Community Psychiatric Nurse

Job overview

Wandsworth Intervention in Psychosis Service offers intensive support to clients who have experienced a first episode of Psychosis and are between the ages of 18-65 years. Evidence indicates that interventions at this crucial time can have a beneficial impact to the client and family, in many aspects of their lives. Using NICE recommended interventions including CBT approaches, family work and intensive support with an outreach ethos, the service offers a positive and recovery focused approach.

We are looking to recruit a highly motivated and enthusiastic OT/CPN/Care Coordinator to continue the excellent work in our well-established team based in Newton Building 7 Springfield Hospital in Tooting SW London. The successful candidate will require experience of working as a care co-ordinator in the community and have robust skills in all aspects of this role.

This post is to work autonomously with service users and their families, holding a caseload for approximately 18-20 clients (pro rata). The Care co-ordinator is responsible for planning, implementing, recording and reviewing a comprehensive package of care in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary Team. We would particularly welcome applicants who have psychosocial interventions training including family interventions but would want to train up all staff in this intervention.

For more information, please contact the team base on 0203 513 5565 and ask for the Recruiting Managers, Rachel Langley/Natalie Nguyen

Main duties of the job

The post holder will:

Work within a multi-disciplinary team comprising of Doctors, Psychologist, Social Workers, CPNs, OT, Support and Recovery Workers, Employment Specialists, a Team Manager and team administration staff

Manage a caseload of young clients between 17 and 35 who have experienced a first episode of any psychotic illness, using evidence based /client centred principles to assess, plan, implement and evaluate interventions.

Assess health and social care needs and negotiate care plans with service users and their careers, remaining objective when working with diagnostic uncertainty.

Undertake risk assessments according to Trust policy

Ensure delivery of care plans in partnership with multi-disciplinary colleagues and a range of health and social care agencies, within the CPA structure.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To engage service users and carers assertively and offer care/interventions within the least restrictive setting in normal community environments.

To provide a service sensitive to age, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and disability.

To offer a range of evidence-based psycho-social interventions and proactive risk management approaches to help the service user and their family to reduce and manage symptoms, high risk behaviour and other disabling effects of psychosis and enable, as far as possible, full and sustained recovery.

To ensure Wandsworth Child Protection Guidelines and procedures are fully understood by self and others. To ensure the safety needs of children are met at all times and take appropriate action when a child is felt to be at risk or in need.

To monitor treatment, support concordance and ensure prompt action is taken to alleviate unwanted effects.

To provide access to and ongoing psychoeducation regarding first episode psychosis to service users and families.

To ensure basic needs are addressed i.e. housing, income, support in accessing education or training etc.

To recognise the developmental needs of service users and enable a vocational/educational assessment within a specified time of their contact with the service, and to ensure the service user is supported in progressing plans made for education, training or employment.

To provide interventions, and work with other disciplines/agencies/teams in the care of service users experiencing co-morbid problems with substance use/misuse.

To engage the service user and their family in relapse prevention and crisis planning and provide and coordinate interventions that maximise the service users’ ability to resolve crises, remain at home and avoid the need for hospitalisation

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