Nursing Associate

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others. There’s a place for you at CNWL. We’re passionate about delivering first-class patient-centred, safe and effective care, whether it is in a hospital setting, in a community clinic or in the patient’s own home. Patients are at the heart of everything we do.

Providing top quality care depends on our ability to employ the best people. We’re always looking to recruit outstanding people who will go the extra mile to support our patients, colleagues, teams and the Trust. With every new employee we’re hoping to find our future leaders and we’ll support our staff by providing opportunities to develop your career.

Main area: Nursing Associate - Community older adults mental health

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Job overview: CNWL is looking to recruit a nursing associate for the Westminster Older Adults and Health Ageing Community Mental Health Team and Home Treatment Team. This is a dynamic service offering mental health support to older adults in Westminster who suffer from functional disorders and dementia. The team believes in making a real difference to the lives of older adults by providing a service that is non-hierarchical, multi-functional and multi-disciplinary, drawing on the expertise of all team members to deliver person-centred assessment, care & support.

Main duties of the job: Band 4 Nursing Associates work closely with people who use our service, their families, friends and carers and play an important contribution in how people experience our services. Band 4 Nursing Associates are expected to:

• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and be accountable to the registered nurses they work with
• Be accountable as professionals registered with the NMC and work to the Code for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates
• Promote health and prevent ill health
• Provide and monitor care
• Work to improve safety and the quality of care

As a Nursing Associate you may be expected to practice any of the skills listed in the NMC Standards of Proficiency skills annexes or be responsible for the care delivered to a number of service users but you will always be supervised by a registered nurse and receive support from the wider multi-disciplinary team.

Working for our organisation: Central and North West London NHS Trust expects all Nursing Associates to act in a way which shows you understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers and also other staff members. As a Nursing Associate we expect you to show COMPASSION, contribute to a caring and kind environment and recognise that what you do and say helps can make the lives of others better. We expect you to RESPECT everyone and acknowledge and welcome people’s differences rather than ignore them or see them as problematic. We expect you to EMPOWER others and continually try to provide information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs. We expect you to work in PARTNERSHIP and behave in a way that shows that you recognise that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and pay for our work.

Please note that this role requires successful candidates to be able to engage in Therapeutic Management of Violence and Aggression (TMVA) training, including the use of force techniques and the ability to attend resuscitation training and perform CPR. This is because of the high-acuity nature of the ward/community environment and the need to ensure the safety of both patients and staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities: The key responsibilities of a Nursing Associate in Central and North West London NHS Trust show how you can help the Trust deliver safe, effective services and provide patients and families with a positive experience.

• Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team and be accountable to the registered nurses you work with
• You will work as part of a multi-professional team and will be expected to:

• Be accountable for your practice to a registered nurse
• Participate in regular supervision with the registered nurse
• Supervise, help train and delegate to other members of the team e.g. Health Care Assistants
• Participate in team meetings and help develop the team

• Communicating well with all members of the team
• Understanding how your role helps the team achieve its objective
• Understanding the roles of different team members and how they help the team achieve its’ objectives using supervision and team meetings to reflect on your own practice regularly
• Develop skills with coaching/teaching individuals/carers/other staff
• Engage in reflective practice, including management of self and reflection on own reactions, asking questions and reflecting on answers given.

• Working to the standards set out in the NMC Code for Nurses, Midwives and Nursing Associates
• Recognise issues relating to safeguarding vulnerable children and adults and report any problems or raise concerns to the appropriate registered care professionals (including raising a safeguarding alert)
• Escalating safety concerns (including completing Datix) and by doing so acting as effective advocates for those who use our services
• Maintaining your competences and proficiencies in all the required areas for your role
• Maintaining compliance with your mandatory training requirements
• Working to the limit of your role but being clear not to work beyond your remit or scope of competency
• Understanding how you are accountable to registered nurses
• Identifying areas where improvements in safety or quality can be made and working closely with others to improve services
• Being open and transparent
• Maintaining accurate, legible, timely and comprehensive records
• Assist in the assessment of and contribute to the management of risk across several areas within the environment where care is being administered.

Person specification:

• EDUCATION and QUALIFICATIONS

• Qualified Nursing Associate
• NMC PIN
• Evidence of personal development in previous employment
• Must have proficient literacy and numeracy skills
• Care certificate or equivalent
• Qualified Open Dialogue practitioner or willingness to undertake training

• Experience in a health or social care setting
• Experience of liaising with other agencies
• Experience of working within a mental health community team

• Ability to communicate in a variety of settings with patients of varying levels of understanding
• Able to work on own initiative
• Able to work as part of a team
• Able to present factual information and refer questions to others where appropriate
• Able to deal with sensitive issues with tact and diplomacy
• Basic working knowledge of IT and emails
• Ability to develop effective interpersonal relationships with colleagues in the Healthcare setting
• Willingness to undertake further training in areas such as phlebotomy and ECG
• Willingness to learn and develop; recognises the need for flexibility
• Able to work well within a multi-disciplinary team

• Honest, trustworthy and reliable
• An understanding and positive regard for the needs and rights of people with mental health problems and their carers
• Ability to manage stress and work under pressure

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) has almost 8,000 staff providing integrated healthcare to a third of London's population, Milton Keynes and areas beyond. We involve service users, carers, the public, staff and partner organisations in the way that we are run. Our catchment area spans diverse communities, with over 100 first languages spoken. It contains areas of great affluence as well as areas of much deprivation. We are committed to providing services that meet the needs of the people who use them, and we actively encourage involvement from local people who can help make a difference. We’re proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME and people with disabilities to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

We are recognised locally, nationally and internationally for providing high quality, innovative healthcare. We aim to employ only the best people, and our experts are frequently called upon to contribute to national health strategy and policy, and many models of our care have been adapted for use in other countries.

We offer a generous relocation package (subject to eligibility assessment) and flexible working options, including bank assignments for most roles. For more information on these and other benefits of working for us, see our Benefits, Reward and Wellbeing page.

Become part of our team. We care for you as much as you care for others. CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.

Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period. If you are offered a job, information will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.