Occupational Health Specialist Mental Wellbeing Nurse

Job responsibilities

Post Title: Occupational Health Specialist Mental Health and Wellbeing Nurse

Pay Band: Agenda for Change Band 6

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location / Department: Working Well Centre Newtown Road Worcester

Accountable to: Head of OH and Wellbeing Services

Reports to: Head of OH and Wellbeing Services

Key Working Relationships:

All stakeholders Other NHS Occupational Health and Wellbeing Services, Other non NHS Organisations, Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Risk Assessment: Working with VDUs, some manual handling/repetitive tasks. Potential exposure to distressed and or verbally aggressive individuals. The role can be emotionally challenging at times.

Job Purpose:

Actively participate and contribute to the development and effective provision of a high quality Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service to the Trust and other public sector and private organisations by promoting mental wellbeing. The postholder may liaise with other agencies in the planning programmes of care and/or health education programmes.

Provide clear specialist impartial advice to both managers and employees to optimise mental health and wellbeing at work, supporting the reduction in sickness absence and preventing work related ill health.

Using persuasive and reassurance skills, participate in identifying and maintaining a safe working environment and preventing mental ill health that may be associated with work and assist service users in devising plans for maintaining mental wellbeing within work.

Proactively engage with all stakeholders in order to influence the health and well-being of the organisation and its employees.

Undertake formal clinical audit programmes and evaluation, supporting the strategic direction of the service and provide assurance regarding the quality of clinical care and advice.

Lead on workplace mental health and wellbeing initiatives throughout the Trust.

Contribute to an atmosphere conducive to learning, audit and the use of nursing based research / evidence based rationale for clinical practice.

Key Duties:

To actively contribute to the achievement and maintenance of standards required for SEQOHS Accreditation.

Advise both management and employees on all matters related to work and mental health.

Manage own caseload of management referrals for the purpose of sickness absence management through assessment and planning of Occupational Health care of an individual. Provide specialist expertise and advice on highly complex cases such as those with multiple complex mental health or neurodiverse conditions for which managers require coaching and guidance to be able to support the employee in the workplace. Develop highly specialised programmes of care to employees to mitigate health issues within the workplace.

Work autonomously as a specialist practitioner and be able to use own initiative and act independently, to take action when required. Will be required to work alone as well as within the team.

Maintain and safeguard accurate confidential clinical records including the recording of clinical outcomes and observations, tests results, and the secure storage of patient identifiable information on the OH management system Cority in in accordance with Data Protection Act and Caldicott Principles, information governance and relevant legislation.

Undertake complex fitness for work assessments, using evidence-based practice to provide highly specialist appropriate advice and support to managers, employees and HR whilst considering relevant legal requirements e.g. Equality Act. This will require the analysis of a range of possible options.

To undertake the role of the Duty Nurse Adviser providing telephone advice to all contracted clients on any mental health queries, which may include pre-placement health issues, health capability to work. To advise on more complex issues as required.

Ensure adherence and compliance to Occupational Health departmental policy. Lead on the development and writing of Occupational Health policies, procedures and guidelines in relation to mental health.

Assist with the promotion and maintenance of a proactive health and well-being programme for all staff in accordance with the public health agenda and Trust Health and Wellbeing Strategy. Actively participate in health awareness initiatives.

Provide coaching, support and mentorship to the junior Occupational Health Advisors as required.

Comprehensively assess clients for risk factors and early signs of poor mental health. Using making every contact count and persuasive skills as an approach to change behaviour through interactions with clients to support them in making positive changes to their mental health and wellbeing.

Analyse mental health data and promote and support agreed measures for the advancement of a proactive occupational health programme in relation to mental health.

Be fully conversant with relevant legislation, NICE guidance and Department of Health guidelines.

Provide an emergency (in opening hours) response service for incidents such as sharps and needlestick injuries andother immediate health issues.

Carry out initial psychological support and counselling needs assessments.

