Clinically responsible to: Residential Care Clinical Lead

Professionally accountable to: Director of Nursing and Clinical Services

Purpose of the position

Nurse Coordinators use nursing knowledge and complex nursing judgment to assess health needs and provide care, and to advise and support people to manage their health. They practice independently and in collaboration with other health professionals, perform general nursing functions, and delegate to and direct enrolled nurses, health care assistants and others. They provide comprehensive assessments to develop, implement, and evaluate an integrated plan of health care, and provide interventions that require substantial scientific and professional knowledge, skills and clinical decision making. This occurs in a range of settings in partnership with individuals, families, whānau and communities.

The aim of the position is to develop, support, advise and empower staff in Residential Care (RC) facilities to enhance the delivery of palliative care across the sector. 

To achieve the position’s aim, the Nurse Coordinator will role model key aspects of palliative care such as:

•    discussion toward agreeing shared goals of care;
•    symptom control;
•    communication with families / whānau; 
•    increasing awareness of death and dying to create an open culture and encourage dialogue around end of life care for RC residents.
•    support staff, residents and families with bedside nursing care when required.

The position involves participation in the education programme of Otago Community Hospice (OCH).

Functional relationships

•    Patients, families / whānau
•    Local Residential Care Providers 
•    OCH Interdisciplinary Team members
•    General Practice (GP) staff 
•    Southern District Health Board Palliative Care Advisory Service 
•    Local Hospital services and allied health professionals
•    Community pharmacists 

Specific areas of responsibility (criteria for measurement)

1.    Promotion of a high standard of palliative care within Residential Care Facilities (RCF)

•    Mentor RC staff to empower them in palliative care delivery
•    Role model a high standard of palliative care 
•    Encourage the use of verified assessment tools 
•    Support and encourage  the use of care plans for the last days of life 
•    Provide advice to staff on palliative care issues
•    Recognise palliative care emergencies and assist in making appropriate plans
•    Use networking and influencing skills to ensure the philosophy of palliative care is understood across the RC sector
•    Promote and assist as necessary in the delivery of care that addresses all identified patient, family and whānau needs, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual in line with goals of care

2.    Education and training 

•    Be alert to the need for and deliver any specific palliative care training within RC facilities
•    Remain current and informed of developments within the palliative care sector e.g. Ministry of Health, Hospice New Zealand, OCH
•    Work with RCF managers to help develop a culture of reflective practice and learning amongst RC staff
•    Deliver education appropriate  for RC staff and collaborate with OCH education coordinators to increase education uptake across the sector

3.    Self-management

•    Avoid imposing prejudice on others and provide redirection and advocacy when prejudice is apparent 
•    Demonstrate and practice effective personal self-awareness identify potential risk to self, others or organisations, manage or/and reduce the risk e.g. maintain professional boundaries. 
•    Participate in professional supervision and use effective techniques for self-care 
•    Participate in OCH/SDHB three yearly Professional Development Recognition Programme attaining and maintaining a RN expert level portfolio. Participate in OCH yearly interim appraisal process in which progress towards goals are reviewed. 
•    Attend to own professional legislated and governing body requirements seeking support where appropriate. 
•    Complete in a timely manner all OCH mandatory training and education requirements. Update own clinical competencies, knowledge and skills as required 
•    Identify own learning and development needs and take responsibility for seeking out and participating in training opportunities requesting support where required
•    Prioritise time and work effectively
•    Seek evidence based literature from various sources and consistently draw on research and literature to influence palliative care practice and learning

4.    Compliance / Quality / Audit / Risk 

•    Practice within professional standards, code of conduct, professional ethics and scope of practice and provide culturally appropriate care at all times
•    Comply at all times with OCH and ARC policies and procedures and take responsibility for own actions / inactions (if these conflict, seek advice from the line manager) 
•    Be familiar with, promote and ensure compliance with the ARC and OCH quality, health and safety and infection prevention and control policies
•    Maintain an active role in the ARC facility (when invited) and OCH quality improvement programme 
•    Work safely in facilities by identifying, taking appropriate action and promptly reporting all incidents, accidents and/or near misses 
•    Maintain own professional development relevant to the position updating own clinical competencies, knowledge and skills as required
•    Promote Hospice New Zealand standards and quality initiatives
•    Participate in audits and research that are evaluating aspects of the RC service, including collecting statistics about activities and outcomes
•    Contribute as requested to the development of periodic reports on RC service operations
•    Use any and all equipment safely as recommended by manufacturer, promptly report unsafe or malfunctioning equipment to facility manager

5.    Communication and team work

•    Role model advanced communication skill,  provide accurate, timely and concise written documentation and spoken information to colleagues, other healthcare providers, patients, family and whānau, within a legal and ethical framework
•    Collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary team, internal and external e.g. GP and facilities team to ensure patients likely to need increased support are identified in advance and measures are put in place to address need
•    In all situations represent Hospice in a committed manner projecting professionalism, compassion, respect and inclusivity ensuring these are reflected in your actions and behaviours
•    Support and promote agreed goals of care
•    Attend and participate in meetings as required, communicating information from the meetings to all relevant parties 
•    Provide motivational leadership by actively praising / valuing staff endeavors and acknowledging patient satisfaction and good clinical care
•    Participate in ongoing development of palliative care in RC, including provision of education and promotion of OCH services

6.    Clinical Development within the ARC Facility

•    Be responsible for empowering residential care staff
•    Identify and develop key coordinators in each facility to champion the provision of quality end of life care 
•    Participate in quality initiatives with RC and OCH as requested/required

Role model assessment skills by:

•    Demonstrating how to collect and analyse a clinical history in a succinct and logical manner, how to present this clearly and professionally 
•    Demonstrating an in-depth knowledge of symptom management
•    Demonstrating an ability to recognise and provide guidance on palliative care emergencies
•    Demonstrating concise and accurate documentation
 

Updated: September 2023