Hospice at Home Lead (Band 7)


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£49,387 to £56,515 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Basingstoke, RG24 9NB
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	9 Oct 2026
Closing date:	29 Oct 2026

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Summary

Lead the operational delivery of Hospice at Home while maintaining specialist clinical practice. Work alongside the Band 7 Clinical Assessor to provide a responsive, coordinated service for patients with palliative and end-of-life needs and those important to them. The role combines clear management accountability with regular direct clinical work and planned mutual cover. Professional accountability to the Clinical Director. Base: St Michaels Hospice and the community service area. Working pattern: agreed part-time roster reflecting service needs. No additional on-call commitment is assumed in this draft. Main Duties and Responsibilities Key working relationships Clinical Lead, Clinical Director, Operational Manager or Clinical Assessor, Hospice at Home nurses and healthcare assistants, medical team, hospice multidisciplinary services, quality and governance colleagues, primary care, community nursing, specialist palliative care and urgent care partners. Work with Rowans Hospice colleagues to share learning and align practice through agreed arrangements. Operational leadership and people management Lead the day-to-day delivery and development of Hospice at Home, translating the hospices clinical strategy into practical service priorities with the Clinical Lead. Provide substantive line management for the Hospice at Home team, including the Clinical Assessor, under the agreed management structure. Lead recruitment, induction, appraisal, attendance and performance management, staff development and wellbeing, with senior and HR support where required. Manage rotas, skill mix, leave and deployment within agreed resources. Ensure access to appropriate senior clinical advice throughout service delivery and escalate unsafe staffing or capacity gaps promptly. Lead team meetings and maintain clear expectations for professional conduct, communication and accountability. Address concerns fairly and promptly in accordance with hospice procedures. Monitor expenditure within delegated authority, identify resource pressures and contribute to workforce planning and service investment proposals. Referrals capacity and service improvement Oversee referral pathways, caseload review and allocation of staff, working closely with the Clinical Assessor to match clinical urgency and patient need with available capacity. Assess workload using acuity, complexity, geography, travel time, visit requirements and staff competence rather than caseload numbers alone. Review accepted work and escalate unmet demand and service limitations. Lead service development towards a responsive model supporting patients in their preferred place of care and timely transition home. Implement changes through agreed governance and engagement with staff and partners. Lead service audit, quality improvement and review of incidents and complaints. Provide accurate activity, workforce, outcome and quality information to the Clinical Lead, using feedback and data to evaluate care. Clinical practice and maintenance of skills Remain an active specialist palliative care nurse through planned, regular clinical sessions agreed with the Clinical Lead. Maintain competence in holistic assessment, triage, symptom management and clinical decision-making rather than relying solely on emergency absence cover. Undertake direct assessment and care for patients with complex palliative and end-of-life needs, supporting families and carers and developing individual care and anticipatory plans. Provide specialist advice, recognise deterioration and reversible causes within competence, and obtain medical or other specialist review when indicated. Support advance care planning and ReSPECT discussions within training and local arrangements. Provide agreed clinical cover during the assessors absence within competence and available capacity. Reprioritise operational duties with the Clinical Lead so that clinical cover does not compromise safe management of the service. Joint working and service resilience Work as a complementary Band 7 partnership with the other post holder, maintaining distinct primary responsibilities and a shared understanding of clinical priorities, staffing, risks and service pressures. Agree regular joint reviews, documented handovers and planned overlap within contracted hours. The Operational Manager retains substantive responsibility for team line management and operational delivery. The Clinical Assessor provides day-to-day operational cover during the managers absence under agreed delegated authority. Both post holders remain accountable for their own professional practice. Agree cover arrangements with the Clinical Lead before planned absence and at the earliest opportunity for unplanned absence. Record responsibilities, decisions requiring senior approval and escalation routes. Cover does not automatically transfer budget authority or formal employment decision-making powers. Balance clinical and operational work through an agreed work plan. Escalate competing demands, staffing gaps or work beyond competence or available hours to the Clinical Lead. These two part-time posts do not provide continuous management or clinical cover for all service hours. Communication and partnership working Communicate complex and sensitive information compassionately with patients and those important to them. Support informed choices, assess decision-making capacity within competence and follow hospice procedures where a patient cannot provide consent. Coordinate care with primary care, community nursing, specialist palliative care, hospital teams, urgent and out-of-hours services and other partners. Provide clear handovers, agreed responsibilities and escalation plans to support safe transitions and timely discharge home. Maintain professional boundaries, respect confidentiality and individual cultural, spiritual and personal preferences, and promote constructive communication and challenge within the team. Medicines management and prescribing Promote safe administration, storage, monitoring and use of medicines and equipment, including controlled drugs, in accordance with hospice policies and individual competence. Recognise, report and escalate medication concerns and adverse effects. Undertake independent prescribing only when appropriately qualified, registered, authorised by the hospice and working within individual competence and the agreed formulary and prescribing policy. Maintain prescribing supervision and continuing professional development. Where not qualified as an independent prescriber, work with authorised prescribers to secure timely symptom management. Participate in an agreed development plan towards non-medical prescribing where appropriate, subject to organisational approval and support. Education and professional development Maintain current clinical competence through direct practice, supervision, reflection and continuing professional development. Undertake mandatory training and maintain professional registration. Teach, coach and support nurses, healthcare assistants, students and relevant partners. Contribute to competency assessment within own competence and promote reflective practice and staff wellbeing. Participate in appraisal and agree a development plan covering the clinical and operational skills needed for the partnership and absence cover. Governance and general responsibilities Work in accordance with the NMC Code, St Michaels Hospice policies and agreed clinical pathways. Maintain timely, accurate records and use electronic systems only with appropriate authorisation. Recognise and promptly report safeguarding concerns involving adults or children. Follow agreed escalation procedures for deteriorating patients, incidents, complaints and risks; contribute to investigation, learning and improvement. Comply with information governance, infection prevention, health and safety and lone-working requirements. Promote equality, inclusion and the hospices values, and use charitable resources responsibly. Undertake other reasonable duties consistent with the role, Band 7 level, competence and contracted hours. The job description will be reviewed in consultation with the post holder as the service develops. General Responsibilities Work to maintain the values, vision and aims of St. Michaels Hospice. Additional Duties In discussion with the line manager to undertake work, as and when required, in support of St. Michaels Hospice as an organisation. Public Relations To represent St. Michaels Hospice in the community and public domain, including social media, appropriately. Undertake all statutory and mandatory training, as required. To be conversant with and adhere to all St. Michaels Hospice Policies and Procedures. Be responsible for upholding and promoting St. Michaels Hospice safeguarding policies, ensuring the safety and well-being of all individuals, and promptly reporting any concerns or incidents in accordance with established procedures. This is an outline job description and may be subject to change, according to the needs of the service, in consultation with the post holder. Take responsibility for own personal safety and of others whilst at work. You will take appropriate action or report any concerns to address any health and safety issues that you or members of your team may be aware of. This job description is an outline of the role and responsibilities. From time to time, due to the needs of the service, we may ask you to flexibly undertake other duties that are consistent with your role and banding, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover.

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