Band 5 Registered Mental Health Nurse

Avon And Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership Nhs Trust; Bristol; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 31,000; Full time

Job summary

A mental health service provider in Bristol is seeking a Registered Mental Health Nurse for a 6-month secondment in a demanding PICU environment. The role involves delivering trauma-informed nursing care and collaborating with a multidisciplinary team to support service users in crisis. Candidates should possess a degree or diploma in nursing and robust communication skills, along with a passion for mental health care. Join a supportive team with a commitment to professional development and patient-centered approaches.

Benefits

Training and development opportunities

Flexible working hours

Supportive work environment

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse with NMC registration required.
• Experience in trauma-informed care and mental health crisis support.
• Engagement in continuous professional development is essential.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality nursing care during mental health crises.
• Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to support service users.
• Administer medications safely according to guidelines.

Skills

Trauma-informed care

Excellent communication skills

Multidisciplinary teamwork

Nursing assessments

Crisis management

Leadership

Education

Degree or diploma in nursing

NMC registration as a mental health nurse

Job description

Elizabeth Casson House is an 8‑bed female Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) based at Callington Road Hospital. We provide specialist care for individuals who require high levels of support and enhanced safety during periods of mental health crisis, offering a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on recovery when it matters most.

Responsibilities

• Delivering high‑quality, trauma‑informed nursing care to service users during acute episodes of mental illness.
• Working as part of a multidisciplinary team (MDT), collaborating with psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, and external agencies such as prisons and forensic teams.
• Building therapeutic relationships and supporting service users through their recovery journey, making a real difference during times of crisis.
• Contributing to care planning, risk assessment, and safe management of complex needs in a specialist PICU environment.
• Engaging in reflective practice, clinical supervision, and ongoing professional development to enhance your skills and knowledge.

Clinical Practice Tasks

• 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.

Continuing Professional Development

• 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.

Education, Development and Collaborative Learning

• Support effective learning environments by upholding the NHSE Safe Learning Environment Charter principals.
• 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.

Recording, Reporting and Communication

• 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.

Compassionate Leadership and Management

• 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 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.

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.

This is a 6‑month secondment for a Band 5 Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) who is passionate about trauma‑informed care and thrives in a dynamic, fast‑paced environment. You'll join a forward‑thinking team committed to collaborative working, professional development and high quality care.

Working for our organisation We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community‑based mental health care. We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset. Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person‑centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care. AWP is committed to support and create a positive research and evidence‑based environment and culture, which can have a beneficial impact on everyone who works for the organisation and the care we provide to those who use our services. 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.