Family and Patient Support Therapist

St Margaret's Hospice Care has a fantastic opportunity for a Family and Patient Support Therapist to join their team. This role is based in Taunton and Yeovil.

You will join us on a part time (19 hours per week), permanent basis and in return, you will receive a competitive salary of £20,358.05 per annum (equivalent to a full time rate of £39,644.64).

We are seeking a practitioner qualified to deliver specialist psychotherapeutic support to individuals and groups. As part of our Supportive Care Service, you will provide evidenced based, therapeutic support to patients with a palliative diagnosis, families, children and young people who have been, or are about to be bereaved of someone significant to them.

Main duties of the job

This cross-county role will be based in our Taunton and Yeovil Hospice sites and will see clients as out-patients, in their own homes and at other community venues.

You will work alongside the wider supportive care team of counsellors and therapists.

Although the majority of work will be within normal working hours, some evening and weekend work will be needed.

Your day to day work will include:

• Work within therapeutic boundaries, managing a complex caseload of patients and clients with specialist psychological needs in relation to a life limiting illness.
• Monitor and triage requests for psychological therapies, assessing and identifying best therapeutic response.
• Support the practitioners within the team and deliver clinical supervision.
• Support the development and delivery of therapeutic practices within the supportive care team.
• Collaborative working with other healthcare professions and the multi-disciplinary team.
• Provide a timely and responsive pre and post bereavement service for families, children and young adults.

About us

Be part of a welcoming, community minded charity. Our mission is to provide excellent specialist palliative care for patients and support to their families. Everyone here contributes and has a part to play towards our goal. If you speak to any of our staff or volunteers, they will tell you how the patient is at the heart of everything they do. So, if you're looking for a role where you can really make a difference, we could be a perfect match.

We also offer the following:

Holiday entitlement

• 33 days holiday including bank holidays rising to 35 days after 1 year, and increasing with length of service (pro-rata if part-time).
• Recognise continuous service for clinical staff paid at band 5+ who join directly from the NHS or another hospice.
• Ability to buy and sell annual leave.
• NHS employees eligible to continue with their NHS pension scheme.
• Non-NHS employees will receive 5% employer and 5% employee contribution.

Award-winning Employee Assistance Programme

for you and your family offering:

• Vitality & wellbeing health portal for non-emergency care.
• Unlimited access to 24/7 online GP Consultations as well as Expert Case Management.
• Confidential and free 24-hour Employee Assistance.
• Counselling and support.
• Legal, financial, and medical information and advice.

And more:

• Life assurance cover.
• Health Cash Plans.
• Blue Light Discount Card.
• Enhanced parental leave.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Free on-site parking in Yeovil & Taunton.
• Volunteering opportunities.

*Eligibility criteria applies.

Job responsibilities

• Develop, co-ordinate and deliver safe and effective psychotherapeutic care to patients and families.
• Provide evidenced based, therapeutic support to families, children and young people who have been, or are about to be bereaved of someone significant to them.
• Maintain a high level of expertise and credibility within the multidisciplinary team, including the management of own caseload.
• To work closely with all members of the Hospice team to ensure compliance with legislation and expected quality standards.
• To establish and maintain relationships with relevant external organisations to promote the continued delivery of psychotherapeutic care for Hospice patients and their families / friends in all settings.
• Provide Clinical Supervision for the psychological practitioners and other members of the wider Hospice, as agreed.
• Manage and supervise a volunteer team providing support to the service.

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications

• Qualified to practice as a specialist counsellor, psychotherapist, systemic practitioner or equivalent.
• Current relevant professional registration / accreditation.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development.
• Master's level training in relevant field.
• Evidence of study in Palliative Care.
• Clinical Supervision Qualification.
• Excellent organisational skills to effectively manage workload.
• Ability to make decisions, organise, prioritise and meet deadlines.

Working with others

• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Understanding of loss and grief and its impact on individuals and families and their social networks.
• Experience of working with volunteers.
• Experience of delivering clinical and counselling supervision.
• Experience of teaching / training.

Outcome and Results

• Experience working with people with chronic disease or life limiting illnesses.
• Experience of having worked in a healthcare or multi-disciplinary setting.
• Experience of practicing according to NICE supportive and palliative care guidelines at Level 3/Level 4.
• Experience of having worked in a Specialist Palliative Care setting.
• Experience of working therapeutically with families and children in complex situations and the delivery of evidenced based interventions.
• Maintenance of statistical data.
• Experience of participation in audit or research.

Leading in your area

• Working knowledge of relevant statutory and voluntary agencies.
• A knowledge of current legislation and policy relevant to palliative care and psychotherapeutic practice, including working with vulnerable individuals, adult, and child safeguarding issues.
• Computer literacy with knowledge of Windows based applications.
• Demonstrable commitment to anti-discriminatory practice and equal opportunities.
• Must have ability to travel by car across the whole County including rural communities.
• Ability to work varied hours including weekends, bank holidays and some evenings.
• Evidence of service development.
• Evidence of contributing to policy making and standard setting.

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.