Clinical Coach, Palliative Care Community and Hospital Programs

POSITION SUMMARY Better Living Health and Community Services (BLHCS), in partnership with Southlake Health and the Northern York South Simcoe Ontario Health Team (NYSS OHT), has a one year, temporary full-time opening for the position of Clinical Coach, Palliative Care – Community and Hospital Programs. This position will report to BLHCS VP Hospice Palliative Care. The Clinical Coach will have accountability to Ontario Health, Central Region, with the responsibility to implement palliative care capacity building efforts and initiatives. Better Living Health and Community Services is a charitable non-profit community service organization established in 1969 that provides a continuum of care to seniors, individuals with disabilities and those with life limiting illnesses. BLHCS is the operator of Margaret Bahen Hospice (MBH), located in Newmarket, Ontario. MBH is a 10 bed hospice residence that provides end of life care to individuals and their families in a warm, compassionate, home-like environment, ensuring through an integrated model of care, that their physical, emotional, social, spiritual and psychological needs are met. The Southlake Health Family of 6,000 medical professionals, staff, volunteers, and students work together to deliver leading edge care, close to home – every day. They are there for every person who comes through Southlake’s doors, no matter where they may be in life’s journey. Their care extends beyond our walls, reaching into every community they serve and work within. Their performance is driven by their heartfelt dedication to the health and wellness of patients and communities because everyone deserves the best care and the best experience. This Clinical Coach will be responsible for working with participating organizations in alignment with provincial direction established by Ontario Health and guidance developed by the Ontario Palliative Care Network. The Clinical Coach will drive practice change, with a focus on improving access to and quality of clinical care, aligned to the Palliative Care Health Services Delivery Framework in the Community and Hospital Settings ("The Delivery Frameworks") and the Ontario Palliative Care Competency Framework . The successful candidate has demonstrated a track record of engaging and motivating multi-disciplinary clinical teams in developing the knowledge and skills in delivering high quality palliative care. Additionally, the successful candidate has experience in supporting quality improvement and change management initiatives.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Clinical Coach will

Provide palliative care coaching, mentoring, and education to staff and clinicians in participating organizations, to build primary-level palliative care competencies. Collaborate with leaders of partner organizations on local service integration, and change management initiatives, using quality improvement methodologies to achieve results. Consult on clinical care when the complexity of the patients’ needs is beyond the existing competencies of providers (in the community organizations). Provide support to Indigenous communities and Indigenous organizations for their implementation efforts, where Indigenous communities wish to be involved, in collaboration with regional partners. Support regional planning, implementation, reporting, and partner engagement in alignment with Ontario Health and local OHT priorities. KNOWLEDGE and SKILLS A commitment to developing equity-based, evidence-informed approaches for delivering palliative care services for all people in Ontario, regardless of their age or illness. A good understanding of regional priorities and local healthcare needs, within Ontario’s healthcare landscape. Ability to work well under pressure and use good judgment in assessing difficult situations. Ability to work independently and as part of a team. Aptitude for proactive problem solving, using strong critical thinking, and negotiating skills. A demonstrated ability to develop, deliver, and evaluate training and coaching efforts. An ability to develop relationships based on trust, compassion, and empathy. Strong active listening and interpersonal communication skills for one-on-one coaching. Experience designing education to effectively address the palliative care training needs of interprofessional learners. A demonstrated focus on person-centered care. Access to reliable and efficient mode(s) of transportation to enable travel between community organizations. Ability to work flexible working hours. KEY POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES Co-create the regional Delivery Framework implementation plan with Ontario Health, including required measurement and reporting. Attend all regional planning meetings and contribute to the regional palliative care implementation plan, especially plans for education and practice change. Keep comprehensive records and support data collection for measurement and reporting. Provide feedback on key learnings related to coach role, along with providing input and reviewing regional progress reports as required. Foster regional collaboration and contribute to broader system integration. Develop relationships with key community and hospital partners to establish trust, credibility, and respect. Clearly articulate key messages that resonate across different partner groups and audiences. Update the regional implementation team on challenges and opportunities in the community. Support Ontario Health Team planning and/or implementation of palliative models of care (where there is readiness). Ensure alignment of community and hospital implementation with the guidance of the Ontario Palliative Care Network Participate in relevant provincial level committees, working groups and task forces. Support the regional advisory groups and subject matter experts who provide clinical leadership. Lead engagement and community-building activities with participating organizations. Develop and present materials that express palliative care concepts and implementation plans effectively. Provide support to Indigenous communities and organizations for their implementation efforts, as requested by those organizations and, where appropriate, in collaboration with regional partners Critically evaluate the quality of palliative care in participating community and hospital organizations. Collaborate with leadership teams from participating community and hospital organizations to identify strengths and gaps in the palliative care they currently provide and in the relevant provider policies and practice documents. Guide the creation of a quality improvement plan to address gaps. Build competency amongst front-line community providers in the delivery of primary-level palliative care. Promote/provide palliative care education in participating community and hospital organizations, aligned to the Ontario Palliative Care Competency Framework. Provide informal, case-based educational opportunities (coaching) for health service providers in community organizations, incorporating principles of adult learning. Provide palliative care mentoring for health service providers in the community and hospitals. Complement the work of educational organizations, such as Ontario CLRI and Pallium Canada. Guide palliative care quality improvement (QI) and practice change initiatives in participating community and hospital organizations.

