Jen works as an Advanced Practitioner at St Lukes Hospice in Plymouth. This is a specialist Community and inpatient unit, and Jen is the lead for end-of-life care, urgent care and community specialist nurses/ AHPs. The role advocates for enabling the patient to be empowered to be at the centre of their own care, allowing and supporting their choice of treatments and where they have that treatment. Crucially this includes care and death at home if this is the patient’s wishes.
Jen works at Level 7 across the four pillars of
advanced practice
| Clinical | – Works across both In Patient and Outpatient settings. – Uses Clinical skills to evaluate, synthesise and deliver individualised patient focused care. – Part of the wider clinical team providing expert knowledge and advice to other clinicians. |
| Leadership | – Leads the Community services at St Luke Hospice – Responsible for organisational and strategic evaluation and optimisation of patient pathways – Works with Carers and patients to improve end of life experience |
| Education | – Provides education to the Hospice teams both within the unit and in the wider region – Mentors and coaches staff at all levels – Contributes to formal Education delivery for Higher Education Institutions |
| Research | – Active participant in designing and carrying out Audit and QI projects within the Hospice environment – Author of a Dissertation on improving access to end of life care at home |
Why Advanced Practice?
Advanced Practice allows me to support the patient’s wishes evaluating and diagnosing their symptoms leading to the creation of bespoke care plans balancing the need for optimal intervention with the often emotional challenges that end of life decisions brings.
What is the best thing about your training?
The training provided me with hands-on experience in complex situations related to real patient care and offered the academic foundation necessary to solidify my learning. My university education and practical experience have sharpened my decision-making and critical thinking skills while working with patients in the community and hospice settings, all under excellent clinical supervision.
Feedback from a patient
“Jen was my Son’s Nurse in the community. He trusted Jen and she was able to support us all in his last 6 month of his life. Her AP skill set meant she would assess him at home, make a diagnosis and work with the young teenage cancer team within the hospital to manage all at home. She would take his blood at home too so that we didn’t have to wait for the results in hospital. It made a significant difference to have Jen’s skill set, as it greatly facilitated our family’s needs. “
Why is Advanced Practice good for patients?
By straddling both the community and the inpatient services this can facilitate the smooth transition between either care at home and being an inpatient or the reverse if additional symptom control is required or for additional palliative support in the final days.
How do you see your future as an Advanced Practitioner in a hospice?
I feel my role as an Advanced Practitioner within the hospice setting will grow with an emerging role within palliative care and hospice settings is innovative and utilizes all four pillars of advanced practice. I hope this role will play a pivotal part in integrating palliative care approaches across diverse healthcare settings. I hope to be advocate for patient needs and promote early referrals to hospice services. With the evolving healthcare landscape, advanced practitioners have the opportunity to engage in advocacy for hospice care, thereby influencing policy and funding decisions that impact patient access to services.
Feedback from a colleague
“Jen is the Palliative Care Advanced Practitioner at St Luke’s Hospice in Plymouth and is clinical lead for the Integrated Community Service team which consists of Clinical Nurse Specialists, AHP Therapy staff and Integrated Care Facilitators. She also leads the End-of-Life Urgent Care Service.
This integrated role enables Jen to deliver truly holistic personalised patient care, as she moves seamlessly from coordinating the daily Community Multi-disciplinary team (MDT) allocation meeting, to home visits to end of life patients requiring complex symptom management and medication review. Hers is often then the smiling face and gentle hand that greets the patient and their loved ones as they come into the hospice for their final days or hours.”
Read more advanced practice case studies from the South West region here