Senior Nurse in Biggleswade

The Senior Nurse will support the team managers in effective operation of the team by undertaking practice and professional lead responsibility for specified areas of nursing. To oversee the effective operation and coordination of physical health and depot clinics within the teams. To provide professional and comprehensive casework to people with complex mental health difficulties. To hold care coordinator/key worker responsibility and be accountable for any caseloads worked jointly with newly qualified Band 5 nurses. The post holder will take a leadership role to positively influence and improve the quality of nursing practice by providing support, supervision, educational and professional development opportunities for staff within the Mid Bedfordshire Community Mental Health services.

Main Duties of the Job

• Hold care coordinator/key worker responsibility and be accountable for any caseloads worked jointly with newly qualified Band 5 nurses.
• Provide professional and comprehensive casework to people with complex mental health difficulties.
• Respond to emergency situations as they occur and be prepared to act as support where necessary.
• Remain optimistic in therapeutic engagement with patients.
• Ensure you are fully trained and annually updated in management of aggression and violence so that Trust guidelines are followed in the management of violent patients.
• Ensure patient records are up to date and an accurate reflection of the situation.
• Oversee the effective operation and coordination of physical health and depot clinics within the teams.
• Be fully conversant with Moving and Handling Policies in practice.
• Manage own workload ensuring this is in line with relevant policies, procedures and Nursing Accountability Framework.
• Exercise analytical and decision making skills in relation to patient risk and care in complex cases.
• Provide professional guidance and support nursing staff with complex cases.
• Undertake regular clinical supervision for nurses on the team.
• Ensure the implementation of safeguarding procedures and application in prevention.

Working for our organisation

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people's lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Detailed Job Description and Main Responsibilities

• To undertake lead professional responsibility for nursing in the day to day running of the team.
• To support staff in moving into Primary Care Networks and providing a model of care provision which is place‑based, personalised and community focused.
• To be familiar with Equal Opportunities good practice and the Trust requirements for diversity and to implement this in all aspects of working practice and promote it in the team, workplace and wider organisation.
• To ensure the team manager is kept fully appraised of problems arising from workload and seek advice as and when necessary.
• To supervise nurses and other healthcare staff as required and to deputise for the Team Manager in all or some of their functions as required in their absence.
• Ensure and develop service user centred multi-disciplinary approach to care.
• Develop the systems, staff skills, and abilities to provide assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care in keeping with evidence-based practice.
• Lead on the educational requirements to support nursing staff and students within the service.
• Develop a learning environment and opportunities for staff to obtain specialist guidance relevant to complex care in their clinical specialty.
• Develop and maintain structures and procedures to support Student Nurses and Nursing Associates when on placement within the teams.
• Develop and maintain structures and procedures to support preceptorship as per Trust Policy and NMC Guidance.
• To work collaboratively with key stakeholders across the Trust, and represent the service by contributing to internal and external forums.
• To help ensure that care reflects individual and cultural needs.
• Ensuring that all practices are within the guidelines set out by the NMC and other professional groups and are in accordance with Trust policies.
• To support the service to acquire and enhance clinical skills, and assist in achieving the appropriate levels of competence.

Person Specification

Experience – Essential Criteria

• Experience of running a Depot clinic.
• Knowledge and experience of undertaking physical health checks.
• Experience of supervising staff and/or mentoring student nurses.
• Experience of working with complex cases.

Desirable Criteria

• Evidence of further training.
• Evidence of partnership working with other agencies including Social Care Services, Health Services, Voluntary Agencies and/or Education.

Education – Essential Criteria

• Current registration with UK NMC with two years post‑qualifying experience.
• Teaching and Assessing Course or equivalent experience.

Desirable Criteria – Education

• Two years post qualifying within the community.