Job summary
As a Wellbeing Practitioner, you will be part of a multidisciplinary team supporting people with palliative and end of life care needs, as well as those close to them. You'll take a holistic, person centred approach to assessing wellbeing, creating tailored support plans, offering guidance on symptom management, and linking individuals with services that enhance independence and quality of life. The role involves building trusting relationships, holding sensitive conversations about future care, responding to changing needs, and contributing to ongoing service development to ensure compassionate, high quality support.

This is a part time role, 30 hours per week working Monday to Thursday 0800 1600 or 0830 1630.

Main duties of the job
The role of the Wellbeing Practitioner aims to deliver creative, flexible and dynamic psychosocial care and support for our patients and carers. Offering group, 1-2-1 and virtual wellbeing interventions focusing on enabling quality of life, physical and psychological wellbeing and developing resilience.
You will be empowering patients to pursue their own wellbeing goals guiding them on a pathway through our social, supportive, therapeutic, creative and educational programmes. In addition to encouraging peer support networks and signposting to external community based support groups.

About us
As an award winning employer, Pilgrims provides end of life care services to patients and their families across east Kent.

Our commitment is to provide open, compassionate care and expertise for patients and their families both in the community and in patient units.

Our Vision
Of a community where people with a life limiting illness and their family and friends are supported and empowered to live well in mind and body until the very last moment of their life.

We recognise that our workforce is integral to the delivery of our Vision and our charitable aims. Pilgrims Hospices continues to create a highly skilled, motivated, engaged and healthy workforce by providing an environment where staff and volunteers feel highly motivated to perform their roles to a consistently high standard, and actively role model our charitable behaviours and values.

Job responsibilities

• Undertake person centred holistic assessment in consultation with patients, carers and families identifying symptoms and needs and prescribe appropriate services to enable and empower individuals and enhance psychological, social and spiritual wellbeing.
• Engage with and contribute positively to Wellbeing Programmes, facilitating and delivering evidence based group interventions, one to one interventions and activities to improve health and wellbeing.
• Evaluating feedback to inform ongoing development and design of the services.
• To be fully conversant with Pilgrims Therapy Wellbeing Programmes, and committed to the ongoing evaluation, development and delivery of wellbeing services across the organisation.
• Promote the benefits of Wellbeing Programmes to all hospice patients and their families, and encourage referrals from the Multidisciplinary Team and external health and social care colleagues. To engage with patients on the inpatient unit and support with patient centred wellbeing interventions.
• To be engaged with the discharge process of patients on the inpatient unit, discussing Therapy Centre wellbeing interventions and offering referrals to appropriate groups and programmes.
• Apply a range of interpersonal skills in response to the different needs of individuals, using active listening skills and adapting communication to build a rapport with patients and family members, as well as volunteers and professional colleagues.
• Engage with patients and carers via virtual technology and supportive telephone calls
• To facilitate support groups and educational sessions in person and via virtual technology, including contributing to pre-recorded virtual programmes and sessions.
• To support the team in building and maintaining appropriate external partnerships.
• To liaise with local community support services and groups.
• Engage with and contribute positively to Multidisciplinary Team meetings and decision making, sharing appropriate information to benefit patient outcomes ensuring individual goals are achieved and alerting the Multidisciplinary Team of any concerns of crisis or problems arising with a patient or family member.
• Recognise and report any changes in psychological, social and spiritual needs of patients and provide appropriate level of psychological support within level of competency, referring to Multidisciplinary team where required.
• To work within internal pathways to identify individual needs and refer to professional team members or services, making appropriate recommendations for patient care and liaising with community teams as required.
• Contribute positively to providing an effective learning environment for all students on placement at Pilgrims, for new multidisciplinary team staff during their induction period and to support the ongoing development of all members of the wellbeing team
• To provide assistance with aspects of personal care and the physical comfort of patients e.g. toileting and personal hygiene whilst respecting patients dignity, values and privacy and adhering to infection prevention and control policies.
• Demonstrate an understanding of clinical skills when undertaking the assessments of patients and be able to carry out basic observations such as blood pressure, pulse, saturation and temperature if required.
• Promote support and contribute to a high standard of care, including awareness and understanding of safeguarding.
• To employ a range of skills, techniques and resources to enable and empower patients with communication difficulties.
• Create a safe environment for patients and staff, undertaking risk assessment and completing incident reports where necessary.
• Take decisive and remedial action when faced with a complex or demanding situation to ensure the safety of patients, families or volunteers and communicate these actions with appropriate team members and external professionals.
• Keep clear and accurate patient records in accordance with Pilgrims clinical record keeping guidance.
• To support the service by undertaking administrative duties where required.
• Maintain continued personal development, participating in education and mandatory training and working effectively to meet personal development plan objectives and knowledge and skills as set out within the competence framework.
• Be prepared to work across all three hospice sites as required to maintain continued delivery of service.
• Support and work with the Education team with events and local community knowledge, developing resources to benefit all patients, carers and family members
• Pilgrims is fully committed to equality in employment and service delivery and all those working for Pilgrims Hospices are expected to actively promote equality and diversity in all aspects of their work

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in a multidisciplinary care setting

Desirable

• Experience of working with volunteers
• Experience of leading a small group in activities

Qualifications
Essential

• A good standard of secondary education, including a minimum of grade C in Maths and English GCSEs

Desirable

• NVQ Level 2 & 3 in Health and Social Care
• Further relevant qualifications in therapeutic support

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.

Employer details
Employer name: Pilgrims Hospices in East Kent
Address: Pilgrims Hospice Thanet, Ramsgate Road, Margate, Kent, CT9 4AD, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Kavita Sodhi
kavita.sodhi@pilgrimshospices.org

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