Paediatric Mental Health Liaison Nurse

Job overview

Please Note:

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Applicants must already hold the right to work in the UK independently, with a visa or immigration status that allows them to fulfil the full duration and type of contract offered. The Trust is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.

Children and young people with mental health problems are often accommodated in Paed ED, PAU and Willow ward whilst receiving medical care and/or awaiting a mental health assessment. An increasing number of these children and young people are then placed on a Section and detained under the Mental Health Act. This post will play a key role in supporting staff around the management of these patients.

If you are a mental health nurse with experience in working with children we would love to heart from you

Main duties of the job

This post will play a key role in supporting staff around the management of these patients. The post holder will provide relevant training, supervision / debriefing and support to staff and act as the interface between Paediatric ED, PAU and Willow ward, NELFT and the CAMHS Service The purpose of this role is to provide a safe and timely assessment and ongoing support to children and young people who present in a mental health crisis. To develop and deliver robust educational interventions that promotes best practice in the management of patients experiencing, or at risk of self-harm. To support staff within the units to appropriately risk assess, support care provision and attend MDT meetings to support the pathway of children and young people with mental health conditions within the acute trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Specific Responsibilities 1. Working relationships: 1.1 Working within the paediatric areas, PAU and Emergency Department 1.2 Liaise with NELFT, CAMHS crisis, eating disorder teams, learning disabilities and safeguarding teams and Social Services 1.3 Working within multidisciplinary and multi-agency care teams and relevant shared care/tertiary centres. 1.4 Ensuring that clients and carers who face cultural and/or language barriers are helped to understand and make use of the services available. 1.5 To maintain and develop relationships with professionals external to the area of service, children, young people and their families (where appropriate) within CAMHS area of service/specialism. 2. Budget responsibilities: 2.1 To ensure the effective use of all resources, supplies and equipment. 3. Accountability 3.1 Deliver excellent patient care in conjunction with evidenced-based clinical standards within the speciality 3.2 Contribute to the evaluation and development of the service provided 3.3 Contribute to the development of multi -agency integrated care 3.4 To establish close working links with NELFT, primary care colleagues, community paediatric service and tertiary/ shared care centres 3.5 To communicate complex and sensitive information and advice to child or young person and their families, carers and professionals, including information about diagnosis and prognosis, to find ways of enabling the information to be understood, providing empathy and reassurance. 4. Clinical responsibilities 4.1 Working alongside the CAMHS crisis and eating disorder services: assess, plan, implement and evaluate nursing provision. Develop and implement specialist nursing protocols, developing care packages and programs of care for young people who self harm or have an eating disorder, including the involvement of multi-agency input around the child or young person and their family’s needs. 4.2 To be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementing and evaluating of specialist care, including supporting and evaluating the work of paediatric and agency staff 4.3 To act as a resource of specialist advice for children, young people and families on the nursing care and management of specialism; including the provision of advice and management of acute complications. 4.4 To review CAMHS patients in ED or paedaitric areas who require an inpatient bed and ensure appropriate risk assessments are completed 4.5 Review policies and procedures in relation to CAMHS and the management of these patients in the acute setting. Ensure these policies are kept up to date and are evidence based and are embedded into the patient journey. 4.6 Act as an advocate for the young person and their family and where necessary refer to external agencies for identified support 4.7 To actively involve service users in decisions about the service and support they receive, to be aware of and inform service users about participation initiatives, and actively support the development of such initiatives to ensure the voice of service users is at the heart of service design, development and delivery. 4.8 4.9 Assess, plan, implement and evaluate holistic specialist nursing care in the hospital setting and ensure that any staff providing care for the children and young people with mental health related issue are aware of the care plan and their roles and responsibilities Daily review of ward in-patients admitted to Willow or attending the hospital with a mental health related issue. Support for ED and PAU on mental health related issues. 4.10 To provide support for nursing staff roster, working clinically caring for children and young people with general paediatric needs where there are no CAMHS children in the hospital, to cover shortfalls or sickness 4.11 Provide ongoing counselling, support, information about the conditions, lifestyle changes and long-term implications to children, young people and families 4.12 To work co-operatively with healthcare professionals from NELFT, safeguarding, members of the primary care team and other agencies including schools to provide holistic, co-ordinated packages of care for the child, young person and family 4.13 To assess and manage clinical events to ensure safe and effective care 5. Education 5.1 To provide support, advice and education to the emergency department and Paediatric areas to build knowledge and skills of staff within these settings in the care and treatment of children and young people with mental health difficulties 5.2 Assist in the application of, and develop guidelines for best clinical practice. Advise clinicians and colleagues on changes to practice. 5.3 Promote positive attitudes towards children and young people with mental health illness across the ward and other departments where they are caring for children. 5.4 Act as a resource to improve the management of risky and dependent and vulnerable young people eg. Risk Assessments and management strategies 5.5 Ensure staff compliance of Trust policies and procedures. 5.6 Undertake safeguarding supervision and support sessions with NELFT as directed and report difficult cases to the Paediatric Matron / ward manager for further action 5.7 Ensure National and Safeguarding Children guidelines are adhered to at all times 5.8 Responsible for own professional registration and Revalidation requirements, to attend courses relevant to specialism as deemed suitable at appraisal or in the process of clinical supervision 5.9 Attend relevant multi-agency training or education to develop one’s own knowledge to ensure that current practice is implemented 5.10 Support the development of skills and knowledge amongst students and all members of the Paediatric team 6. Professional 6.1 Act as an advocate for the young person and their family and where necessary refer to external agencies for identified support 6.2 Adhering to the NMC (2015) Code of Professional Standards of practice and behaviours for nurses and midwifes 6.3 Maintaining own professional development in line with the requirements of Revalidation, identifying and acting on training needs and attending relevant lectures and courses as necessary to ensure best practice. 6.4 Keeping up to date with current developments in patient care and evidence-based practice. 6.5 Working within all policies, procedures and guidelines of Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust including those related to Safeguarding children. 6.6 Ensuring that confidentiality is maintained at all times, including the storage of records and the transfer of verbal and written information.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.