Senior Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical & Patient Care

1. Hold care coordinator/ key worker responsibility and be accountable for any caseloads worked jointly with newly qualified Band 5 nurses.

2. Oversee the effective operation and coordination of physical health and depot clinics within the teams.

3. Provide professional and comprehensive casework to people with complex mental health difficulties.

4. Provide professional and comprehensive casework to people with complex mental health difficulties.

5. Ensure patient records are up to date and are an accurate reflection of the situation.

6. Manage own workload ensuring this is in line with relevant policies, procedures and Nursing Accountability Framework.

7. Respond to emergency situations as they occur and be prepared to act as support where necessary

8. Remain optimistic in therapeutic engagement with patients.

9. To be fully conversant with Moving and Handling Policies in practice.

10. Ensure you are fully trained and annually updated in management of aggression and violence in order that Trust guidelines are followed in the management of violent patients.

Management

1. Provide professional guidance and support nursing staff with complex cases.

2. Undertake regular clinical supervision for nurses on the team.

3. Undertake regular managerial supervision to unqualified team members, or to others at the request of the team manager.

4. Ensure that there is an effective learning environment enabling students to achieve their placement learning objectives.

5. To deputise for the Team Managers, as and when needed

6. Undertake regular clinical supervision for nurses on the team.

7. Manage distressing and challenging situations in a sensitive and non-threatening way to reduce anxieties and promote effective resolutions.

8. Ensure working conditions are safe.

9. Ensure the implementation of all Trust policies as appropriate, e.g. Complaints, Grievance, Disciplinary and Serious Untoward Incidents SUI investigations.

10. Have a flexible approach, able to recognise signs of stress in self and others and take the appropriate action.

11. Participate in recruitment of other healthcare professionals where appropriate

Performance and Quality

1. Work with Team Managers to support them in improving the quality of nursing practice and to create a positive learning environment for all staff, including mentors, students and practice development leads within the Trust

2. To ensure there is a shared learning culture within the team, encouraging staff to contribute their views and ideas as appropriate.

3. Participate in and/or lead formal training events promoting best practice in nursing care.

4. Provide professional and clinical leadership and mentorship, acting as a clinical role model on the delivery of evidence-based practice in nursing care within ELFT.

5. Support the audit and evaluation of quality improvements and initiatives aimed at improving the delivery of nursing care within ELFT, where appropriate to role

6. Acknowledge own strengths and limitation and discuss/identify training and development needs in management supervision.

Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge, Training and Experience

Applied understanding of the needs of clients and a breadth of knowledge about mental health and complex presentations. The ability to demonstrate expertise within the specialty.

Demonstrate advanced management or leadership skills in day to day working practices

Knowledge and application of the standards of professional behaviour.

Ensure evidence based nursing care is provided and regularly reviewed.

Alongside the Team Managers, ensure collection and utilisation of data that evaluates the effectiveness of the service and experience.

Support the Team Managers to develop and implement clinical audits.

Some knowledge of Quality Improvement methodology and willingness to implement QI methods within the teams.

Completion of all statutory and mandatory training.

Willingness to undertake specialist training in accordance to specialist area of work, such as non-medical prescribing

Ensuring the implementation of safeguarding procedures and application in prevention

Analytical and Judgmental Skills

Exercise analytical and decision making skills in relation to patient risk and care in complex cases

Communication and Relationships

Enhanced communication skills

Operates effectively with constantly developing relationships with key stakeholders and associated agencies including:

Directorate/Service Managers

Clinical staff

Service users and their carers/ families

Social care

Primary care

Ability to work in groups/one to one

Ability to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy

Ability to treat service users and their carers with respect and dignity, adopting a culturally sensitive approach that considers the needs of the whole person

Positive mental attitude and a willingness to discuss and negotiate issues and ideas with the appropriate team / individual

Ability to learn through practice

Demonstrates a commitment to quality of care

The development and maintenance of local procedures, which result in good communication between all staff.

To act as a positive role model to staff.

Planning and Organisational Skills

Working with the Team Managers to support staff in developing skills in relation to time/task management to deliver effective care

Physical Skills

• To ensure systems are in place to maintain the safe storage and administration of drugs in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council code of practice.

• Ensure annual attendance at CPR training and keep up to date on service wide policy and procedure for responses to medical emergencies.

• Ensuring the compliance of Health and Safety regulations and legislative (Health and Safety at Work Act, Infection Control Policy, etc) requirements are fully complied with in line with the guidance.

To be familiar with Equal Opportunities good practice and the Trust requirements for diversity and to implement this in all aspects of working practice and promote it in the team, workplace and wider organisation.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• current registration with UK NMC
• two years post qualifying experience in a CMHT

Desirable

• evidence of further training

Experience

Essential

• evidence of work history and examples of clinical cases

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).

Employer details

Employer name

East London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Biggleswade CMHT, Spring House, Biggleswade Hospital

Potton Road

Biggleswade

SG18 0EL

Employer's website

https://www.elft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)