Community Nurse

Job responsibilities

Job Title: Community Nurse

Band: 7

Accountable to: LMA West London GP Federation Deputy Chair

Responsible to / Supervision: GP Clinical Lead

Contract Type: Fixed Term (24 months)

• Monday to Friday with no unsocial hours
• Recruitment of 2 part-time positions Job share

Base: Community

Background / Scope

Housing conditions can influence physical health. Exposure to damp and mould can make people more likely to have respiratory problems, respiratory infections, allergies, or asthma (NHS, 2022). Older people, people with chronic conditions and young children are particularly susceptible to these types of illnesses. This disproportionate health impact on low-income households, will ultimately result in more demands on local health clinics, more admissions to hospital, delayed discharges and in extreme circumstances, could result in premature deaths.

This post will be integral to support a new innovative project called Warm and Well which aims to address population health inequalities. The post-holder will work collaboratively and closely with an experienced housing property building surveyor to undertake targeted joint home visits to households that present most at risk of poor health outcomes. This combined approach is an innovative way of tackling health inequalities, and it is both preventative and reactive and will lead to better health outcomes.

Targeted joint home visits to households most at risk of poor health outcomes will require working closely with residents and General Practice teams to agree the most appropriate course of action. This will primarily be intelligence led but there will be reactive casework.

This post will require an experienced health professional, who can identify chronic health problems, which are likely to be caused or exacerbated by living conditions. The caseload will be aligned to specific inclusion criteria.

DIMENSIONS/ KEY WORKING RELATIONS

• Residents
• Project Lead Warm and Well
• Community Nursing Team
• Adult Health and Social Care
• General Practitioners and other members of the Primary Health Care Team
• Safeguarding Lead/Team
• Statutory and Voluntary Agencies
• Adult Mental Health Teams
• Public Health Teams

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• Working closely with the surveyor as a team you will:
• Advocate for peoples needs while building strong working relationship with the housing department and local GPs.
• Improvements to manage / reduce damp or mould e.g., supply dehumidifiers, draft proofing (the funding would not be used for routine repairs).
• Support the surveyor in providing advice on how to stay warm, use heating systems effectively and how best to ventilate the home.
• Referral to GPs and other health professionals as appropriate
• Produce action plans and goals with timeframes that are specific and relevant to the person whose housing issues have been assessed.
• Compile risk assessments on key activities as required and identify risk management strategies that will manage the safety of all parties in a positive manner.
• Use your practice experience to work with the surveyor to plan and provide skilled and competent care that meets patients health and social care needs, involving other members of the healthcare team as appropriate.
• As a team assess and evaluate, with the residents concerned, the effectiveness of the treatment and care provided and make changes as needed.

KEY RESULT AREAS/PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:Communication and Relationship Skills

• Able to effectively communicate at all levels across organisations in the local health and social care economy, to a variety of health and social care professionals, to provide the best outcomes for residents.
• Communicates sensitive and complex information relating to patients medical conditions.
• Requires the ability to resolve conflict and overcome barriers to understanding through negotiating skills.
• The Community Matron will be an ambassador for the importance of housing on health and wellbeing management raising awareness of health promotion and maximise on opportunities to engage teams and individuals in their understanding of the aspirations of the role.
• Able to maintain a high level of performance and be goal and outcome focused when faced with opposition or when working under conditions of pressure.
• Able to listen and empathise with the needs and wishes of residents. Advocating for residents appropriately ensuring issues are followed through with appropriate actions.
• Understand the implications of the Mental Capacity Act and acts to assess capacity as appropriate.
• Understand the safeguarding adults issues and act within the guidance of the policy to keep adults within their care safe.
• Always acts in a manner which illustrates compassion, respect for privacy, dignity and confidentiality.
• Able to keep accurate contemporaneous documentation and care plans using and supporting the organisational documentation.
• This role requires excellent communication skills, verbal, written and use of IT.

Skills Analytical and Judgement Skills

• Judgements on complex facts requiring interpretation and comparing options. Skills required for assessment and interpretation of patient conditions and determining the appropriate course of action.
• Assessment and interpretation of acute symptoms for complex patient conditions and taking appropriate action.

Experience

Essential

• KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS
• Leadership skills and excellent decision-making capabilities.
• Expert clinical knowledge related to long term condition management.
• Evidence of continual professional development
• EXPERIENCE
• Evidence of community nursing, long term condition management or primary care experience
• PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES
• Ability to organise own work within a team setting.
• Self-motivated and able to use own initiative.
• Ability to work logically and complete tasks.
• Willingness to be challenged.
• Self-reliant, ability to deal with stressful situations and work under pressure.
• Sensitive and empathetic
• Prepared to work flexibly.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both written and oral
• Sound clinical leadership and management skills.
• Decision making capabilities.
• Ability to identify own strengths and limitations.
• OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
• The post holder must demonstrate a positive commitment to uphold diversity and equality policies approved by the Trust.
• To be willing to work throughout the Trust according to service need.
• Ability to travel.

Desirable

• EXPERIENCE
• Experience of working within multidisciplinary teams to influence high quality care programmes.
• Previous experience of managing change and project management

Qualifications

Essential

• QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING
• Registered Nurse with current UK NMC registration
• Post-graduate / post registration qualification, or equivalent training and/or experience.
• Significant levels of specialist knowledge and experience, for example in long term conditions management, care of the elderly, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, evidenced through short courses and/or continuous professional development.

Desirable

• QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING
• Public Health Qualification

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).