Senior Staff Nurse Abbey Wood, London

We are seeking to appoint a committed, highly motivated, enthusiastic, and skilled Adult Physical Health, Senior Staff Nurse to join our dynamic, integrated multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Team. In this exciting role you will be an integral part of the team developing new pathways to provide Same Day Emergency Care in the community alongside other Adult Community Services, Social Care, Acute Trusts and Primary Care colleagues.

The Rapid Response Team are part of the SE London Accelerator Programme, delivering the essential elements of the Urgent Community Response pathways. The team provides holistic health and social care assessments for people over the age of 18 years, who are registered with a Bexley GP and live in the Borough of Bexley. The team treats/manages/cares for patients in their usual place of residence with an urgent health or social care need. The team operates 7 days a week, on an 8am-8pm basis, focusing on rapid 2-hour assessments to patients with potential short-term intervention(s).

Main duties of the job include:

• Working as part of the multi-disciplinary Rapid Response Team including Consultant Geriatrician, Senior Nurses, Occupational Therapists and Social Services colleagues.
• Conducting comprehensive nursing assessments for patients within acute and community settings.
• Demonstrating sound clinical reasoning and risk assessment skills to guide appropriate nursing intervention.
• Managing breast drains, wound care and intravenous antibiotic therapy.
• Working across hospital sites and in the community when responding to urgent community referrals.
• Undertaking delegated line management of junior staff.
• Acting as a liaison between acute and community settings, ensuring seamless provision of care and ongoing case management.

The post holder will assist with and directly triage urgent patient referrals with varied and complex needs in acute hospital and community settings, acting as an expert nursing clinical resource to Rapid Response Team members by facilitating high quality evidence-based practice.

Rapid Response aims to:

• Avoid unnecessary presentations to Emergency Departments.
• Avoid unnecessary hospital admissions.
• Improve patient wellbeing through timely responsive interventions.
• Reduce admissions to residential care.
• Increase the number of people who feel safe in their home.

Main Responsibilities include:

• Being professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all professional activities.
• Conducting thorough assessments of clients, obtaining consent in accordance with professional guidelines.
• Recommending appropriate interventions to promote independence and safety.
• Maintaining effective multidisciplinary communication with other members of the team.
• Providing specialist advice to clients, carers and relatives based on clinical evidence.
• Participating in MDT meetings and family conferences as required.
• Maintaining up-to-date clinical written records and computerised records.

Training and Education responsibilities include:

• Utilising communication and teaching skills to educate the diverse population in disease-specific techniques.
• Providing support and taking a proactive role in the education and training of undergraduate and graduate AHP students, nurses and rehabilitation assistants.
• Maintaining continuing professional development by participating in regular in-service training.

Management responsibilities include:

• Maintaining high levels of efficiency and effectiveness in work area.
• Coordinating staff activity to meet demands of service.
• Ensuring risk is managed for self, clients, colleagues and the work environment.

Organisational responsibilities include:

• Flexibly planning and organising own time.
• Achieving effective daily management of a caseload of clients.
• Providing statistical information as required.

Professional responsibilities include:

• Participating in regular supervision and reflective practice.
• Complying with professional guidelines, codes of conduct and departmental policies.

Research responsibilities include:

• Demonstrating the ability to critically evaluate current research and apply it to practice.
• Participating in local audit and research projects.

Communication and Key Working Relationships involve:

• Communicating relevant medical/social information across agencies.
• Working in a co-ordinated, multi-disciplinary manner.
• Conveying complex and sensitive information relating to clients.

Person Specification:

• Community Experience: Three years post registration experience / working in the community.
• Multidisciplinary experience: Experience of multidisciplinary working.
• Driving Licence: Car Driver with access to own car.
• Qualifications: Registered Adult Nurse, Enhanced Clinical Assessment Skills, Mentorship or Equivalent, Intravenous Additive Qualification.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and will require a submission for Disclosure to the Disclosure and Barring Service.