Clinical Nurse Specialist Supportive and Palliative Care

The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) will be a core member of a multidisciplinary team, providing direct/indirect specialist palliative care support and advice to clinicians, patients, and carers across the trust.
The clinical nurse specialist (CNS) will manage and support complex specialist palliative care within the hospital setting led by the lead nurse and consultant nurse for the service, and alongside the palliative medicine consultant / clinical lead for end of life care trust wide.
The post holder will act as a specialist resource to the core multidisciplinary team, extended teams including clinical and non-clinical staff across the trust 7 days per week.
The post holder will assess, plan, prescribe and evaluate the psychological, physical, social, emotional and cultural needs of palliative care patients and their families using research-based evidence to support their practice always.
The CNS will have continuing responsibility for the co-ordination and organisation of individual treatment programmes for patients from time of referral to discharge from the service or discharge home.
Please note a band 6 may be offered to a candidate if they do not meet the criteria for a band 7 but do meet the criteria for a band 6 post., The CNS will work as an independent autonomous practitioner to provide both practical and emotional support for patients and their carers throughout the care pathway. Patient advocacy and influencing decision making within the context of managing complex specialist palliative care is key.
The CNS will be involved in breaking bad news to patients and their families and offering continued emotional support to in- patients and families.
The CNS will keep up to date with certain clinical techniques such as setting up continuous sub-cutaneous infusions and be able to advise/assist in these procedures when required.
The CNS will be aware of the ethical issues in relation to palliative and end of life care and be willing to act as the advocate for the patient when appropriate.
The CNS will promote liaison between the hospital, primary care and the local hospices to achieve preferred place of care and safe discharges of patients especially those at the end of life.
Maintain accurate electronic and or manual clinical, patient and other records as required, ensuring that all documentation adheres to the trust's standards.
To ensure all clinical practice is evidence based, drawing on published literature and policy guidelines.
Be able to empathetically communicate complex or sensitive information to patients and their families in highly emotive situations

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 695,000 people.
Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'.
We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.
The Trust is committed to supporting flexible working to fulfil our pledge as part of The Trust's People Strategy to help staff to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Please speak with your Recruiting Manager for further information and opportunities., Staff and patients from across East Kent Hospitals are the feature of the biggest NHS recruitment drive in its 70 year history. https://www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/work-here/
Filmed in William Harvey and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother hospitals, the 'We are the NHS' campaign highlights the extraordinary work that staff across EKHUFT do every single day. As one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a population of over one million people, EKHUFT was perfectly placed to demonstrate the care, cutting-edge treatments, research, innovations and life-saving operations that the campaign needed.
There are lots of great opportunities at East Kent Hospitals, where staff are caring and put patients first, innovation flourishes and you can develop your career. We're on an exciting journey of transformation. With a new Medical School at the centre of our community, a focus on research, clinical leadership and making our trust a rewarding and friendly place to work,
there's never been a better time to join us. To find out more about east Kent visit our website at. The Trust fully supports the SAS Doctors Charter and is committed to their development through its CPD Framework.
We'll close this job advert once we've received sufficient applications which may be before the closing date so please apply as soon as possible. We only accept online applications. If you have any difficulty with this please contact our Resourcing Team on who are happy to help.
We have a relocation policy for eligible candidates, parking available at Trust sites but we encourage other options, like car sharing or public transport.
The Trust is committed to supporting flexible working to fulfil our pledge as part of The Trust's People Strategy to help staff to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Please speak with your Recruiting Manager for further information on how this can be managed alongside department expectations and requirements.
The ability to converse easily and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for all customer facing roles.
Most positions require a Disclosure and Barring check and will be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Posts working regularly or unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults require an enhanced check.
Applicants for eligible roles requiring Tier 2 sponsorship must meet UK Visas and Immigration eligibility criteria.
We operate a no-smoking policy on all our sites and grounds.