Registered Mental Health Nurse/Occupational Therapist, Tunbridge Wells

Main Responsibilities

• Foster recovery through empowerment of service users and carers by using a strengths-based approach involving the service user and carer in the planning of their care.
• Establish and maintain consistent supportive relationships, which encourage increased self-determination and responsibility for service users and their care.
• Offer a range of evidence-based interventions and risk management approaches enabling the service user and carers to reduce and manage symptoms and high-risk behaviour in episodes of relapse.
• Be proactive, innovative, and creative in delivering care, enabling the facilitation of service users' recovery.
• Engage service users and carers in relapse prevention and risk management/contingency plans, providing interventions that maximise the service users' ability to resolve relapse crises and prevent admission to hospital.
• Liaise with inpatient units to support discharge through appropriate pathways.
• Facilitate early discharge from both inpatients and the CRHT Team by providing regular, formal reviews.
• Deliver a flexible and responsive service through practice that is dictated by service users/carers' needs.
• Work collaboratively and effectively with members of the multi-disciplinary team and in partnership with other agencies.
• Deliver high-quality care and provide solutions and signposting to service users with severe and enduring mental health problems to support correct pathway access.
• Provide care within the Strength Based Model of practice maintaining service users within their own environment in the community.
• Act as an educator for service users and carers.
• Advise on issues of mental health to generate a positive approach to health and strengthen the service users' capacity to manage illness, symptoms, and relapse.
• Respond swiftly to urgent referrals providing interventions to prevent admission or re-admission.
• Work closely with carers.
• Recognise racial, cultural, sexual preference and address health inequalities.
• Ensure that record keeping/documentation reflects needs.
• Maximise the use of resources within the team and available in the community.
• Be responsible for assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating care, using evidence-based tools and models of care.
• Work within the MDT framework according to code of practice, for delivery of optimum care.
• Ensure that care plans are reviewed and updated to take into account the most recent information regarding service users' needs.
• Undertake risk assessment/management for service users on the caseload and disseminate the information to their team members and professionals involved.
• Ensure activity/contact is entered promptly on RiO, conforming to the organisations' data quality requirements, in line with contract specification Trust and Social Care data quality requirement.
• Provide care plans in accordance with National Guidelines.

Leadership

• Participate in the development of an effective team and the development of productive working relationships throughout the organisation.
• Actively promote integrated health professional working internally and externally.
• Facilitate the development of a positive and supportive team culture by taking responsibility for dealing effectively with potential conflict.
• Take an active interest in working parties and groups within the organisation to develop and improve on service delivery, protocols and guidelines.
• Participate in the audit process, linking in with the clinical governance agenda.
• Advise, encourage and share knowledge utilizing the latest research and practice development, through literature and peer reviews.
• Challenge and raise concerns around poor or unprofessional practice.
• Participate in the induction of new members of staff as a mentor.
• Participate and review staff performance.
• Act as a positive role model for colleagues.

Clinical Skills

• Have a working knowledge of current appropriate legislations.
• Engage in regular clinical and professional supervision.
• Adhere to and work within the guidelines of the NMC/HCPC professional code of conduct.
• Maintain registration of care profession and membership relevant to professional area; duties in relation to the relevant professional qualification will be required e.g. the administration of medicines as stated within agreed policies and procedures.
• Act as a positive clinical role model for colleagues.
• Ensure that full regard is taken of the dignity, individuality and well-being of service users and carers.
• Ensure physical health checks are carried out in full with any relevant follow up arranged, as necessary.
• Be accountable for own practice and take every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve knowledge and professional competence.
• Advocate and promote self-advocacy for service users/carers.

Communication

• Communicate effectively with other members of the MDT pertaining to assessments, care plans, risk factors, relapse signatures, signs of deterioration in service users' mental and physical health care.
• Ensure that information of sensitive and contentious content is handled with professionalism and communicated appropriately to clearly identified persons.
• Respond to emergency situations in a clear and supportive manner always showing sensitivity and direction.

Training

• Act as a mentor to students, providing effective education, facilitating their development, and promoting high standards of nursing care.
• Ensure students are actively supported to enable them to achieve their learning needs.
• Ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others.
• Undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops.
• Undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to organisational strategy.
• Support new staff and their integration within the team.
• Support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines.