next stage of the selection process.
Those successful at the ranking stage of this process (where applied) will be placed on an order of merit and will be called to interview in ‘bands’ depending on the service needs of the organisation.
Code of Practice / The Health Service Executive will run this campaign in compliance with the Code of Practice prepared by the Commissioners for Public Service Appointments (CPSA). The Code of Practice sets out how the core principles of probity, merit, equity and fairness might be applied on a principle basis. The Code also specifies the responsibilities placed on candidates, feedback facilitates for applicants on matters relating to their application when requested, and outlines procedures in relation to requests for a review of the recruitment and selection process and review in relation to allegations of a breach of the Code of Practice. Additional information on the HSE’s review process is available in the document posted with each vacancy entitled “Code of Practice, information for candidates. ”
Codes of practice are published by the CPSA and are available on www.hse.ie/eng/staff/jobs in the document posted with each vacancy entitled “Code of Practice, information for candidates or on www.cpsa.ie
Child Protection / This post is one of those designated in accordance with Section 2 of the Protection of Persons Reporting Child Abuse Act, 1998. You will remain a designated officer for the duration of your appointment in this post or for the duration of your appointment to such other post as is included in the categories specified in the Ministerial Direction. Such officer will on receiving a report of child abuse formally notify the Senior Social Worker in the Community Care Area in which the child is living.
The reform programme outlined for the Health Services may impact on this role and as structures change the job specification may be reviewed.
This job specification is a guide to the general range of duties assigned to the post holder. It is intended to be neither definitive nor restrictive and is subject to periodic review with the employee concerned.