Autism and Learning Disability Nurse Specialist (Mat Cover)

Job overview

This is a unique opportunity to work within an acute Trust to support the continued development of high quality services to meet the holistic needs of patients with Autism and/ or Learning Disabilities and to develop the educational plan for staff of all disciplines to equip them to meet these needs.

The role requires leadership for the development and implementation of the Autism and Learning Disability Strategy in the Trust. The post holder will demonstrate high level of specialist knowledge and expertise providing advice, education and support to staff, patients, their families and carers.

The post holder will deliver an effective Autism and/or Learning Disabilities service across the RSFT sites, working closely with the Paediatric learning disability nurse and the acute liaison learning disability nurse to drive service improvements  To maintain links with community LD teams, the Integrated Care Board, patient and carers groups in order to develop services which meet the needs of Autism and/ or learning disability patients and their families/ carers.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will provide clinical leadership to support the ongoing development of high‑quality services for patients with Autism and/or Learning Disabilities. They will lead the development and implementation of Autism and Learning Disability service delivery across the Trust, including the delivery of the educational programme for staff to promote best practice. The post holder will demonstrate specialist knowledge and provide advice, support to patients and their families/carers. They will contribute to the Trust’s strategic direction by providing vision, professional leadership, and oversight to ensure the delivery of high‑quality nursing care across hospital and community services.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will deliver an effective Autism and/or Learning Disabilities service across all RSFT sites, working closely with the Paediatric Learning Disability Nurse and the Acute Liaison Learning Disability Nurse to drive service improvements. They will maintain strong links with community Learning Disability teams, carers’ groups, and patients to ensure services are developed in line with the needs of individuals with Autism and/or Learning Disabilities and their families/carers. The post holder will work alongside the Deputy Director for Nursing to progress the Trust’s Autism and Learning Disability agenda and support the delivery of the associated strategy. They will also promote the rights, interests, needs, and choices of service users, carers, and other key stakeholders in the planning, delivery, and review of services for patients with Autism and/or Learning Disabilities.