Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to work within our Merton Adult Community Teams as a Band 4 Nursing Associate for either a 2-year fixed term or secondment if internal. This is a great opportunity to join one of our passionate and forward thinking teams, develop skills, and enhance your overall career pathway.
Our community services are innovative and have recently been reconfigured to provide specific recovery focused interventions to people with mental health issues accessing secondary care. The focus is on providing time limited interventions to enable individuals to maintain their lives with limited intervention; to understand and develop strategies to manage symptoms they may be experiencing, while working in partnership to establish their own personal recovery action plans.
There may be an opportunity to apply and competitively interview for the role permanently beyond this.
Main duties of the job
As a Community Mental Health Nursing Associate you will provide community patient led services and work with adults 18-65 years who have mental health issues, social needs and require support with their physical health needs by participating and leading within our health and well being clinics and visiting patients in the community to support their safety and recovery. This role will lead the way in promoting excellent physical health care and plays a key role in the delivery of our Clozapine and Depot clinics including CMA monitoring. Therefore, applicants must demonstrate knowledge or transferrable skills/willingness to learn safe Clozapine and Antipsychotic management.
In this role you will be able to work Monday to Friday in the time frames from 9am to 5pm, giving you the very best of good work life balance.
About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.
We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.
This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.
We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.
We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive. Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading on implementing the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.
2. Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.
3. Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.
4. Facilitating the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient are met including activities such as property checks, orientation to services, and ensuring that community support needs are met.
5. Advocating for service users needs and rights within Trust policy. Encouraging and empowering service users to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care.
6. Subject to the requirements of a particular service area and within the confines of the role, following trust policy/government regulatory guidance and upon successful completion of an approved programme of study and competency assessment signed by ward manager for the clinical area, the post-holder will administer routine medications.
7. Supporting and ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the clinical area. This will include coordinating and prioritising activities.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading on implementing the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.
2. Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.
3. Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.
4. Facilitating the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient are met including activities such as property checks, orientation to services, and ensuring that community support needs are met.
5. Advocating for service users needs and rights within Trust policy. Encouraging and empowering service users to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care.
6. Subject to the requirements of a particular service area and within the confines of the role, following trust policy/government regulatory guidance and upon successful completion of an approved programme of study and competency assessment signed by ward manager for the clinical area, the post-holder will administer routine medications.
7. Supporting and ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the clinical area. This will include coordinating and prioritising activities.
Person Specification
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of the scope of the role of the Nursing Associate in context of the nursing and interdisciplinary team and the organisation, and how the role may contribute to service development.
- Understands and acts in line with NMC professional standards for practice contained within The Code.
- Knowledge of when to seek advice and escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice.
- Experience of working in teams under appropriate supervision as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Understanding of the importance of following procedures and treatment plans.
Desirable
- Experience in different clinical care settings
- Experience in supervision of staff.
Training & Qualification
Essential
- Registered Nursing Associate on the NMC register.
- Nursing Associate foundation degree qualification.
- English and Mathematics basic qualifications (e.g. GCSE at Grade C or above, New GCSE Grade 4-9 in Maths and English Language or evidence of Level 2 in Functional skills for numeracy and literacy).
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Ability to develop effective and appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues.
- Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs, with supervision available but not always present, and acting on own initiative, within protocols, policies and care plans.
- Able to plan and co-ordinate and prioritise own and team work within a shift system.
- Communications skills - receiving and conveying sensitive information, with staff and with service users and able to keep accurate records. Knowing when to escalate concerns and to whom
- Ability to positively engage distressed individuals and de-escalate highly- aroused situations
- Advocates for all individuals, within professional boundaries and trust policies, particularly those with protected characteristics; promotes equality and diversity.
Desirable
- Vital Signs, Phlebotomy.
- Experience in facilitating groups.
Person Specification
Experience & Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of the scope of the role of the Nursing Associate in context of the nursing and interdisciplinary team and the organisation, and how the role may contribute to service development.
- Understands and acts in line with NMC professional standards for practice contained within The Code.
- Knowledge of when to seek advice and escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice.
- Experience of working in teams under appropriate supervision as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Understanding of the importance of following procedures and treatment plans.
Desirable
- Experience in different clinical care settings
- Experience in supervision of staff.
Training & Qualification
Essential
- Registered Nursing Associate on the NMC register.
- Nursing Associate foundation degree qualification.
- English and Mathematics basic qualifications (e.g. GCSE at Grade C or above, New GCSE Grade 4-9 in Maths and English Language or evidence of Level 2 in Functional skills for numeracy and literacy).
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Ability to develop effective and appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues.
- Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs, with supervision available but not always present, and acting on own initiative, within protocols, policies and care plans.
- Able to plan and co-ordinate and prioritise own and team work within a shift system.
- Communications skills - receiving and conveying sensitive information, with staff and with service users and able to keep accurate records. Knowing when to escalate concerns and to whom
- Ability to positively engage distressed individuals and de-escalate highly- aroused situations
- Advocates for all individuals, within professional boundaries and trust policies, particularly those with protected characteristics; promotes equality and diversity.
Desirable
- Vital Signs, Phlebotomy.
- Experience in facilitating groups.
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
