Band 6 Urgent Care/Single Point of Access (SPA) Nurse in Birmingham

The post holder will not have any direct management responsibility; they will however provide education and supervision to student nurses or registered nurses involving training in regard to triaging and dealing with messages via phone. In the absence of the Service Manager / Operational Manager, the post holder will take responsibility for managing the day-to-day activities of the UCB/SPA. The post holder will be responsible for escalating concerns to the Manager on call. The post holder will not have any budgetary responsibilities.

Main duties of the job:

• Work in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, scope of Professional Practice, Trust Policies and practice in an evidence-based manner.
• Identify risks through the assessment process documenting and initiating appropriate action, reporting as appropriate to the caseload holder.
• Ensure evidence-based care is practiced and promoted at all times.
• Act as an autonomous practitioner providing comprehensive and complex telephone triage and clinical assessment service to GP/patients/carers resulting in a safe and appropriate clinical decision.
• Deal with very emotive and sensitive situations in regard to patient care.
• Make critically clinical decisions which may include challenging and educating referrers to support clinical decisions and pathways.
• Establish if the patient is suitable for the service at point of discussion.
• Establish red flags for many different conditions, interpreting results from screening tools and discussing if the patient is suitable to be treated in the community or will need emergency care.
• Ensure an ambulance has been requested to take the patient to hospital providing a detailed handover.

Working for our organisation:

BCHC has more than 5000 staff working across Birmingham and the West Midlands in a wide range of community nursing and specialist healthcare roles. BCHC delivers over 100 clinical services, in people's homes, health centres, clinics and inpatient facilities. We deliver a wide range of services for children, young people and families as well as adults and community services, two community hospitals, services for people with learning disabilities, the internationally recognised West Midlands Rehab Centre and one of Europe’s leading Dental Hospitals and School of Dentistry. We deliver all of this with a commitment to integrated, personalised care that is rooted in our local communities.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

The clinical role is based within Urgent Care/SPA 3. The post-holder will be accountable for the delivery of high-quality care to patients within their own homes and other community settings, preventing avoidable hospital admissions. You will be expected to work multi-professionally, support other team members’ roles and contribute to the future development of the service providing professional advice and appropriate training to others in the multi-disciplinary service. The post holder will be expected to work within a flexible working pattern over a 7-day week in the UCB/SPA team. The post holder will be expected to work shifts as required to provide a 24-hour service.

Person specification:

• Professional Qualifications: Registered Nurse Level 1 (Adult), Mentor or assessor qualification or equivalent, Evidence of continued professional development relevant to role.
• Experience: Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary team setting, Experience in telephone clinical triage.
• Skills/knowledge: Ability to demonstrate sound knowledge and application of up-to-date evidence-based clinical practice, Excellent communication analytical skills and problem-solving approach, IT literate, Awareness of complex needs of a multicultural, socially diverse population, Effective time management, Recognising and escalating safeguarding concerns.
• Communication Skills: Ability to communicate with all members of the MDT/Patients/Carers, Able to perform telephone assessments, Ability to communicate empathically with patients/carers whilst discussing/explaining distressing and sensitive information, Ability to work under pressure, Effective Team Member Leadership and interpersonal qualities, To be able to participate in staff induction and act as a role model to colleagues, Able to organise and prioritise.
• Other job requirements: Needs to be independently mobile throughout the organisation. The service operates across various sites so a full driving licence and access to a vehicle is desirable. Willing to work flexible hours including weekends and Bank Holidays as part of a rota. Ability to work across various sites in Birmingham, Able to help cover the rota in an emergency.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

As part of our ongoing commitment to being a Great Place to Work, we actively foster and support a workplace culture that is inclusive and equitable for all staff, patients and service users. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcomed and valued. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with diverse abilities, experiences, and perspectives.

Flexible Working:

Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (BCHC) supports a variety of flexible working practices and, where possible, will actively consider requests made and support these where practically possible. This may include hybrid patterns of working to enable colleagues to request the flexibility of a mixture of home/base working.