Palliative care support worker - virtual ward

We are recruiting for 2 positions which are Fixed Term until 31/03/2024, The service is currently Monday to Friday 9-5, full time or part time hours considered up to 37.5hrs per week.

About the role

The purpose of a virtual Ward is to provide safe care in the patient’s own home (including care homes) for patients who are in the Palliative and end of life stage of their illness. This will be facilitated using digital technology and face to face visits when home is their Preferred Place of Care and aims to avoid admission into the acute hospitals/hospice or facilitate earlier timely discharges for those patients where ongoing management of their symptoms can be provided with clinical and medical care support in their place of residence.

As a Palliative care support worker for the virtual ward, you will work as part of a multidisciplinary team of doctors, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and supportive care (spiritual care practitioners, social workers, complementary therapists). Patients that are admitted to our palliative care virtual ward will require specialist palliative care such as complex symptom management and end of life care.

The responsibilities of a palliative care support worker for the virtual ward include:

• To assist in delivering direct patient care, attending to personal hygiene, sanitary needs, helping to move, position and mobilise patients.
• As a team member, contribute regularly to the assessment of the patient’s ongoing care, be it physical, mental, social or spiritual.
• Assist with the day-to-day administration relating to patient care.
• Be aware of the importance of a “Hospice Team Approach” for the care of patient ‘s, their families and other members of staff.
• Assist with the care of distressed relatives and friends of Hospice patients or deceased patients.

We pride ourselves on ensuring that our staff have the time and support to deliver the very highest quality of care to the patients and families we look after. We know this is often a challenge in many settings, but we believe strongly that we only have one chance to get it right for our patients and their loved ones.

To get full details on what the role includes please read the attached Job Description, call the Lead Specialist nurse for an informal chat or come and visit us.

About you:

You will have outstanding communication and organising skills, work well as part of a multi-disciplinary team and be committed to making a positive impact on the lives of patients, families and colleagues alike.

Skills and experience required.

• Able to demonstrate an understanding of the needs of terminally ill people
• Confident in documenting care delivered
• Motivation and commitment to personal and professional development
• A commitment to Ashgate’s values

• Having a driving license and access to a car
• Clear communication skills, to work as part of team or individually

About Ashgate:

Ashgate Hospice is a registered charity that provides compassionate, specialist palliative and end of life care, free of charge, to patients with a life-limiting illness and their families across North Derbyshire. Our values are at the heart of everything we do at Ashgate. They are grounded in our commitment to being the best we can be for our patients and the people who are important to them, and for each other. We are compassionate. We are a team. We are respectful, open and inclusive.

We are proud of our Outstanding CQC rating and our recent RCN award-winning in-patient unit and have ambitious plans for high quality and sustainable patient care.

We’re committed to providing a happy, safe and supportive environment for all our people which is why nearly 4 out of 5 of our staff would recommend us as a place to work. We recognise the need to support our employees’ well-being including their work-life balance, which is why we are open to, and encourage flexible working arrangements, including job-sharing.

As a valued member of the team, you will have a wide range of training and development available to support your own personal, professional development, opening doors to new career pathways.

Please visit our website and social media accounts or listen to our podcast “The Life and Death Podcast” to get a feel for what it is like to be part of the Ashgate team and gain an understanding of the people we support.

Find out why our people think Ashgate Hospice is a special place to work.

Some of our current benefits include:

• A highly compassionate and supportive working environment
• A wide range of initiatives to support your wellbeing, and the time out to practice self-care
• Generous holiday entitlement
• A progressive approach to flexible working to help meet your and our needs
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Westfield Health Cash Plan includes free annual eye tests, dental checks and money back for a range of treatments and therapies
• Access to a free, confidential Employee Assistance Program
• Free access to Westfield Rewards, offering discounts from hundreds of retailers
• Pension scheme with 7% employer contribution
• Life assurance scheme
• Total commitment to your learning and development
• Ample, free parking when working onsite

What next:

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact Amanda Hall, Lead palliative care specialist nurse for virtual ward project on 01246 568801 or You can arrange to visit the Hospice to see what it would be like to work with us.

Please note we only accept applications via the ‘Apply now’ button on our website. Please do not send your application to HR or the recruiting manager.

Any candidate who identifies themselves as disabled will be shortlisted if they meet the essential criteria for the role. Essential criteria can be found in the job description and person specification for the role.

If successful, you will be required to have a DBS check carried as part of the conditional pre-employment checks. For more information, please refer to the candidate assistant notes.

As a healthcare provider, it is very important to us that our staff have the annual flu jab and are fully vaccinated against COVID 19. It is our expectation that all of our staff will have the vaccinations unless there are strong compelling reasons why not. We believe having the vaccination not only protects you but also helps us to keep our patients, staff and visitors safe.