Community Mental Health Nurse

Job overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a Community Mental Health Nurse to join our Adult Community Mental Health Services Team in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. We are also accepting newly qualified nurses, the Trust has a 6-12 month preceptorship programme which you would be expected to complete if you are newly qualified.

The area is well served with transport links to historic Hertfordshire and its glorious countryside as well as into London and beyond.  We are looking for someone who is passionate about delivering care to Adults with mental health issues

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an exceptional organisation with big ambitions, our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.

We can offer you a competitive salary, staff benefits package, excellent career development and training that comes from working for Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust.

Whilst it is a challenging period for the NHS, there has never been a more exciting time to join HPFT.  We are on a “Good to Great” journey as we continue to innovate, improve, transform and deliver the very highest standards of care to the service users and communities that we serve.

Please refer to the “Main Duties Of The Job”, “Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities” sections and the Job Description and Person Specification documents attached elsewhere for full details.

Main duties of the job

• To support the ACMHS in establishing and maintaining effective inter-team and inter-agency communication
• To be directly involved with our busy clozapine, depot and physical health clinics which are ran every week and will include administering medication, ordering, storing and liaising with team Psychiatrists.
• To support the ACMHS and service users by conducting First Contact assessments, acting as a duty worker on the busy duty desk and being part of the team rota.
• To hold a caseload of up to 25 service users who will have ongoing mental health and/or social care needs.
• To provide effective liaison/communication relating to referrals to and discharge from the ACMHS across in-patient, primary care and community services
• Maintain effective joint working with other teams such as EPMHS, PATH, MHSOP, CRHTT etc and other community based teams according to local circumstances.
• Ensure effective communications with relatives, visitors, voluntary organisations and the general public, thus encouraging participation in care delivery. To respond sensitively to the needs of relatives and carers, often in a highly emotive setting
• To liaise with other professionals in relation to client care, actively co-ordinating care planning and review meetings, and case conferences as appropriate.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

A) Clinical Responsibility

01) To manage a patient caseload, identified in consultation with medical, nursing and other professions and agreed by the ACMHS Team Leader.

02) To establish and maintain effective individualised nursing and social care by assessment of patient’s problems; planning; implementation and evaluation of agreed interventions; clear and concise documentation of individualised client care and use of electronic patient record systems. Using Connected Lives Assessments, care and support plans and risk assessments.

03) To be aware of the physical needs of people with mental health problems and refer physical conditions on as appropriate.

04) Establish therapeutic relationships with individual clients, relatives and carers.

05) Be responsible for the administration, carriage and storage of medication in accordance with relevant Trust policies. To ensure safe disposal of equipment used in the community e.g. syringes, needles, in accordance with Trust policies.

06) Be responsible for the administration of prescribed medical treatments and monitoring effects in accordance with clinical procedures adopted by the Trust.

07) Use research findings in designing nursing care programmes and develop awareness of the significance of nursing research and wider evidence based practice in community mental health care.

08) Participate and be responsible for running nurse led clinics e.g. Depot, clozapine and physical health.

09) Demonstrate an awareness of the needs of carers of patients with mental health problems and develop strategies to meet those needs; e.g. self-help groups, respite care, Carers Act.

10) Ensure that the principle of continuity of care is maintained and that appropriate plans are made for client’s discharge and transfer from the clinical areas in line with Care Programme Approach (including acting as care coordinator), Community Care Act 1990 and Discharge Policies and the National Service Framework for Mental Health.

11) To have a working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 and subsequent legislation as it affects the client group.

12) To participate in the Trust’s adverse incidents reporting systems and comply with the Trust’s procedure and techniques for managing risks.

B) Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

01) Assist in identifying training needs with the community team for self and team members.

02) Act as a positive example and supervisor/assessor for student nurses and junior members of the ACMHS.

03) Participate in annual appraisal, professional development and mandatory training.

Managers have a duty to promote and support staffs’ personal health and wellbeing at all times, this includes both physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Managers have a responsibility to support staff by directing employees to services that are available to everyone to help in managing health and wellbeing.

They should be open and approachable as well as proactive in discussing and agreeing a process to monitor an employee’s mental and physical health.

C) Financial Responsibility

01) To assist the Team Manager to manage the Team budget effectively.

02) Comply with relevant Trust and Team financial policies and procedures to ensure cost effective and efficient use of team and Trust resources.

D) Service Development and Improvement

01) To be involved in clinical audit and evaluation of mental health services within secondary care.  Playing an enthusiastic role in the achievement of the team’s contribution to achieving NSF objectives for the service at a local level and contribute to such audit requirements (of own practice and recording) as are requested from time to time.

02) To contribute to data collection and entry as part of audit and evaluation of such services.

03) To participate fully in training relevant to the delivery of the services outlined above.

04) To actively seek supervision for all aspects of the post.

05) To recognise personal and professional limitations.

E) Communications

01) To provide and receive complex, sensitive and contentious information using developed skills of persuasion, motivation, negotiation, empathy and re-assurance to ensure client assessments, care planning, reviews and other tasks can be completed.

02) To be able to communicate with clarity, tact and purpose in all relevant situations.

03) To be able to use effectively a range of modes of communication including verbal, by email, by telephone, in formal reports, written clinical notes and in presentations taking into account issues of confidentiality.

04) To be able to communicate to people at various points within the hierarchy of relevant organisations.

05) Ensure effective and confidential communication between medical, nursing, social care and health care agents on significant information governing patient care and treatment.  Adhere to NMC Code of Conduct and the HPFT policies on confidentiality and information sharing.

06) To keep accurate records on all clients in accordance with Trust Policy and guidance from professional bodies.

07) To collect data in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

08) To collect and submit activity statistics as required.

F) Other

Physical Working Conditions and Environment

01) The post holder is based within the Community Mental Health Team and will be expected to visit people within their own homes, or a variety of public places or voluntary organisations within the community as well as GP practices throughout the Trust.

02) The post holder will also be expected to carry out duties such as Phlebotomy or giving intramuscular injections on a frequent basis and dealing with people daily who display a full spectrum of behaviour from potentially violent and aggressive to suicidal and extremely distressed.

03) Travel throughout the County is required and will need access to a car and UK driving license.

G) Knowledge and Skills Framework

01) The post holder will be expected to meet the requirements of the NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF) appropriate outline for the post.

For full details of the main duties and responsibilities of the role please refer to the job description and person specification documents attached.