ST MICHAEL’S HOSPICE

JOB TITLE: Bereavement Coordinator

LOCATION: St Michael’s Hospice, Bartestree

HOURS: 37.5hrs per week, Full Time (Mainly Mon-Fri but occasional weekend and evening work involved)

CONTRACT TYPE: Permanent

Date: March 2018

Scope

St Michael’s Hospice, Hereford have a dynamic, inspiring and forward-thinking Counselling and Bereavement team who are currently recruiting a Bereavement Coordinator.

Our team supports patients and families both pre and post-bereavement and works within the overall Supportive Care Team providing multidisciplinary, person-centred patient care.

You will manage the expanding Listening Support Volunteer team and play a key role in all bereavement services across the Hospice.

Main Purpose

To continue to develop the bereavement service at the hospice working closely alongside the existing social work, chaplaincy and counselling teams.

Take a lead in the work of the Herefordshire Bereavement Forum, developing a strategic model for the county and raising awareness of dying, death and bereavement.

To continue to support and further develop the Compassionate Communities model by liaising with the local community and GPs surgeries.

Scope of Job – main tasks, duties and responsibilities% Time

Bereavement65%

  • Assist in developing,maintaining and delivering services and events for the bereaved within the hospice environment, county-wide and beyond. E.g. Light up a Life, Remembrance Afternoons, Bereavement Lunches
  • Take a lead and support in the smooth running of existing groups and continue to develop the service within the community
  • Represent the hospice through regular attendance at the appropriate local and national bereavement network meetings and events. (e.g. ABSCo)
  • Take a lead in the work of the Herefordshire Bereavement Forum, developing a strategic model for the county

Management and administration 20%

  • Maintain records of work undertaken and develop systems to ensure the smooth and comprehensive delivery of support
  • Assist in developing and recruiting to the listening support volunteer team ensuring on-going supervision and further training to ensure best practice
  • Manage and Lead the monthly listening support volunteer meetings
  • Continue to support and further develop the Compassionate Communities model in liaising with the local community and GPs surgeries.
  • Assist in research and audit as required
  • Provide written reports of work undertaken as required
  • Promote service user involvement and facilitate service user feedback in the fields of bereavement and counselling

Education15%

  • Contribute to internal and external education provided by the Hospice including liaising with external bereavement support groups with the aim of exploring collaborative working
  • Share knowledge, expertise and experience with internal and external professionals and volunteers
  • Seek to influence the development of specialist and generalist supportive palliative care
  • Work to develop identified volunteer skills necessary for the operation and development of the department
  • Undertake personal and professional development in line with the objectives identified through appraisal in order to perform role at a competent and confident level

Dimensions and Limits of Authority/Influence

  • Responsibility to contributeto the development and delivery of bereavement care across the hospice environment
  • Responsibility for liaison with multi-disciplinary team and with external statutory and voluntary agencies, within the boundaries of confidentiality
  • Responsibility to work independently in the day-to-day bereavement strategy

Decisions / Recommendations

  • Expected to make informed decisions and recommendations within professional boundaries, organisational policies and procedures and care guidelines. Competence and confidence in the role, that contributes to multidisciplinary decision making.
  • Recommend and act as resource to patients, family, carers and internal/external bodies re counselling and bereavement in the palliative setting.

Communications

Internal

  • All teams, volunteers, patients, families and carers all often distressed, planned and unplanned
  • Complex communication requiring skilled negotiation to achieve best possible outcome for services users

External

  • Professional, statutory and voluntary agencies, including other hospices to influence decision making on behalf of patients

Allocation/Checking of Work

Managed by Counselling and Bereavement Lead

Quarterly activity reports (including user feedback)

Physical Effort

Routine office work (25%)

Some travelling is essential (annual mileage approximate 1,000) (10%)
Visiting service user homes can pose physical difficulties e.g. nowhere to sit (10%)

Contact with distressed patients/relatives face-to-face, groups and via (50%)
telephone planned and unplanned
Occasional moving of furniture (5%)

Working Conditions

Busy office with some distractions

Community work

Some work will be in the client’s home (Assessments)

Person Specification

Education/Qualifications and Experience / Essential/ Desirable
Graduate qualification in line with social work, counselling training or equivalent / E
Good standard of general education to GCSE Level or equivalent / E
Working with issues of loss and bereavement / E
Literacy to a level required to draft correspondence and reports / D
Working with a volunteer team / E
Developing services using a volunteer model / D
Work in a Multi-disciplinary setting / D
Knowledge, Skills / Essential/Desirable
Attend appropriate courses to maintain own skills and expertise / E
Interpersonalcommunication / E
Sound assessment skills / E
Decision making within agreed structures / E
Organisation and time management / E
Knowledge of Advocacy / D
Excellent IT skills, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Microsoft Office / E
Personal Qualities and Attributes / Essential/Desirable
High degree of discretion and respect for confidentiality / E
Ability to prioritise work load and flexible to changing demands / E
Responds positively to new and challenging situations / E
Demonstrates a flexible approach to change / E
Demonstrates a genuine willingness to learn and develop / E
Approachable, professional and calm manner / E
A team player / E
Self-driven, confident and motivated / E