Palliative Care Nurse
- Contract
- United Kingdom View on Map
- posted 2 months ago
- Posted : 29th November 2024 -Accepting applications
- View(s) 189
Job Detail
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Job ID 3852
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Job Location On-Site
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Experience No specific experience required
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Gender Any
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Industry General Healthcare
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Qualifications Degree Bachelor
Job Description
Palliative Care Nurse
A Palliative Care Nurse in the UK specializes in providing holistic, compassionate care to individuals with life-limiting illnesses. The primary focus is on enhancing quality of life for patients who may not have a cure available for their condition, supporting them through the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual aspects of their illness. Palliative care nurses are essential in both hospitals and community settings (such as hospices, care homes, and home care), and their role involves managing symptoms, providing emotional support, and helping patients and families navigate end-of-life decisions.
Palliative care nurses often work as part of a multidisciplinary team, collaborating with doctors, social workers, chaplains, and other healthcare professionals to provide holistic care.
Key Responsibilities:
- Patient Assessment and Care Planning:
- Conduct comprehensive assessments of patients with life-limiting illnesses, including taking medical histories, physical examinations, and evaluating symptom severity.
- Develop and implement individualized care plans tailored to the patient’s physical, emotional, and psychological needs.
- Monitor patients regularly, assessing for symptoms of pain, distress, and other physical or psychological needs, adjusting care plans as necessary.
- Identify when symptom control interventions are needed (e.g., for pain, nausea, breathlessness, or anxiety).
- Symptom Management:
- Provide pain management through medications such as opioids, adjuvant analgesics, and other treatments, ensuring appropriate dosages and monitoring for side effects.
- Manage other common symptoms in palliative care patients, including nausea, vomiting, dyspnoea (difficulty breathing), constipation, fatigue, and insomnia.
- Use a range of techniques, including pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods, to help manage symptoms and improve the patient’s comfort.
- End-of-Life Care:
- Provide comfort care to patients who are nearing the end of life, focusing on symptom relief and maintaining dignity and comfort.
- Support patients in making decisions about their care as they approach end-of-life, including discussions about Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders, advance care planning, and preferences for place of death.
- Collaborate with the palliative care team to ensure the patient’s preferences regarding life-sustaining treatments, comfort measures, and emotional support are respected.
- Emotional and Psychological Support:
- Offer emotional support to patients and their families, helping them cope with the distressing realities of a life-limiting illness.
- Provide counselling and help patients and families explore their feelings about death, dying, and grief, offering appropriate resources for psychological support (e.g., therapy or grief counselling).
- Support family members in bereavement and provide ongoing emotional care after the patient has passed, including post-death care.
- Spiritual and Cultural Support:
- Recognize the spiritual needs of patients and families, and offer support in line with their cultural and religious beliefs.
- Work with chaplains or spiritual care advisors to address any spiritual distress or concerns that patients or their families may have.
- Provide culturally sensitive care, respecting the diversity of backgrounds, traditions, and practices of the patients under your care.
- Education and Advocacy:
- Educate patients and families about disease progression, treatment options, and symptom management, empowering them to make informed decisions about their care.
- Offer practical advice on self-care, managing symptoms at home, and advanced care planning.
- Advocate for the patient’s needs and preferences, ensuring that they receive appropriate care and are involved in decisions regarding their treatment and care options.
- Collaboration with the Multidisciplinary Team:
- Work as part of a multidisciplinary team including doctors, social workers, physiotherapists, dietitians, and psychologists to provide comprehensive care.
- Participate in team meetings to discuss patient progress, share insights, and contribute to the development of care plans.
- Ensure coordination between hospital care, community services, and home care, particularly for patients receiving care in multiple settings.
- Care Coordination and Communication:
- Ensure smooth communication between the patient, family, and healthcare providers, ensuring the patient’s needs are met across different settings (hospital, home, hospice).
- Coordinate with community health services or home care teams to provide continuous care to patients at home or in long-term care facilities.
- Maintain detailed documentation of patient care, ensuring continuity and clarity in communication with the rest of the care team.
- Palliative Care in Different Settings:
- Provide care in a variety of settings, including hospices, community care, care homes, or patients’ homes.
- Adapt care delivery based on the patient’s location, ensuring they receive appropriate care regardless of their environment.
- For patients who prefer to die at home, facilitate the necessary home support and coordinate care with the family and other healthcare providers.
- Education and Professional Development:
- Engage in continuing professional development (CPD) to stay up-to-date with advances in palliative care, pain management, and end-of-life care.
- Attend palliative care workshops, conferences, and in-service training to build expertise in caring for patients with complex end-of-life needs.
- Participate in clinical supervision and mentoring programs to enhance clinical skills and improve the quality of care.
Skills and Qualifications:
- Registered Nurse (RN) Qualification:
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (or equivalent).
- Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as a Registered Nurse.
- Specialized Palliative Care Training:
- Postgraduate qualifications or specialized palliative care nursing training (e.g., Palliative Care Certificate or Diploma).
- Training in pain management, symptom control, and communication skills related to end-of-life care.
- Knowledge of palliative care frameworks and standards.
- Clinical Skills:
- Expertise in pain management using medications, including opioids and other analgesics.
- Competency in managing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dyspnoea, anorexia, and constipation.
- Strong understanding of end-of-life care practices and the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of dying.
- Communication Skills:
- Exceptional communication skills to deliver sensitive news, explain complex treatment options, and provide emotional support.
- Ability to have difficult conversations about death, dying, and advanced care planning with patients and families in a compassionate and clear manner.
- Strong interpersonal skills, capable of building trust with patients, families, and the multidisciplinary team.
- Critical Thinking and Decision-Making:
- Ability to make complex clinical decisions around symptom management, palliative care interventions, and end-of-life planning.
- Skilled in prioritizing care and adapting plans based on the patient’s changing condition.
- Organizational and Care Coordination Skills:
- Excellent organizational skills to manage a varied caseload, including coordination of home care and multidisciplinary team involvement.
- Ability to maintain detailed records and care plans, ensuring continuity of care across settings.
- Compassionate and Patient-Cantered Care:
- A compassionate, empathetic approach to caring for patients with life-limiting illnesses.
- Commitment to patient dignity and comfort, with a focus on quality of life rather than solely life-extending treatments.
All applicants need to living in the United Kingdom (with residency in the UK, such as UK/Irish/EU Passport, or an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa)