Hospice Doctor

Full job description

Roles and Responsibilities

As part of Palliative Care Multi-disciplinary Team, the post holder will deliver high quality professional care to patients and relatives within the Hospice and in the community as needed. They will work closely with the Clinical Team to ensure we offer the highest standards of care, developing services to meet the changing needs of our patients.

• Work with the rest of the Medical Team to deliver high quality palliative care.
• Undertake medical assessment, diagnosis, and management of patients.
• Initiate appropriate medical care and prescribe appropriately in line with Heart of Kent policies and guidelines.
• Assess patients admitted electively or urgently and work with the MDT to initiate appropriate investigations and treatment.
• Ongoing assessment of patients in the Hospice In-Patient Unit or in the community and liaison with other healthcare professionals as appropriate.
• Any other medical duties in emergency situations.
• Communication with patients’ relatives and carers regarding clinical condition and management. plan and participate in family meetings as required.
• Attend weekly MDT meetings as required.
• Communicate unexpected changes in patients’ condition to senior colleagues.
• To keep handovers up to date and to actively take part in handover meetings.
• Record medical assessment and examination daily on electronic patient database.
• Review and update electronic drug records, working with the Pharmacists.
• Completion of TTO prescriptions.
• Liaison with the Medical Examiner Service and completion of MCCD paperwork and Cremation paperwork when required.
• Support trainees and visitors.
• Participate in education and learning events.
• Meet requirements of appropriate Royal College for CPD with involvement in CPD appropriate to specialty: Keeping up to date with medical developments, new drugs, treatments, and medications relevant to Palliative Medicine.
• Participate in annual medical appraisal and job plan review and revalidation process.
• Participate in quality improvement activities, audit, and research.

Medical Team Charter

• We listen respectfully at all times. 
• We manage confidentiality well. 
• Openness and honesty are vital to us. 
• We always respect peoples’ time. 
• We live up to our commitments to each other. 
• We are transparent in how we work with each other and are prepared to have difficult conversations. 
• We give and receive feedback in good time and with humanity.  
• We have a positive outlook but can help when things are challenging. 
• We respect differences of opinion. 
• We handle challenge well. 
• We acknowledge our work can be emotionally draining and the impact on self. 
• We create a psychologically safe environment. 
• We value how important the team members contribution is. 
• We notice and care how one another are feeling. 

About the role

This post would be ideal for those wishing to expand their knowledge and experience regarding end of life and palliative care and would be ideal for those wanting to specialist training posts in a wide range specialties. Previous post holders have found this post invaluable in their applications for specialist training.

This post sits within the Medical Directorate and the postholder will report directly to the Patient Services Director who is a member of the Hospice Executive Team.

As part of Palliative Care Multi-disciplinary Team, the post holder will deliver high quality professional care to patients and relatives within the Hospice and in the community as needed. They will work closely with the Clinical Team to ensure we offer the highest standards of care, developing services to meet the changing needs of our patients.

• Work with the rest of the Medical Team to deliver high quality palliative care.
• Undertake medical assessment, diagnosis, and management of patients.
• Initiate appropriate medical care and prescribe appropriately in line with Heart of Kent policies and guidelines.
• Assess patients admitted electively or urgently and work with the MDT to initiate appropriate investigations and treatment.
• Ongoing assessment of patients in the Hospice In-Patient Unit or in the community and liaison with other healthcare professionals as appropriate.
• Any other medical duties in emergency situations.
• Communication with patients’ relatives and carers regarding clinical condition and management. plan and participate in family meetings as required.
• Attend weekly MDT meetings as required.
• Communicate unexpected changes in patients’ condition to senior colleagues.
• To keep handovers up to date and to actively take part in handover meetings.

• Record medical assessment and examination daily on electronic patient database.
• Review and update electronic drug records, working with the Pharmacists.
• Completion of TTO prescriptions.
• Liaison with the Medical Examiner Service and completion of MCCD paperwork and Cremation paperwork when required.
• Support trainees and visitors.
• Participate in education and learning events.
• Meet requirements of appropriate Royal College for CPD with involvement in CPD appropriate to specialty: Keeping up to date with medical developments, new drugs, treatments, and medications relevant to Palliative Medicine.
• Participate in annual medical appraisal and job plan review and revalidation process.
• Participate in quality improvement activities, audit, and research.

About the Hospice

We have been providing exceptional care to people living with a terminal illness in Maidstone, Aylesford, Tonbridge, Malling and surrounding areas since 1991. We support patients with both cancer and non-cancer diagnoses, and those closest to them, and all our services are provided free of charge.

Our vision is that everyone living with a terminal illness in our community will have the best quality of life, for as long as they live. Our highly trained colleagues and volunteers do everything to help our patients live in comfort, with independence and dignity in their own homes, local care homes or in our Hospice. All our care is underpinned by our core values of compassion, integrity, respect and teamwork.

As a local charity independent of the NHS we are reliant on our supporters and donors, our services cost £5 million to run, with over £4 million raised through the generosity of our local community. Our supporters fundraise in so many ways for us – from taking part in Hospice events and physical challenges, to local business support, to giving in memory of a loved one (and so many more other ways), their generosity is incredible.

We pride ourselves on being a values driven behaviour-based organisation. If you share our vision and passion for quality care, we’d like to hear from you.

Colleague benefits

Our way of working

Heart of Kent Hospice supports hybrid working wherever practical and appropriate for a role and service.  The Hospice works with colleagues to accommodate, wherever possible, requests for flexible working e.g. different start/finish times / part time hours. The Hospice also allows bank holidays to be taken at different times of the year, wherever possible, to enable colleagues to book time off at a time more important to the individual e.g. to celebrate within their own religion, personal beliefs or lifestyle.

Annual leave

Heart of Kent Hospice offers a generous holiday entitlement which increases with service.  On appointment each colleague receives 27 days annual leave per annum plus bank holidays and after 5 years this rises to 29 days.  After 10 years this increases to 33 day.  Part time colleagues accrued annual leave on a pro-rata basis.

Life assurance

Cover for an amount equal to 2 times salary is provided for all employees subject to scheme rules.

Sickness absence pay

Company sickness pay supplements statutory sick pay and is paid probation.  Company sick pay increases in accordance with length of service rising to 6 months full pay and 6 months half pay.

Pensions

The Heart of Kent Hospice provides access and contributions towards the nestpensions.org.uk and where colleagues are eligible to contribute to an NHS pension, payments can continue to be made via this scheme, subject to conditions.

Maternity and paternity leave

Maternity leave pay is enhanced in line with policy details and conditions. Paternity leave pay is enhance and paid at full for 2 weeks.

Employee assistance scheme

All colleagues are provided with free scheme memberships which provides 24 access to a GP, 24 helpline, 6 counselling sessions and a discount purchase scheme.

Occupational health

The Hospice refers to Occupational Health where appropriate including referral to specialists counsellors.

Access to Hospice facilities

When based at the Hospice or visiting the Hospice, colleagues can access our subsidised café, on-site rest rooms which provide a space to relax, access to a multi faith room and free parking.

Career and personal development

In addition to statutory & mandatory training the Hospice provides development including skills such as excel, role specific training and developmental programmes such as leadership development, coaching and attendance at conferences and events in support of Continuous Professional Development.  Our In-house Hospice Education and Training team provide clinical CPD and support to those within our Patient Services team.

Health & Wellbeing

The Hospice provides many opportunities for colleagues to get involved in focus / action groups including wellbeing initiatives through each year.

Belonging

The Hospice Belonging Group work with the Executive team to continually improve equity, equality, inclusion and diversity and the Hospice leadership looks for feedback on Inclusion and Wellbeing via happiness at work check-ins, colleague surveys, colleague representation groups and through our 2 way feedback sessions referred to as “snapshops”.

Other leave and support

In line with legislation and our personal values and commitment to demonstrate care to our colleagues as well as caring for our patients we provide a colleague care programme of leave and support.  Further details are provided on appointment.

Cultural Framework

Our purpose

To enable people with a terminal illness in our community to live in the comfort, with independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support rise closest to them.

Mindset

We are curious about improving care.

I care

We understand that caring each other, those we support and our purpose is essential to our success. We foster strong, trusting relationships in all our interactions.

We care about how we communicate and prioritise our work, and we treat everyone with respect.

• I seek to understand the needs of others
• I communicate clearly and openly
• I share my team and resources
• I listen to others’ ideas

I learn

So that we can continuously improve our care, we actively look for opportunities to develop, our skills and knowledge. We take time to learn from others and understand different ways of thinking. We recognise that learning will shape the long-term delivery of our care.

• I create opportunities to develop knowledge and skills
• I find ways to learn from others
• I seek out positive and developmental feedback from others
• I champion evidence-based learning

I own

We deliver on our promises at an individual, team and organisational level. We take pride in what we achieve and we lead by example, empowering one another to take ownerships. We proactively share knowledge and embrace self-reflection.

• I confirm my commitments
• I deliver on my commitments, on time, to the quality promised
• I help the team to deliver
• I identify learnings from successes and failures

I improve

We believe that we can continuously improve the contribution we make. We welcome new ideas and approaches and recognise that change is not always easy or comfortable. We encourage feedback so that we can improve. We actively look for solutions to problems.

• I embrace changes
• I analyse information to identify and solve problems
• I give positive and developmental feedback to others
• I share learning sand ideas with others