Deputy ward manager

Job overview

Hume ward is a 15-bed Male Low Secure Unit ward, currently located on the Springfield Hospital site, part of Southwest London and St Georges NHS Trust Forensic service, Shaftesbury Clinic.  We are part of the South London Mental Health Partnership (with SLAM and Oxleas) and Quality Network for Forensic Mental Health Services sharing learning, expertise and innovation and improve the quality of care and treatment of service users and the development of staff.

Hume ward is a Forensic Inpatient Low secure ward which provides short- and long-term hospital admissions to male patients suffering from serious mental health problems such as psychotic illness, bipolar affective disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Admissions are generally agreed with the referring team/court/Ministry of Justice.

Our Multidisciplinary team are responsible for assessing, managing and reducing the risk to patients and the community whilst in our care. The team comprises of Mental Health Nurses, Forensic Psychiatrists, Clinical Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Dance and Movement Therapists, Recovery Workers and administrative staff. The team works in collaboration with the referring team to help the patient move back to an appropriate community setting as soon as possible.

Main duties of the job

We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and hard-working Band 6 Deputy Ward Manager (Registered Mental Health Nurse) to work with the multi-disciplinary team on Hume ward.

Band 6 DWM nursing roles are only open to staff with a nursing registration, obtained as a result of completing a qualification recognised by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

The post holder will be responsible for supporting the Ward Manager in implementing and monitoring all policies and ensuring that the ward functions in line with the Trust and service line philosophy of providing respectful compassionate care that is of the highest quality. The post holder will also support the Ward Management to ensure that supervision and appraisal systems are robustly implemented and that the care provided is of the highest possible standard in line with the service’s clinical governance framework. The Deputy Ward Manager will support the Ward Manager with providing a safe environment within which all staff can deliver care and support to patients and their significant others. He/she will be equipped with the skills and knowledge and resources to ensure effective deployment of resources within agreed budgets.

We are an innovative service and are constantly striving to improve the quality of the service we provide. You will therefore be expected to engage in ongoing professional development and appraisal.

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

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications

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Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.

Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.

Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.