NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical & Professional Responsibilities

·         To provide day-to-day leadership, coordination, management and clinical support to the specialist healthcare assistants. 

·         To provide a visible, accessible and authoritative presence in all areas of responsibility for staff, patients and carers. 

·         To work closely with the ward managers, matrons, PLT, Learning Disability liaison and dementia specialists, and support development of the enhanced care specialist healthcare assistants training programme 

·         To participate in developing plans of care to meet in-patient individual mental health needs in collaboration with PLT and ward staff

·         To promote therapeutic relationships which take account of the patient’s customs, values and spiritual beliefs and facilitate dignity, independence and choice. 

·         To assist staff in on-going risk assessment of patients. 

·         To participate in promoting effective communication within and between the patients immediate care team and the wider multi-disciplinary team (MDT) providing care.

·         Enable the provision of evidence based assessment and treatment that incorporates cultural preferences, health beliefs, behaviours and traditional practices as well as respecting differences in relation to gender, sexuality, ethnicity, religion and disability. 

·         To enable joint delivery of specialist mental health education to the Trust staff to increase awareness, empower and enable, promote the specialist skills of mental health professionals with the ultimate aim of improving the service user experience in the trust. 

·         To work closely with all key stakeholders regarding the enhancement of the interfaces between specialist teams. 

·         The post holder to have accurate data on the Team performance and will report weekly to the Enhanced Care Team Lead

·         To work within the Trust policies and guidelines for clinical care, with an enhanced understanding of the supportive observation policy, the rapid tranquilisation policy, the de-escalation/safe holding policy and the MCA and DoLS policies.

Management Responsibilities

·         To provide line management, regular supervision and annual appraisals to team members as delegated by the Enhanced Care and Dementia Lead in line with Trust Policy 

·         Monitor and manage staff absence /sickness and act in accordance with Trust policy.

·         To provide regular reports on the agreed service standards and the required performance indicators and outcomes. 

·         To provide a clear direction and vision ensuring that all team members are fully aware of the aims and objectives of the service and of ways to demonstrate the outcomes they achieve. 

·         To ensure that the post-holder participates in the regular review of the aims and objectives of the Trust and that they are kept in line with best practice, the needs of users and partners, and the lessons which have been learnt in doing liaison work in this setting. 

·         To provide support and advice to team members in the course of their daily work. 

·         To ensure that all team members including nursing, medical and allied health professionals maintain accurate, legible and up to date clinical records relating to meeting enhanced care delivery.

·         Ensure the attendance and training records of all staff are accurately maintained. 

·         Support the enhanced care team development as an integral part of the team culture and management. This will include equitable implementation of the Trust’s policies on sickness and absence, special leave and flexible working arrangements in the Team. 

·         To support wider divisional teams, ensuring that performance issues are identified and effectively managed at the earliest possible stage 

·         To work within Trust policies and procedures to resolve complaints, disputes and issues of professional conduct.

·         To attend and participate in regular management supervision sessions.

Education

·         To participate actively in clinical supervision opportunities within the Team as well as in management supervision and annual appraisals as required.

·         To pursue further professional development and training appropriate to the services provided by the Team and as set out in a Personal Development Plan 

·         To devise and ensure delivery of appropriate therapeutic techniques, positive behaviour management and communication techniques to meet the needs of patients who may require support with processing information to Trust staff to increase awareness, empower and enable and promote the specialist skills of all professionals with the ultimate aim of improving patient experiences in the Trust. 

·         To provide training for the specialist healthcare assistants on current practice, specialist knowledge, new developments 

·         To maintain professional development in line with requirements of appropriate registration body.

·         To maintain an awareness of professional developments in this specialist area, nursing and allied disciplines as appropriate. 

·         To participate in and contribute to induction and training of the specialist healthcare assistants and to support the development of a working environment that is conducive to learning for all staff or students in training.

·         To maintain and update own knowledge and skills in relation to specialist nursing including mental health, learning disabilities and dementia to inform own practise in this role.

·         Continue to foster the development of the service by participating in its formal evaluation. To ensure jointly that there are mechanisms in place that allow the views of service users, carers, and other stakeholders to shape and influence new developments. 

·         Using the principles and practice of research to continue to expand the environment where research principles and an analytical approach to service provision are valued by the team. 

·         To support and manage an effective reporting strategy which is relevant and involves all members of the team. 

·         Participate in special projects, research, clinical audit and any surveys related to the service.

Working relationships and communications

·           To foster, create and maintain comprehensive and meaningful networks and relationships with the key people, wards and departments in the Trusts ensuring a timely response to the needs of patients. 

·           To meet with the specialist teams or equivalent on a regular basis to ensure continuous effective communication, information sharing, problem solving, dispute resolution and to improve pathways. 

·           To develop and maintain effective working relationships and networks with colleagues within the Trust and also within mental health services, primary care, voluntary agencies and other partner agencies to ensure well-co-ordinated care, in particular at the assessment and discharge stages to facilitate safe and high-quality care is provided. 

·           To ensure that information of a confidential nature is not divulged to any unauthorised person and is stored in line with the provisions of the Data Protection Act. 

·           To maintain accurate and up to date records utilising electronic media as necessary and ensuring any hand-written documentation is legible and in accordance with professional guidelines and best practice. 

·           To relay complex and sensitive information to a variety of audiences including patients, carers, members of the public and a range of other health and social care professionals.

·           Will be required to attend meeting relevant to clinical area held across the Trust.

Service Development and Improvement

·         To participate in planning and development events within the Team and the Trust. 

·         To work within and contribute to the development of service policies and procedures within the overall operational policy for the Team in line with changes in legislation, practice or new guidance. 

·         To ensure that the results of internal or trust-wide auditing, user focussed monitoring, or lessons learned by the service are embedded and implemented in policy and practice and cascaded to all staff in the Psychiatric Liaison Team and the acute Trust. 

·         To work with the head of nursing on the identification of areas of professional practice within the Team which require work and further development.

Responsibility for dealing with difficult situations

·         Assume responsibility for clinical and professional standards within the clinical area, and challenge and manage those who do not meet or follow agreed standards in line with Trust policies.

·         Support individuals’ equality, diversity and rights in accordance with Trust and legal policies.

·         Maintain a proactive approach to risk management within the clinical area. Take action to avoid risk to both patients and staff. 

·         Manage incidents in line with Trust policy and foster a “no blame” culture to avoid such incidents in the future.

·         Provide support, advice and information to patients, relatives and staff in distressing situations (e.g. performance issues, death and dying, aggression and conflict).

·         Effectively deal with complaints at the point of occurrence, take action to prevent complaints from occurring.

·         Liaise with other agencies as required (e.g. police and child protection services).

·        Recognise and manage situations that may be detrimental to the health and well-being of individuals within the clinical area and take appropriate action.