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JOB DESCRIPTION
TITLE: Night Nurse
RELATIONSHIPS: The Community Palliative Care Clinical Nurse Specialist or Public Health Nurse involved in the patient’s care or GP.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Professionally accountable as described in Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), Code of Professional Conduct (Code NMBI, 2021) and Scope of Practice Framework for Nursing/Midwifery (Scope NMBI, 2015) Irish Cancer Society.
HOURS: On a required and agreed basis. Must be available for 4/6 nights per month and not currently working full time.
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Role Summary
The Irish Cancer Society offers a free Night Nursing Service to palliative patients in their homes, cared for by their families and friends. The service provides help and support to carers, especially at the advanced stage of the patient’s illness. The Night Nursing Service is always complementary to and should follow instructions given by the community Palliative Care Team or the community Primary Care Team (GP or PHN).
Main Duties and Responsibilities
* Participate in the planning, assessment, implementation and evaluation of nursing care to provide symptom relief and comfort to enable the patient to continue to be cared for at home.
* Provide advice, support and education for the carers and family according to their needs.
* Ensure continuity of patient care by communicating and liaising with medical and/or nursing colleagues, providing accurate and timely reports of any changes in the patient’s condition.
* Keep main carer/family up to date as to the patient’s ongoing medical condition.
* Maintain accurate records to reduce the risk of errors as per NMBI Code of Professional Conduct & NMBI Recording Clinical Practice Guidelines.
* Administer medicinal preparations in accordance with NMBI Guidance for Registered Nurses and Midwives on Medication Administration and ICS policies and procedures.
* Report any drug errors immediately to the patient’s GP, doctor on call or the doctor attached to the hospice and/or community Palliative Care Team.
* Open disclosure is a core professional requirement anchored in professional ethics.
* Use evidence-based practice to develop and maintain high-quality patient care and ensure continuous improvement of the Night Nursing Service.
* Report verbally any accident or untoward incident during or after the shift, following with an incident form submitted to the Night Nurse Manager.
* Adhere to a ‘no smoking’ on duty policy and a ‘no sleeping on duty’ policy.
General
* Adhere to NMBI, Code of Professional Conduct and be familiar with the Scope of Practice advisory documents.
* Maintain knowledge of current drugs and therapies in the treatment of pain and other symptoms and administer medication according to the GP/doctor’s instructions.
* Accept opportunities for continuing education in palliative care nursing provided by the Irish Cancer Society.
* Engage in ongoing professional development and stay informed by current literature.
* Be aware of health and safety responsibilities, including moving and handling patients and universal precautions.
* Ensure personal safety in the community; exercise judgment regarding safety when in patients’ homes.
* Carry identification (Irish Cancer Society badge). Uniform is optional; smart casual clothes and soft-soled shoes are acceptable.
* Act as an ambassador of the Irish Cancer Society Night Nursing Service at all times with patients, relatives, colleagues and the public.
* Adhere to the Data Protection policy on all aspects of data safety and storage.
Confidentiality: There must be absolute confidentiality regarding the patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and other information that the nurse may be told or become aware of. This information must only be shared with health care professionals directly involved in the patient’s management.
Hours of Work – Working Time Policy
* The Organisation of Working Time Act (1997) limits the maximum working week to 48 hours. Weekly working time can be averaged over a four-month reference period. Staff who have completed a full shift cannot report back to work until 11 consecutive hours have elapsed.
* It is the responsibility of each employee to ensure they have received adequate sleep during rest time prior to night duty. Time spent on standby or on call is not considered working time.
* Each employee is required to have 24 hours of rest in each seven-day period, which can be averaged to 14 days (two days’ rest every fortnight).
Person Specification
* Registered on the General division of NMBI.
* Qualified in General or Paediatric Nursing
* Seven years’ experience post-qualification.
* Experience working with palliative patients.
* Excellent interpersonal skills, caring and compassionate.
* Ability to work on own initiative and under the direction of the Community Palliative Care Team and Primary Care Team.
* Proven ability to exercise good judgment with a common-sense approach.
* Full clean driving licence and car essential.
* Registered in Dublin No. 20868 CHY 5863 CRA 20009502.
* This job description acts as a guide and may be amended to meet changing requirements of the service.
How to Apply
Please send curriculum vitae (quoting NMBI Number) and cover letter to Amanda Walsh, Recruitment Administrator, Irish Cancer Society, 43-45 Northumberland Road, Dublin 4 or Email recruitment@irishcancer.ie
For informal enquiries and more information including salary scale, please contact recruitment@irishcancer.ie
The Irish Cancer Society is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.
The Irish Cancer Society is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.
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