Clinical Nurse Specialist- Homeless Outreach

Job overview

Aim of outreach service/ Job Purpose

The aim is to provide a service specific to homeless individuals within the local authority catchment. The role will include a range of activities addressing the individuals health and wellbeing, the development of pathways into specialist services, training of hostel staff to managed residents out of hours, and improve the overall health inequalities via;

• Health promotion
• General Health screening
• Engagement in Primary Care services and facilitate access to organised health care
• Management of substance use and addiction disorders

The purpose of this role will be imperative in improving integrated pathways to prevent fragmented services that are efficient and effective. The role is specific to support those to improve health outcomes especially for those who continually consume alcohol where traditional structured treatment will not be appropriate. The role will require a peripatetic nurse led general health clinics within hostels, supported through general practice.

The collective aim of the service is to help those with a range of health needs including drug and alcohol to access the appropriate treatment, and to address the physical and mental health of homeless and hostel residents. The service will provide essential health promotion to increase the number of residents engaging with services to address their health and wellbeing.

Main duties of the job

• Develop pathways into specialist services for clients.
• Train hostel and partnership outreach staff to manage residents outside regular hours.
• Conduct nurse-led general health clinics within hostels and for street homeless individuals.
• Support clients, particularly those with alcohol dependency, where traditional treatment methods may not be suitable.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Management and Leadership:

• To contribute to the development of a culture of risk assessment and management to be delivered effectively to own sphere of responsibility and practice.
• To contribute to the development and implementation of systems and process to support compliance with Care Quality Commission Essential Standards for Safety and Quality.
• To represent peripatetic service at both internal and external clinical meetings and forums and to role model a professional and leadership style.
• Ensure that feedback to others is positive and meaningful and that strengths are clearly acknowledged
• To ensure delivery of all key quality, financial, cost improvement and performance targets

Education

• Identify gaps in current knowledge base of staff and disseminate specialist knowledge to others in order to improve patient care.
• Provide effective teaching to individual clients and their families.
• Co-ordinate and contribute to the development of educational materials
• Acts as a preceptor/ mentor for newly-appointed staff/ upgraded staff
• Initiate and participate in clinical supervision and mentoring.
• Provide high quality clinical environment and educational experience for pre-& post registration students.
• To take responsibility for own professional development, and review and develop competencies as required to support clinical practice.
• Contribute to the wider development of practice through publishing, presenting and networking locally and nationally.
• Provide written information and education for patients with physical health  conditions and their carers, and to regularly review this literature.

Communication:

• To participate in multi-disciplinary meetings, both on-site and in the community relating to client management.
• To attend business and clinical service wide meetings and external satellite / groups as team representative, as and when required.
• To work collaboratively and communicate effectively with colleagues within your team, directorate, trust, partnerships agencies and other service providers while remaining within the boundaries of good practice.
• To undertake satellite clinics in Primary Care Services when required providing guidance to GP’s on the clinical management of substance misusing clients
• To promote an open dialogue culture where a positive culture on improving communication, and maintenance of a healthy therapeutic relationship with clients are enhanced and valued.
• To contribute to the promotion of Team cohesiveness, multidisciplinary working and at all times work collaboratively with colleagues in all parts of the Trust to achieve healthy and effective communication.
• To work collaboratively in developing professional links with other statutory and voluntary service providers, ensuring a corporate approach is adopted.
• To provide specialist-nursing advice, when required, on drug/alcohol misuse to other colleagues in relation to the assessment, treatment planning and implementation of interventions to substance misusing clients.
• To participate in a range of partnership arrangements both internal and external to the service/unit while remaining within the boundaries of good practice.
• To effectively communicate with health and social care agencies and other key professionals contributing towards patient’s care, to ensure effective and safe interventions where care is being delivered by multiple agencies.

Data management

• To be able to use word processing and electronic monitoring of data-based system, for which training would be available, if needed.
• To maintain the accurate and up to date documentation of all service clients records and ensuring the confidentiality of such records of information are in line with the Data Protection Act and Information Sharing Protocol.
• To ensure that all information requirements on KPI’s are complied with for peripatetic caseload (including DET, TOP), data entered onto appropriate administration systems and submitted as required.
• To adhere to service data recording and reporting policies and procedures as well as gathering additional information as required for data reporting.