Nursing Associate

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to work within our Twickenham and Richmond Integrated Recovery Hubs as a Nursing Associate.  The service offers provides care and treatment for working age adults with severe and enduring mental illness who live in the borough of Richmond.

This is a great opportunity to join one of our passionate and forward thinking teams, develop skills, and enhance your overall career pathway.

You will be a member of a multi-disciplinary team that aims to provide high quality community-based care to a diverse population, committed to new ways of working, challenging stigma and promoting recovery.

Only qualified/soon to be qualified nursing associates will be considered.

Main duties of the job

The nursing associate role works closely with band 6 clinic nurses delivering mental and physical health intervention in our busy clozapine, depot and cardio metabolic assessment (CMA) clinics. The role requires someone who has a high level of physical health skills, a good understanding of mental health and relevant mental health interventions and is keen to drive forward quality improvement and innovation.  In addition, the role requires someone who is flexible and who can work both autonomously and under direct supervision.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading on implementing 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.

2. Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.

3. Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.

4. Facilitating the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient are met including activities such as property checks, orientation to services, and ensuring that community support needs are met.

5. 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.

6. Subject to the requirements of a particular service area and within the confines of the role, following trust policy/government regulatory guidance and upon successful completion of an approved programme of study and competency assessment signed by ward manager for the clinical area, the post-holder will administer routine medications.

7. Supporting and ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the clinical area. This will include coordinating and prioritising activities.