Job summary
Whipps Cross University Hospital is part of Bart's Health NHS Trust and is situated in Waltham Forest, North East London. The hospital serves a diverse local population of more than 350,000. It is surrounded by the spectacular Epping Forest and beautiful countryside but also within the vibrant and exciting hub that is East London. Stansted airport is a 30 minute drive away allowing easy weekend breaks.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, energetic and motivated social worker to join our dynamic and supportive Specialist Palliative Care multidisciplinary teams. This is an exciting opportunity to work in the hospital palliative care team and the Margaret Centre, our 11-bedded specialist palliative care ward.

The post will be based within the existing Specialist Palliative Care Teams offering ongoing support, working alongside staff to ensure that people with specialist palliative care needs are in receipt of the care they require to achieve the best quality of life possible.

Main duties of the job
Aim of the role is to provide and promote a specialist, comprehensive and evidence-based social work service for patients assessed and cared for by the Hospital Palliative Care Team (HPCT) and within our Margaret Centre, our 11-bedded specialist inpatient unit. The post holder will be required:

• To function as part of the specialist palliative care multi-disciplinary teams, contributing to holistic plans of care, offering provision which supports the complex social needs of people who are approaching the end of life.
• To have an understanding of the impact of grief and loss on patients and their families and offer appropriate support.
• Acting as the patient and carer's advocate and working closely with other healthcare professionals.
• To contribute to educational programs provided by the services.
• The role involves direct patient care and indirect patient care by enabling, guiding, and supporting others in the care they provide for those at the end of life.

About us
Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain's leading healthcare providers.

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

Job responsibilities
The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Certificate/Diploma/ Equivalent in Social Work

Desirable

• Counselling qualification
• Interest in working towards further education in Social Work/Policy

Experience
Essential

• Work independently
• Evaluate complex psychosocial needs of palliative care patients & those close to them
• Carry their own caseload
• Be a member of APCSW

Knowledge
Essential

• Training and Experience in Palliative Care
• Training and Experience in Bereavement Care
• Working knowledge of current social policy/legislation
• Experience of welfare rights and benefits
• Experience of managing a clinical project and/ or developing a service in response to an identified gap
• Working knowledge of relevant services / legislation and clinical experience specific to children's and families

Communication
Essential

• Ability to communicate highly sensitive or contentious information
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of communication issues in bereavement and grief work
• Commitment to provide a culturally sensitive service

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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