Communication and relationship skills:

Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious information with clients where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome, requiring a high level of interpersonal and communication skills and ensuring advice is in line with legal standards e.g. fitness to drive, safeguarding.

Motivate and impart important information to service users who may have complex cognitive, memory, perceptual, psychological, communication and behavioural problems.

Communicate effectively within the multidisciplinary team, with departments and organisations to ensure services are well planned and co coordinated. Establish and maintain effective communication channels with all colleagues, managers and other professionals.

Develop good working relationships with our key stakeholders in particular Staff Psychological Wellbeing Service and NOSS counselling and increase mental health awareness through training for managers.

Contribute to team meetings and participate in communication cascade by providing constructive feedback.

Provide a high level of negotiation skills with patients, carers and/or staff in setting realistic and appropriate goals, where expectations may be raised and/or there may be a hostile or highly emotive atmosphere.

Planning and Organisational skills

Manage time effectively when managing cases and clinics.

Generate and disseminate effective management reports and other forms of communication in line with NMC code of professional conduct.

Effective analytical and judgement skills.

Manage and deliver bespoke teaching / training using presentation skills.

The postholder will act in a senior capacity to support more junior members of the clinical team and ensure best practice is maintained within the department in accordance with legislation relevant to occupational health practice and mental wellbeing.

Client care

Prompt production of reports to support clients and managers.

Provide mental health specialist advice and develop plans of care for staff who require occupational health support.

All clinical care will be in line with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct regarding record keeping and obtaining informed consent.

Provide appropriate Occupational Health advice which complies with the ethical guidance from the Faculty of Occupational Health medicine.

To undertake any other duties which is deemed appropriate to the band when requested by Senior Staff. The above indicates the main duties of the post which may be reviewed in the light of experience and developments within the service. Any review will be undertaken in conjunction with the post-holder.

Skills

Essential

• Excellent IT skills: Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Competent assessment skills
• Effective analytical and decision-making skills
• Risk assessment/management
• and crisis intervention skills
• Team/self-management and organisation skills that enable a number of complex activities and clinical work to be undertaken, revising and adjusting these according to the needs of individual patients and the service

Personal qualities

Essential

• Able to work flexibly and co-operatively as part of a team
• Willingness to travel and work across site as required.
• Able to use own initiative and make decisions independently
• Self-motivated, resourceful and resilient in challenging situations
• Evidence of practicing the WAHT Values and Behaviours

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Mental Health Nurse on the NMC register as RMN, RM Part 13 or equivalent
• Evidence of relevant continuing professional development
• Post basic qualification at either diploma or degree level in or working towards

Desirable

• Prevention and Management of Suicide training

Knowledge

Essential

• Specialist knowledge across a range of work procedures, underpinned by theory and professional knowledge acquired through degree/diploma
• Knowledge of the Health and Wellbeing agenda
• Specialist knowledge across a range of work procedures, underpinned by theory and professional knowledge acquired through degree/diploma
• Knowledge of the health and Wellbeing agenda
• Knowledge of counselling skills/cognitive behavioural skills, psychosocial interventions
• Knowledge of recovery approaches as used with those with mental health conditions
• Specialist knowledge of mental health conditions as well as their relationship to physical disorders
• Sufficient clinical knowledge to be able to make autonomous decisions, based on an analysis of complex presenting problems and judgement about available options, with
• senior clinical support/supervision
• Ability to interpret research and apply to practice

Experience

Essential

• Working at least 2 years at Band 5 with either working age or older adults in a mental health setting
• Experience in the delivery of clinical interventions and coordinating complex cases
• Evidence of collaborative working, especially within teams
• Evidence of partnership working with a wide range of services and professionals
• Demonstrate ability to apply evidence-based interventions and knowledge to clinical practice using research and audit to support clinical governance

Desirable

• Experience in delivering group based interventions
• Experience in supporting service development

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.

UK Registration

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