LD - Enhanced Support Team Nurse

The Enhanced Support Team is multidisciplinary and provides support to those people with learning disabilities who are experiencing behaviour or mental health crises. Their role is to reduce the need for admission to hospital and, where hospital admission is required, to work alongside the hospital staff to support timely and appropriate discharge back into the community. This service is offered 7 days a week. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to liaise with mainstream mental health services and other stakeholders, including health and justice teams and police, to support the service users in achieving their optimum level of independence.

The successful candidate will need to be able to network and develop close working relationships with commissioners and other providers to ensure that our service users are given the most appropriate support and equal access to the services they require. It is also expected that the post holder will support meaningful service user, carer, and staff involvement by modelling the trust values in their interactions and relationships both internally and externally to the organisation.

As this service provides support across South Essex, it is essential to have access to a car in order to travel across the geographic area. It is also essential to have experience of working with people with a learning disability.

Main duties of the job:

• The Enhanced Support Team provides intensive support to adults with learning disabilities who are presenting with challenging behaviour and/or mental health disorders in the community to reduce the need for admission to hospital.
• The team will act as a gateway to the inpatient assessment and treatment service and work in close liaison with inpatient services to facilitate appropriate admission and timely discharge.
• The team provides an 8am-8pm service Monday to Friday and 9am – 5pm weekends and bank holidays.
• They will work with the service user in a variety of settings.
• The post holder will work in close collaboration with other professionals, including the wider MDT, to assess service user needs, devise care plans, and evaluate outcomes that promote service user empowerment through the process.

The Post Holder Will:

• Work as a practitioner with an interest in challenging behaviour and mental health wellbeing for people with learning disabilities.
• Support the Advanced Clinician in the development of the EST service.
• Support the smooth running and coordination of the service and monitoring service activity.
• Be responsible for maintaining clinical standards under the direction of the Advanced Clinician.
• Work in liaison with service users, carers, and other professionals ensuring the delivery of a needs-led service.

Working for our organisation:

EPUT are looking for motivated staff who share our Trust values of Care, Learn, and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including:

• Season Ticket Loans
• NHS discounts for staff
• Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
• Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
• The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
• Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
• Day One Flexible Employer

The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment.

Join our Staff bank:

Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT, we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able to offer safe and effective care at all times. All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank; however, this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.

If you are joining our Trust in a fixed-term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.

Please note - staff who are formally at risk within the organisation will be given priority in securing alternative employment. Should it come to light that a post being advertised by the Trust is considered suitable alternative employment to an individual who is at risk, the recruiting manager will be advised and the post will be withdrawn from NHS Jobs.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used, then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.

Important Professional References:

Make sure that as a part of your application you have professional references with business contract information covering your last three years of employment history. We are unable to accept personal or character references.

As a newly appointed employee, you are responsible for incurring the cost of your initial DBS check relevant to your post; the amount will be deducted from your first salary with the Trust.

Applications for Job Share are positively welcomed.

Equal Opportunities Employer:

Our Trust is an Equal Opportunities Employer. We particularly welcome applications from people with experience of using mental health services. We also hold the Disability two tick symbol and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with learning disabilities; we encourage people with a disability to apply. If you require this application form in another format, i.e. Braille or audio tape etc., please contact the Recruitment Department on 01375 364513 or email epunft.recruitment.adverts@nhs.net and we can arrange for this to be dispatched to you.

The Trust has the right to expire vacancies prior to the closing date if they so wish. The Trust makes every attempt to contact all applicants and we strongly advise that you check the email account which is registered with NHS Jobs regularly. We would advise, however, due to the high number of applications we receive, that if you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and expect all staff to undertake this commitment. Applicants will be subject to robust safer recruitment processes.

Covid Vaccination:

Although Covid vaccinations are no longer a mandatory requirement within the NHS, we continue to encourage and support the vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against Covid-19. The safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for us at EPUT.

If you would like to book a Covid vaccination or would like more information, please contact us by emailing epunft.cv19hr@nhs.net.