Qualifications, training, knowledge and experience

·        The 4 pillars of ACP must be met:

Clinical practice: master’s level qualification (or experience) and non-medical prescribing qualification

Leadership and management

Education

Research

For RCN registrants this is achieving credentialing for RCN Advance level Nursing practice and for non-RCN registrants’ evidence they meet the credentialing criteria.

Once a nationally agreed multi-professional register is agreed this will become the standard requirement.  

·        Extensive experience in the delivery of specialist palliative care across pathologies

Communication skills

·     Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information

·     There may be barriers to understanding and acceptance exacerbated by disease progression, or its speed, in a highly emotive atmosphere. Negotiation, education, empathy and re-assurance will be needed to reach agreement or understanding

·     Information maybe received from or given to patients, family or other health and social care professionals in own organisation or externally

·     Liaising and advising hospital inpatient teams who have overall responsibility for the patient, and delivering shared care with patient at the centre of care

·     Communicating with other health professional colleagues, including completion of Fast Track Assessment forms, and discharge planning to home or hospice, and onward referral

·     Promotion of Palliative and End of Life Care within the Acute Hospital Trust with attendance and representation at appropriate Board meetings

Analytical and judgemental skills

Ability to make assessment and subsequent decision in a complex presentation where there is an element of uncertainty and risk

Planning and organisational skills

·     Plan and organise complex activities or programmes, requiring Formulation and adjustments

·     Includes changing in priorities through a shift across settings. Will often involve delegation of tasks

Physical skills

·     Ability to use medical equipment to complete assessments and review treatment plans

Responsibility for patient care

·     Develops specialist treatment plans for palliative patients across settings.

·     Provides advise to other professionals on the treatment plans for patients in their care. This may be within the organisation, primary care or acute trust.

·     Accountable for decision making

Responsibility for policy and service development

·     Proposes changes and develops protocols which may impact on other professionals within service and rest of organisation, and within the Acute Hospital Trust.

Financial and physical resources

·     Responsible for safe use of expensive equipment

Human resources

·      Develops and delivers educational packages to a wide range of professionals on end of life and palliative care topics. E.g. Verification of expected death, symptom management, referral pathways, medical, nursing and therapy interventions.

·      Training can be delivered across health economy including private and voluntary sectors  

Information resources

·     Records personally generated patient records

Research and development

·     Regularly undertakes research activities including complex audit, often across service or pathways, recruiting to research projects, involved in evaluation and write up of research.

Freedom to Act

·     Freedom to act based on own interpretation of policies and patient assessments; works autonomously and is fully accountable for all decisions made.

Effort factors

·     Inputting at keyboard daily

·     Travelling to various sites across the organisation

·     Frequent concentration required for assessment of patients, evaluation of others work, report writing, giving advice face to face or via telephone

·     Frequent interruptions for advice and queries, may require change in activities

·     Frequently dealing with difficult situations/circumstances regarding imparting unwelcome news to patients and families, provides care of the terminal ill, includes withdrawal of treatment

·     Dealing with staff with emotional or challenging behaviour

·     Travelling between various MCH sites

·     Occasional exposure to aggressive and/or verbal behaviour

·     Occasional exposure to unpleasant working conditions