Band 5 Staff Nurse - Swindon

Job description

Job overview

Applewood House is a 15 bedded male acute unit located in Swindon Wiltshire. We work with a range of service users who are presenting as acutely unwell and in crises.

We are looking for professional and enthusiastic nurses to come and work with our wonderful team of qualified nurses, HCA's, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapist, Exercise Specialists, Activities Coordinator and Doctors.

There will be opportunities to develop and continue your professional and learning development alongside the expectation of duties of the job outlined below.

This role is within a acute inpatient ward that operates on a 24/7 shift basis. Staff will qualify for unsocial enhancements in addition to their basic pay.

Successful applicants will also be required to undertake and complete a Prevention and Management of Violence and Aggression course. This enables staff to begin building the skills to de escalate service users in peaks of distress whilst maintaining a safe and therapeutic environment for all.

Main duties of the job

To carry out clinical practice within designated clinical areas, ensuring that high quality evidence-based nursing assessment, care planning, interventions and evaluations for patients is provided.

This will include:
• Undertaking a comprehensive, person-centred, nursing assessment and prepare care plans in consultation with the service users to provide the best nursing care.
• Implementation of care and rehabilitation programme.
• Evaluation of effectiveness of care provided in partnership with users.
• Ability to implement research-based practice.
• Following successful completion of preceptorship, ability to supervise junior and unqualified staff.
• Ability to administer medicine within relevant Trust and legislative guidance e.g. NMC Standards for Medicines Management 2010 and the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
• Ability to undertake risk assessment and develop risk management strategies for individual clients; ICPA/SAP to people who present with mental health problems.

Working for our organisation

We are the lead provider of healthcare for people with serious mental illness, learning disabilities and autism across Bath and North East Somerset (BaNES), Swindon and Wiltshire, and Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

We aim to provide High Quality, Compassionate Care everywhere, every day. This means our services will be safe, clinically effective and provide a positive all round experience for our patients, families and carers. And we believe passionately in treating everyone with kindness, respect and empathy.

Key to this is providing a supportive and safe environment for our 4,000 staff where we all feel welcome and able to do the best we can for those we support. Our staff and teams work incredibly hard delivering services across more than 90 locations, covering 2,200miles, to more than 1.8million people.

