Staff nurse- Mental health

Main area: Mental health

Grade: NHS AfC: Band 5

Contract: Fixed term: 1 year (1 year from date of employment.)

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week (13 shifts per month)

Job ref: 220-WHT-3011

Employer: Whittington Health NHS Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Ifor ward

Town: London

Salary: £35,964 - £43,780 per annum inclusive of HCAS

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 02/04/:59

Job overview

This is an exciting new post within the Whittington Hospital Paediatric Department, which aims to provide high quality care to children and young people who present to our hospital with emotional/mental health needs and risks.

The post will ensure that excellent safe emotional/mental health care and support occurs during any young person's stay in our acute paediatric environment. There are excellent opportunities to develop core skills in both physical and mental health care. The role will be supported both within the Paediatric and Paediatric Mental Health Team at the hospital.

Main duties of the job

1. To engage with our patients in mental health crisis in our Emergency Department and on our acute paediatric ward (Ifor) to co-create care plans, safety plans (with assistance of the Paediatric Mental Health Team-PMHT) and engage with them to stay safe and work towards their admission goals.
2. To promote the physical and psychological well-being of our patients during their admission.
3. To oversee the patient's mental state and risk during their admission.
4. To support the acute paediatric ward in the daily management of environmental needs relevant to paediatric MH admissions.
5. To work closely with both the General Paediatric Team and the Paediatric Mental Health Team.
6. This post offers a range of clinical, therapeutic and managerial experience. There is scope for professional development and preparation for advancement. At times the environment can be challenging, due to acuity of mental health and social care needs.
7. De-escalation skills and the ability to maintain professionalism and compassion in acute settings is essential in this role.

Please see Job Description for full outline of the role.

Working for our organisation

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Managerial Responsibilities

• To manage the allocated young people admitted with mental health needs on a shift-by-shift basis with the support of the general paediatric nurse in charge and guidance from the Paediatric Mental Health Team and/or Out of Hours Psychiatry Team.
• To remain updated in the administrative requirements and needs of the patients detained under the Mental Health Act.
• To observe and understand the essential elements in the working of the Children Act 1989.
• To be aware of the Whittington Health Trust Disciplinary and Appeals Procedures.
• To keep abreast of developments and research in mental health nursing and relate research findings to practice.

Additional Duties:

The role will also entail supporting wider Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the Whittington Health NHS Trust such as Simmons House Adolescent Unit, which is an Inpatient Psychiatric Unit for a maximum of 12 Adolescents aged 13-17. This would mean participating fully in the expected role as an RMN in an inpatient unit, under the supervision of the Clinical Charge Nurse or Senior Staff Nurse.

• Participating in the therapeutic work provided for the patients such as group work.
• Medication Administration.
• Supporting the organisation of admission, transfer, and discharge of patients.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• To accept regular supervision from a named supervisor.
• To accept periodic clinical and professional refreshment.
• To offer supervision to named junior staff.
• To undertake roles and responsibilities as outlined in the Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Person specification Qualifications

• Band 5
• Six month post qualification mental health work

Skills

• Experience with working with seriously mentally ill clients during acute phases of illness.
• Clear practical and theoretical knowledge of the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity Act and The Children Act.

Knowledge

• Experience of teaching and supervision of junior staff.
• Demonstrates a sound knowledge and some experience in assessing/planning care within a CAMHS setting.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND ADULTS

To comply with the Trust's Safeguarding Children and Adults policies, procedures and protocols. All individual members of staff (paid or unpaid) have a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This will require you to:

• Ensure you are familiar with and comply with the London Child Protection Procedures and protocols for promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children and young people.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with the London Multi Agency Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults Pan London Procedures.
• Ensure you are familiar and comply with local protocols and systems for information sharing.
• Know the appropriate contact numbers and required reporting lines.
• Participate in required training and supervision.
• Comply with required professional boundaries and codes of conduct.

Whittington Health is committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Your application form

• Provide only business email address for your referees.
• Make sure you include all evidence of where you meet the essential requirement on the job description as this forms the base of our shortlisting criteria.

Other important information

• Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.
• Applications are welcome from people wishing to job share or work flexible patterns.
• In submitting an application form, you authorise Whittington Health NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post.