Job Description

Job Title: Clinical Nurse Specialist (Development role considered)

Reporting To: Head of Hospice Community Team

Accountable to: Patient Services Director

Responsible for:

Working at an advanced practice level toprovide a co-ordinated and comprehensive specialist palliative care service to patients and their loved ones facing a terminal illness within the hospice catchment area.

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

(9 day fortnight (08:30 - 17:30 x 8, 08:30 - 16:00 x 1)

Weekends and Bank Holidays as part of 7 day service delivery

Location: Aylesford, Kent

Salary: 41,321.85 per annum

Closing Date: 21st September 2025

Interview Dates: 30th September 2025

About the Role

An exciting new opportunity to join our Hospice Community Team within a CQC 'Outstanding' Hospice has opened.

Working within a skill mixed team responsible for a caseload of community patients. This will include supporting appropriate identification and referral of patients, conducting comprehensive holistic assessments, diagnosis, recommendation of evidence-based symptom management plans and enable advance care planning within community settings.

The post-holder will be an expert role model providing education and support, regarding palliative care issues to other health and social care professionals and, in conjunction with senior clinical management, stimulate and direct the development of clinical practice across the local community.

Essential Criteria for the Role

5 years post registration experience ideally in palliative/ end of life care/ community settings

Advanced communication and interpersonal skills.

Excellent level of clinical enquiry and assessment.

A high level of resilience and the ability to cope with the personal impact of supporting those with a terminal illness and their families

Strong IT skills and familiarity with Microsoft Office applications (Excel, Word, Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint)

Proven ability to deal with confidential and sensitive information, in a professional and confidential manner.

About our Team

The Hospice Community Service provides high quality, seven days a week specialist palliative care advice for those patients with a progressive terminal illness who are being cared for in their home environment (own home/care home) and to offer support to their family, carers and friends. As a multidisciplinary team we undertake holistic assessments and can help to manage complex symptoms associated with a wide range of life-limiting illnesses. We facilitate advance care planning conversations and support patients to identify and meet their preferences and wishes. The role of the team is both advisory and educational and works alongside a multitude of NHS and other charitable services to enhance the patient's quality of life. We do not take over the day-to-day care of the patient but are an additional resource, which provides information and support for patients, loved-ones/carers and healthcare professionals. The service is offered to patients living in the Maidstone and Malling locality; extending to: Borough Green, Yalding, Staplehurst, Marden, and Harrietsham.

About the Hospice

At Heart of Kent Hospice, we believe that everyone deserves compassionate, expert care when there is no cure for their illness and when they have a limited time left to live.

We are a charity and we don't charge a penny for our care. We depend on the compassion and kindness of you, the people of this community, to power our services and ensure that everyone gets the help they need.

We provide specialist care and support to adults who have a terminal illness as well as their families, friends and carers. We help people to live as fully and as well as possible for the rest of their lives and ensure that their final days are comfortable and peaceful,

wherever they choose to be. We treat every individual as the unique and special person that they are. Everything we do is tailored and personalised.

Our vision is that everyone living with a terminal illness in our community will have the best quality of life. Our purpose is to enable people with a terminal illness in our community to live with comfort, independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support those closest to them. All our care is underpinned by our core values of compassion, integrity, respect and teamwork. These values guide our decision-making and how we conduct ourselves in our work and every one of our colleagues plays an important part in enabling us to give our patients and their families the best possible care.

If you're passionate about our cause consider joining our team.

Benefits of Working at the Hospice

At the Hospice we offer a competitive remuneration package including contributory pension scheme with NEST or the option to continue in the NHS pension scheme specifically if you have been contributing in the NHS pension for the last year, life assurance (2 x salary), employee assistance programme, incremental increases in annual leave from 27 days or 19 shifts per annum, up to 33 days or 23 shifts per annum, a flexible/hybrid working approach (where practical and appropriate for the role - 3/5 days at the Hospice location), a warm and friendly atmosphere with a focus on your health and wellbeing. We support our colleagues and volunteers with on-going training and development, celebrating excellence and rewarding success. Full details will be provided if selected for interview.

For more information about what it's like to work with us please contact Oliver-Jon (O-J) Tidball, Head of Hospice Community Team, 01622 792200 ext 204/256. Job description and application form can be found on our 'Work with us' page on our website.

We're committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity in all its forms and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, identities and disabilities.

All interested applicants must complete our application form in full.An Enhanced DBS Check will be required if you are successfully appointed.

It is a criminal offence for people who are barred from working in Regulated Activity (under the Safeguarding and Vulnerable Groups Act 2006) to apply for roles that require them to work unsupervised with Adults/Children at risk.

Registered Charity No 298164

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 41,321.85 per year

Benefits:

Canteen Casual dress Company pension Employee discount Free parking Health & wellbeing programme Life insurance On-site parking Sick pay
Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 21/09/2025