At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Clinical Nursing Practice
   To carry out clinical nursing practice within designated areas, working to provide high quality, evidence-based nursing assessment, care planning, intervention and evaluation.
   This will include:
   • Utilising excellent communication skills to develop a rapport with service users, carers, colleagues and visitors.
   • Provide and receive complex sensitive confidential information.
   • Recognising the potential barriers to communication and practicing with empathy, reassurance and understanding.
   • Undertaking comprehensive nursing assessments using analytical and judgement skills.
   • Collaboratively undertaking clinical risk assessments and developing and supporting personal safety plans and crisis and contingency planning with the service user, and where appropriate
   carers and families.
   • Using professional, clinical knowledge acquired through training to degree/diploma level and current practice-based evidence to plan and organise provision of care.
   • Planning appropriate care and treatment interventions alongside colleagues, service users and where appropriate carers and families.
   • Providing specialist advice in relation to care to service users and where appropriate carers and families.
   • Delivering a range of psychosocially-informed nursing therapies in accordance with service user's care plans, needs and preferences.
   • Utilise opportunities to offer health promotion and education.
   • Demonstrating developed nursing skills obtained through practice, understanding the importance of accuracy and a narrow margin for error.
   • Demonstrating a commitment to reducing restrictive practice.
   • Administering appropriate medication within relevant Trust and legislative guidance.
   • Ensuring the ordering, storing and disposal of medication complies with relevant Trust and legislative guidance.
   • Demonstrate a working knowledge of the key elements of the relevant Mental Health Legislation.
   • Collaboratively evaluating the impact and effectiveness of care and working to improve these outcomes.
   • Supervising the practice of less experienced and newly qualified practitioners, student nurses or support worker colleagues.
2. Continuing Professional Development
   To maintain and develop professional knowledge, skills and expertise to ensure best practice delivery including evidence based, current and responsive interventions in line with the changing needs of the
   service user and the service. This will include:
   • Taking responsibility for post-registration education and for continuing professional development as outlined in NMC standards.
   • Participating in education and training opportunities.
   • Undertaking a thorough revalidation process in line with NMC and AWP policy.
   • Maintaining up to date knowledge of the relevant medicines, related medication management issues, and act in accordance with the appropriate NMC standards and Trust guidance.
   • Abiding by the legal rules, statutory regulations and professional responsibilities in relation to practice as outlined in the NMC code of conduct.
   • Receiving restorative clinical supervision on a regular basis in line with the Trust clinical supervision policy.
   • Engaging in management supervision from an identified line manager, or appropriate delegate, in line with the Trust management supervision policy.
   • Engaging with Trust appraisal process in line with policy.
   • Maintaining Health and Safety in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).
   • Working within the Trust Policies and Procedures.
   3. Education, Development and Collaborative Learning
   To work towards a sustainable culture of continuous collaborative learning to keep own practice clinically current, and to foster a team learning ethos. This will include:
   • Support effective learning environments by upholding the NHSE Safe Learning Environment Charter principles.
   • Modelling nursing skills and promoting the value of clinical nursing to modern mental healthcare at any opportunity including demonstrating own activities to new starters, less experienced
   practitioners and students.
   • Providing advice, mentoring and supervision (both management and clinical) for colleagues.
   • Acting as a Practice Supervisor / Practice Assessor for a range of learners, and provide robust practice development and assessment experiences.
   • Support other registrants to undertake a thorough revalidation process in line with NMC and AWP policy.
   4. Recording, Reporting and Communication
   To maintain standards of record keeping and associated administration in accordance with AWP Trust Policy and professional guidelines. This will include:
   • Keeping contemporaneous, chronological and accurate mental health records in accordance with NMC guidelines and Trust policy.
   • Adhere to records management requirements as outlined in Trust policies and procedures.
   • Practice within the legal requirements relevant to the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act Legislation.
   • Taking part in a rolling programme of audit.
   • Undertaking relevant practice development and/or research activity.
   5. Compassionate Leadership and Management
   To use own skills, knowledge and resources to provide clinical leadership for colleagues and external professionals at all levels, acting as a professional ambassador for mental health and learning disabilities nursing, and related development activities. To make best use of available workforce resources based on agreed staffing models ensuring provision of best care possible. Follow Trust and Service Policies in regard to the security of the building/clients, to ensure safe practice and protection of clients, staff, visitors and
   members of the general public.
   This will include:
   • Using own skills, knowledge and resources to provide clinical leadership for all members of the MDT.
   • Effectively managing own time.
   • Undertaking the Nurse in Charge role in absence of a more senior nurse, or as part of developmental activity.
   • Providing supervision for unregistered practitioners in accordance with Trust management and clinical supervision policies.
   • Providing appraisals for junior staff in accordance with the Trust appraisal policy.
   • Maintaining the safety of service users and staff within the inpatient setting and ensure legal obligations are fulfilled.
   • Understanding any identified environmental risks and their mitigation plans.
   • Taking part in environmental risk assessments as requested.
   • Utilising electronic rostering systems.
   • Managing temporary staffing resources in line with AWP guidance.
   • Being familiar with and complying with all Policies and Procedures operational within the Trust.
   • Maintaining stock control and a personal duty of care in relation to equipment and resources.

Person specification

Skills and Abilities

Essential criteria

• Ability to work with a degree of autonomy, whilst also taking direction from senior colleagues.
• Empathy for individuals who have experienced mental health problems and able to manage behaviour which may be challenging at times.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to communicate in written and verbal English to a high standard, and basic numeracy skills.

Education

Essential criteria

• RMN PIN

Desirable criteria

• Experience within various MH settings

We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with 'lived-experience' of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,- we are a 'Disability Confident Employer' offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria. This includes people with a variety of disabilities and neurodivergent conditions (for example autism, ADHD, sensory, physical and learning disabilities).

We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.

Click here to view our