Charge Nurse Lead - Mental Health & Quality Care in Wallsend

Engage in complex health assessments as appropriate and plan relevant care in partnership with service users, e.g. specialist assessment of complex nursing needs.

Develop, implement and evaluate care plans in conjunction with service users, carers and other professionals which reflect individual needs. Ensure that everyone involved in the care plan receives a copy and that all relevant details are recorded on trust IT systems.

Assist service users to meet their personal care needs, e.g. assisting with bathing and washing, as outlined in the Care Plan. This intervention may be delegated where appropriate.

Liaise with and offer specialist assessment and advice to other agencies and professions. Participate in Multi-Agency meetings to offer advice and opinions to facilitate the ongoing treatment and care of clients and to ensure adherence to National Service Framework (NSF) guidelines.

Actively support service users in the management of their medication within a concordance framework and relevant policies. Administer medication, including intra-muscular injections and depot medication as appropriate, and monitor side effects. Delegate the checking and delivery of medication when appropriate.

As named nurse, have responsibility for undertaking mental and behavioural state examinations for own service users and service users being admitted, repeated on at least a weekly basis with clinical risk assessment and management plans.

Take charge of the ward in the absence of senior staff for clinical, environmental, and managerial aspects. Shift coordination including allocation of resources, deployment of staff, upholding the requirements of the Mental Health Act, maintaining a safe environment, liaising with other disciplines, service users and carers.

Positively contribute to the operational management of the team. At nights and weekends, undertake additional responsibilities for hospital-wide issues of bed management, staff deployment, fire coordination, etc.

Implement safety assessments and management plans on a daily basis. Be involved in the recruitment of staff.

Take responsibility for the provision of appraisal and supervision of other team members including induction of junior staff members and assessment of work-based studies such as NVQ.

Contribute and deliver in the planning and delivery of teaching sessions to members of the multi-disciplinary team and outside agencies including professions from primary care in order to implement mandatory training or to pass on specialist knowledge and skills. These sessions may be part of protected learning time.

Contribute to service development and quality initiatives in line with local and national policies through the use of audit and policy development.

Ensure sufficient time is allocated to provide and receive clinical and managerial supervision, to include workload management, focusing on improving quality of care and audit in line with the Government Modernisation Programme, through competent planning and organisational skills.

Ensure the therapeutic programme across a seven-day period is developed and outcomes are shown through audit and evaluation of evidence-based practice.

Provide mentorship and preceptorship to junior nurses, nurses in training and other members of the multi-disciplinary team ensuring training objectives are met.