Charge Nurse - Aquarius Ward

Job overview

Are you looking for an exciting new opportunity working with Children and Adolescents?

South West London and St George’s Mental Health Trust (SWLSTG) are currently recruiting for a band 6 charge nurse to join our CAMHS (Children and Adolescent Mental Health) inpatient team and work with children aged 12 – 18 years.

Aquarius Ward is a specialist inpatient mental health provision for young people aged 12 – 18 who are experiencing an acute mental health crisis. It is a 12 bedded National Unit open 365 days a year, 24h a day. It is part of the South London Partnership providing the adolescent in-patient services for young people under South West London & St George’s Mental Health NHS Trust, South London and Maudsley and Oxleas NHS Trust. The team provides inpatient treatment for adolescents aged 12 to their 18th birthday in an acute mental health crisis that is unable to be managed in the community with conditions such as severe depression, anxiety, OCD, self-harm, psychosis and mania. You will be joining a multi-disciplinary team that is committed to the provision of high quality service user centred care. Our teams are looking for compassionate, extraordinary Mental Health Nurses that are wanting to develop in their management skills in a busy and exciting environment. As a ward, we now carry out Nasal Gastric on Young People with disordered eating and all RMNs will be trained.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver, or advise on the delivery of, high quality safe nursing care, ensuring consistently high standards of practice and clinical excellence which comply with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of professional conduct.

As a Deputy Nursing Team Leader/Clinical Development Nurse you will promote and develop clinical leadership and clinical practice and be a positive role model to junior members of the team through the practice of evidence-based care. You will be expected to support professional development through clinical appraisal and supervision and contribute to the ongoing educational programme for staff, fostering a positive learning environment. Your professional and personal development will include further postgraduate study and you will be encouraged and supported by your line manager to undertake Master’s programmes.

As a senior nurse working within the South London Mental Health and Community Partnership you are required to encourage and foster collaborative and cross organisational working.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement 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.
• Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support:
• Co-ordinating and evaluating collaborative patient centred care; getting feedback and improving plans with the multi-disciplinary team (MDT).
• Providing accurate information about care in an accessible format to patients and their relatives / carers.
• Liaising and working positively with members of the multi- disciplinary team and partner organisations.
• Administering, and monitoring the side-effects of, medication; monitoring service user compliance.
• Safety; safe custody of medicines, sharps, clinical equipment, report all incidents following trust policy.
• Leading and supporting/teaching junior staff on risk assessment and risk management that involves making decisions based on knowledge of the research evidence, knowledge of the individual service user and their social context, knowledge of the service user’s own experience and clinical judgment.
• Supporting and supervising junior staff to develop the management of care needs through:
• Initial data collection
• Monitoring of individual service user / patient progress
• Feedback and discussion
• Producing reports and in-care reviews
• Devising a plan of care and interventions in partnership with service user, carer and MDT
• Coordinating junior staff and the wider care team in providing hands-on care to service users and evaluating processes of care delivered. This will include:
• Undertaking 1-1 engagement with service users in an honest, open and non- judgmental way.
• Recognising and valuing service users as individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining the service user’s respect and dignity at all times and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity.
• Developing care plans that reflect service user needs and relevant patient care documentation working in partnership with service users, wider MDT and family/carers.
• Ensuring the monitoring and recording service user clinical observations are undertaken, such as physical observations and vital signs and treating or escalating as appropriate any signs or symptoms of deterioration or that does not fulfill the personal parameters to the relevant professional for treatment. Promote healthy lifestyles and give health promotion advice and support.
• Implementing the principles of ‘recovery’: encouraging and supporting service users to engage with healthy lifestyles, facilitating psychosocial activities and other activities of their interest. Where appropriate contributing to psychological interventions.
• Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.
• 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.
• To undertake Nasogastric (NG) Training and successfully complete competencies and maintain practice with supervision.
• Additional Specialist training relevant to children and young people with mental health problems and disordered eating

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.