Job summary
As a Bank Doctor, you will work as part of the Hospice Medical Team, providing medical support to hospice inpatients as well as palliative care advice to healthcare professionals, patients and families.

The role requires participation in a weekend rota on a non-resident basis, with additional opportunities for ad hoc weekday sessional work and Bank Holiday cover.

Weekend working comprises two days and three nights, from 5pm on Friday evening to 9am on Monday morning. Some weekend doctors work split weekends, and these arrangements can be discussed with individual doctors.

Weekend days and Bank Holidays require up to eight hours on site during the daytime, followed by off-site first on-call cover until 9am the following morning.

When working first on-call, you may be required to return to the Hospice during the evening or overnight if a patient requires a face-to-face medical review.

A Consultant will be available for telephone advice at all times.

Main duties of the job

• Review and provide medical care to Hospice inpatients.
• Provide specialist palliative care support as part of the Hospice Medical Team.
• Participate in the non-resident weekend rota.
• Provide first on-call medical cover during evenings and overnight periods as required.
• Return to the Hospice when necessary to undertake face-to-face patient reviews during an on-call period.
• Provide palliative care telephone advice to healthcare professionals working within the Barnsley community and hospital.
• Provide telephone advice to palliative care patients and families through the Pallcall advice line.
• Work collaboratively with Consultants and other members of the Hospice multidisciplinary team to support the delivery of specialist palliative care.
• Undertake ad hoc weekday sessional work and Bank Holiday cover where agreed and available.

About us
Barnsley Hospice is a charity that provides specialist palliative and end of life care to hundreds of local people and those close to them each year. Our main priority is to achieve the best possible quality of life for people living with a life-limiting illness, whilst supporting those close to them during the period of illness and bereavement. As a specialist care provider, the range of skills we offer include, pain and symptom management, emotional support and end of life care. The hospice currently employs about 100 people and has a team of volunteers, based both at the hospice and within our Retail Hub.

We are committed to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in all that we do and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQIA+ candidates and candidates with disabilities because we are committed to increasing the representation of these groups at Barnsley Hospice.

Job responsibilities
Key Duties and responsibilities:

Direct Clinical Care of Patients

• To provide clinical care and medical input to the multidisciplinary team for patients under the care of Barnsley Hospice, under the supervision of the named Consultant.
• To review and provide appropriate medical care to Hospice inpatients.
• To see patients in any Hospice setting, including inpatient, day centre or outpatient settings as required. The need to review outpatients or day centre patients would be unusual and would only normally occur when providing weekday cover, rather than at weekends or on Bank Holidays.
• To keep accurate and timely records of patient interactions using the electronic patient record.

Out-of-Hours Medical Provision

• To participate in the first on-call rota for the Hospice.
• To participate in the non-resident weekend rota. Weekend working comprises two days and three nights, from 5pm on Friday evening to 9am on Monday morning. Some doctors may work split weekends, subject to individual discussion and agreement.
• Weekend days and Bank Holidays require up to eight hours on site during the daytime, followed by off-site first on-call cover until 9am the following morning.
• To return to the Hospice during the evening or overnight when required to undertake a face-to-face review of a patient.
• To provide palliative care telephone advice to other professionals working within Barnsley community and hospital services.
• To provide palliative care telephone advice to patients and families through the Pallcall advice line.
• To seek advice and support from the Consultant on call where appropriate. Consultant telephone advice and support will be available at all times.

Liaison Between Teams

• To facilitate information transfer between specialist palliative care teams when patient care is transferred.
• To liaise with and advise other practitioners within hospital and community settings to support the best possible outcomes for palliative care patients.

Supporting Professional Activities

• To keep professional knowledge and skills up to date and undergo regular appraisal.
• To complete mandatory training requirements for Hospice doctors.
• To participate in systems to support patient safety within the Hospice.
• To take advantage of continuing professional development opportunities to maintain and develop learning in specialist palliative care.
• To work flexibly alongside colleagues to ensure the highest quality of service to patients and those close to them

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Experience of independent palliative care work caring for patients with advanced, progressive disease and those in the last days of life.
• Experience of working with a specialist palliative care team or in a hospice / specialist palliative care inpatient unit.

Desirable

• Experience of pain management, oncology and/or psychiatry.

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Evidence of excellence in verbal and written communication skills.
• Computer literate.
• Experience and interest in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

Desirable

• Attendance on an Advanced Communication Skills course.
• Completion of a teaching skills course, for example, Training the Trainers.

Personal attributes
Essential

• Works well as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Able to organise time effectively and prioritise effectively.
• Able to display empathy and sensitivity.
• Able to recognise own limitations and seek help when needed.
• Resilience and ability to operate under pressure.
• Applicants must meet professional health requirements in line with GMC/Good Medical Practice.
• Demonstrates probity, including honesty and integrity, awareness of ethical dilemmas and respect for confidentiality.

Qualifications
Essential

• Full GMC registration with a licence to practise.
• MRCP, MRCGP or equivalent.
• Demonstrates breadth of experience and knowledge in clinical practice.
• Understands the importance of audit and research to the continuing development of clinical practice.
• Familiar with the principles underpinning clinical governance.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in Palliative Medicine / Specialist Palliative Care.
• Personal involvement in audit/research.
• Involvement in Clinical Governance activities.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.