Social Worker - Palliative Care

Job summary

Would you like to provide truly Person Centred Care, contributing to a multidisciplinary environment and proactively support people plan ahead with preparing for the future?

With competitive pay, annual leave and pension schemes available, alongside opportunities for both personal and professional development working for us may provide you with the job satisfaction and happiness you've been looking for.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will directly influence patient care by providing social work service provision for people who have palliative care needs, their families and carers. The service aims to enable and empower individuals to make informed choices, maximise independence and promote positive well-being. The post holder will be supporting those thought to be in their last year of life to receive the most appropriate care as responsively as possible.

About us
In addition to the competitive salary we offer the following:

Enhanced holiday entitlement: 25 days FTE (increasing to 27 after 5 years and 31 after 9 years) plus public holidays
Onsite subsidised cafe
Free parking
Access to blue light discount card
Access to complementary therapy
We have an amazing multi-disciplinary team who all work together ensuring that the patient is central to everything we do.

Our Vision is ...

That every person living with or affected by a life limiting condition will be offered choice and access to excellent end of life and bereavement care.

Our Values are:

COMPASSION

ACCESSIBILITY

RESPECT

EXCELLENCE

SPARK

The Hospice stands in beautiful well maintained grounds. Our building is modern and light with each bedroom having a garden view.

Job description
Job responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:


To deliver interventions where high level holistic assessment, problem solving and decision-making skills are required to identify appropriate plans of action and support, working to best practice guidance.

Carry a caseload and work with those who may show complexity to undertake responsibilities required of all social workers.

To work in collaboration and deliver sustained improvements in performance, quality and outcome measures.

To represent and work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team, providing a social work service to patients, their families and carers.

To build a professional relationship with patients, their families and carers and use that relationship to safeguard and promote positive outcomes.

To communicate effectively with patients, their families and carers, ensuring their wishes are heard and plans are accurately recorded to reflect this.

To support patients, their families and carers with the practical and emotional implications of facing a life-limiting illness. Alongside empowering them to make decision about their future needs and offering appropriate interventions.

Work with patients, their families and carers in a person centred, evidence based approach, utilising robust outcome measures.

Promote self-care when working within a palliative and end of life environment where death and dying is a regular feature of the role.

Anticipate and identify the bereavement needs of families and carers. Participate in bereavement follow-up, in liaison with the wider team as appropriate.

Undertake mental capacity assessments and/ or best interest decisions. Support staff undertaking DOLS assessments providing expert advice as required.

To support and implement changes in approaches to work or change management in accordance with the development of the organisation.

To provide reports on service outcomes.

Implement and educate on Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool -CSNAT. Report on outcomes.

To take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with legislation, research findings and practice knowledge.

To take responsibility in ensuring continued registration as Social Worker within professional body.

Contribute to training and practice development, alongside attending your own mandatory and developmental training as appropriate, meeting your own personal development needs and the objectives of the organisation.

Facilitate training either formally or informally as required and promote a learning environment, which supports professional and personal development.

Participate in debrief, case discussion and reflection to support practice development and learning.

Ability to work within a fast paced, ever changing clinical environment.

Be part of the multi-professional Safeguarding Leads Team to promote safeguarding awareness, manage concerns and lead on investigations as required for adults, vulnerable adults, children and young people.

Efficiently and effectively utilise resources to meet service objectives.

Support a team of volunteers as required.

Communicate respectfully with colleagues in an open, accurate and confidential way.

Act as a role model demonstrating high standards of holistic care and provide specialist social work knowledge in palliative care.

Maintain a professional, positive and friendly influence throughout the organisation, maintain awareness of how your behaviours can affect or influence others.

Contribute towards clinical and organisational governance.

Promote positive relationships and effective communication between the organisation and Social Services. To enhance the role and status of both services.

Take an active role in developing and maintaining relationships and services across settings in order to achieve Social Care recommendations as set out in NICE Guidance on Improving Supportive and Palliative Care for Adults with Cancer 2004 and the National Quality Standards for Specialist Palliative Care.

Attend appropriate meetings as an advocate for social work and palliative care issues and ensure other team members are conversant with relevant information relating to social work best practice.

Evaluate service delivery and identify areas for improvement and initiate change.

Promote good communication and provide expertise across multi-professional and agency boundaries, when challenging and solving complex palliative care issues.

Work to support the competence of TH staff on Safeguarding issues, representing the teams at Local Safeguarding updates or providing training, as requested and appropriate.

Share specialist knowledge with social services and health staff to improve knowledge and understanding to advance outcomes for individuals with palliative care needs.

To be involved in and lead on pertinent audit.

To keep up-to-date with local and national developments in palliative care.

To encourage, develop and maintain good working relationships with partner agencies.

To adhere to the code of ethics of Social Work England.

Person Specification
Other Criteria
Essential

Flexibility
Confidence
Motivation
Determination

Experience
Essential

Experience of working with individuals who have palliative care needs
Experience of multi-disciplinary working
Knowledge and understanding of current relevant Health and Social Care legislation and policy
A commitment, knowledge and understanding of Equal Opportunities policy and anti-discriminatory practice
Knowledge of electronic case management systems

Desirable

Knowledge of policy and practice relating to the care of people who have a palliative diagnosis
Experience of successful collaboration with hard to reach groups
SystmOne Compliance

Skills/Abilities
Essential

Excellent communication skills
Ability to work therapeutically with individuals and families
Ability to work in partnership with other professionals
Ability to undertake social care assessments, plan packages of care and monitor and review their effectiveness within the self-directed support framework
An ability to develop and change in light of the changing health and social care policy environment
Able to provide direct emotional and psychological support
Able to plan, manage, prioritise workloads, demonstrating good time management skills
Able to prepare and present reports and other documents
Contribute to teaching and to deliver presentations
Able to work effectively under pressure within departmental procedures and respond effectively in a crisis
Ability to assess risk and take appropriate action

Qualifications
Essential

Degree or diploma in Social Work, or CSS, or CQSW
To be a registered Social Worker with Social Work England

Desirable

Post qualifying award
Practice Teacher
Advanced Communication Skills

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.