Assist with quality improvement initiatives to implement the Delivery Framework (with an initial emphasis on the prioritized recommendations) by

Providing education on QI methodologies and tools Encouraging the application of QI to improve patient care. Building internal and external relationships, to enhance communication among all staff. Tracking and evaluating progress. Sustaining best practice by updating policies and procedures. Works closely with regional partners, including equity deserving populations, to ensure implementation of the model addresses barriers to access to care for priority populations Consult on clinical care Offer consultation as a palliative care expert to service providers in person, onsite, by telephone, by videoconference or through email. Active participation in the NYSS OHT Integrated Palliative Care Steering Committee and support local initiatives Provide limited and occasional direct patient care REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS Demonstrated experience working across hospital and community health care settings. Experience leading or supporting system change, implementation, and cross-organizational quality improvement initiatives. Strong understanding of care transitions, service integration, and palliative pathways across acute, community, hospice, home and primary care settings. Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority and build partnerships across multiple organizations. Project management and change management experience are strong assets. A degree in a registered health care discipline (e.g., RN, RSW, NP) with substantive experience and training in palliative care (e.g., CAPCE). A graduate degree is an asset (e.g., MScN, MSW). Minimum five (5) years’ experience in practice in palliative care is required. Knowledge of relevant legislation and reporting requirements, including the Fixing Long-Term Care Homes Act, the Excellent Care for All Act and the Compassionate Care Act and other pertinent legislation and regulations related to professional practice is required. Experience working with large-scale quality improvement initiatives. Strong clinical coaching and debriefing skills, with both individuals and teams. Strong consultation skills, with expert knowledge of models of consultation and their application with individual, team and community service providers. Research and/or program evaluation experience with knowledge of evidence-based processes, including appraisal of research, application of findings and collaboration on research. Experience working across health care settings. Possess a valid Ontario Driver’s License and access to a vehicle for the purposes of business travel. Successful completion of Vulnerable Sector Screening within one month of employment. REGULATORY AND LEGAL REQUIREMENTS Provide services in keeping with Better Living Health and Community Services’ Mission, Vision and Beliefs and Client Declaration of Values. Adhere to the principles and expectations outlined in the Code of Conduct. Maintain compliance with the policies and procedures of the organizations. Adhere to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA 2010) as outlined in the organization privacy policies and procedures. Perform the functions of the job description in compliance with the Health and Safety practices of the organization and in accordance with the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act. Participate in the continuous quality improvement activities of the organization in order to advance a culture of quality and support ongoing compliance with CARF and HPCO Accreditation standards. LOCATION: Combination of working from home, at community organizations, Southlake Health and Margaret Bahen Hospice SALARY: $90-95 k per annum Better Living is an equal opportunity employer and is in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Employment Standards Act and Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act . Applicants need to make their request for accommodation known when contacted. Thank you to all who express interest in this position and we welcome all resumes. However, only those granted an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. **No artificial intelligence or automated decision-making tools will be used in the screening or selection for this role.