Community Learning Disabilities

NHS; Harrow; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A community healthcare provider in Harrow is seeking a Band 6 nurse to provide clinical nursing support to adults with learning disabilities. The role involves conducting assessments, implementing nursing interventions, and contributing to team development. Successful candidates will have relevant nursing qualifications and experience working with complex needs. This position offers a collaborative environment within a multi-disciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Registered with Nursing and Midwifery Council.
• Experience supporting patients with mental health and learning disability.
• Ability to handle sensitive information with empathy.

Responsibilities

• Provide clinical nursing input for adults with learning disabilities.
• Conduct holistic assessments and implement nursing interventions.
• Supervise other nursing staff to ensure quality of care.

Skills

Clinical judgment

Effective risk assessment

Empathy

Communication

Leadership

Education

Diploma/Degree in Learning Disabilities OR Mental Health

Job description

Overview

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust – Community Learning Disabilities

The closing date is 13 November 2025

Serving people with learning disabilities within the London Borough of Harrow under the Harrow Community Learning Disabilities Service.

This is an integrated health and social care multidisciplinary service; it works collaboratively with other local health and social care provider services who work with adults with learning disabilities, and with mainstream services including acute care to ensure that all health needs and outcomes are met for all patients.

The post holder will provide a specialist clinical nursing input to adults with learning disability and their families/carers, including nursing and physical health holistic assessments and implementation of specialist nursing interventions.

The post holder will contribute to the continuing development of the overall nursing team within the service.

The postholder will manage their individual defined caseload including complex cases independently, evidencing problem solving and clinical reasoning skills in line with evidence-based and client-centred principles.

You will be given an opportunity to be involved in clinical research and development where appropriate.

Main duties of the job

Band 6 nurses are expected to be kind and responsive but professional and informative, and to contribute to the quality of the services we provide by:

• keeping the people who use our services as safe as possible through sound clinical skills and effective risk assessment
• ensuring the best possible clinical outcomes by using up-to-date skills and adhering to evidence-based policies and procedures
• ensuring the people using our services have a good experience by respecting, empowering and working in partnership with people throughout the care planning process

We believe that the best health care is delivered by multi-disciplinary teams working well together and in partnership with other teams and services to provide seamless care.

Band 6 nurses work as part of a team and you will contribute to the success of the team by being an effective role model and supervising other Band 5 nurses, healthcare assistants/support workers and students to ensure they are working to the standards which the people using our services deserve.

About us

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust expects all Band 6 nurses to act in a way which shows you understand our core values and are willing to put them into practice with service users, their friends, family and carers, and also other staff members.

As a Band 6 nurse:

We expect you to show COMPASSION, contribute to a caring and kind environment and recognise that what you do and say helps can make the lives of others better.

We expect you to RESPECT everyone and acknowledge and welcome people's differences rather than ignore them or see them as problematic.

We expect you to EMPOWER others and continually try to provide information, resources and support to help others make their own decisions and meet their own needs.

We expect you to work in PARTNERSHIP and behave in a way that shows that you recognise that commissioners and users of our services are the people who generate and pay for our work.

As a Band 6 nurse we additionally expect you to role model these values under the SCARF framework, which contributes to safer and compassionate working environment for everyone including colleagues within the Trust.

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing safe, effective services and providing patients and families with a positive experience.

Patient Safety Band 6 nurses contribute to the provision of safe and reliable services by: using clinical judgement and risk assessments to keep the people using our services as safe as possible; identifying and addressing the physical health needs of service users through evidence-based nursing assessment and interventions; safeguarding people by recognising and responding when an adult or child might be at risk from abuse; escalating health and safety concerns and by acting as effective advocates for those who use our services; being open and transparent about their own practice and reflecting on everyday practice to identify areas where improvements in safety or quality can be made; supervising the work of others including nursing students; working with others within the MDT framework; maintaining accurate, legible, comprehensive records; maintaining compliance with mandatory training requirements.

The NMC plays an important role in safeguarding the public by regulating the work of nurses; all nurses, including Band 6 nurses, are expected to register with the NMC each year and adhere to the NMC Code of Conduct.

Clinical Outcomes Band 6 nurses often work with people who have complex needs and contribute to the effectiveness of services by: being confident, autonomous practitioners who take responsibility for the care they give to patients but also take responsibility for overseeing the work of others in the team including less experienced nurses and staff without a professional qualification; providing skilled, evidence-based nursing care; ensuring all patients have a health passport, annual physical health reviews/screening and access to health services with reasonable adjustments that meet their needs; working with patients and families in all stages of the care planning process including assessing risks and needs while providing psycho-education and bespoke training; acting as patient advocates in the multi-disciplinary team and overseeing the work of others to ensure that they are also responding to the needs of patients and providing clinically effective care; contributing to creating and maintaining high-performing teams by communicating well, understanding roles, reflecting on practice, and driving quality improvement initiatives.

Patient Experience Band 6 nurses contribute to patients and their families feeling respected and empowered to make decisions about health and wellbeing by: working in partnership with patients and their families and carers; obtaining consent and involving people in decision making; signposting to courses and services provided by local authorities or voluntary sector organisations within the Borough; reassuring patients and their extended network by being professional, responsive, knowledgeable and confident; demonstrating clinical leadership and challenging any poor practice that could adversely impact patients, while creating a positive, inclusive culture; responding to complaints or concerns quickly in line with Trust policy.

Supporting yourself and others All services and teams in the Trust should meet Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards. Band 6 nurses are expected to be Clinical Leaders and play an active role in ensuring team understanding of CQC standards and how individuals contribute to meeting them by:

• taking a lead role in gathering and recording evidence that demonstrates CQC and local standards are being met; assessing team performance using audits and benchmarking; contributing to quality improvement initiatives
• contributing to performance management of teams and creating a positive culture that learns from mistakes
• ensuring there is no fall in physical health key performance standards; may include a designated physical health champion role
• engaging staff through supervision, annual appraisals and constructive feedback to support development and progress toward objectives
• participating in supervision and annual appraisal processes
• using continuing professional development funds to develop a clinical specialism or leadership/management modules

Clinical Leadership Service Specific Responsibilities: The service-specific responsibilities attached to this Band 6 nurse post are explained in the Service Specific Section attached to this Job Description and in the attached Person Specification.

Person Specification

Experience

• Diploma/Degree in Learning Disabilities OR Mental Health and evidence of Continuing Professional Development including revalidation
• Previous experience in a variety of specialties within learning disability
• State Registration with Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Experience of supporting patients with both mental health needs and learning disability across the full range of care settings
• Work in a multi-disciplinary setting
• Experience of working with people with behaviours that are complex or challenging
• Experience of completing health passports and annual health screening and reviews including desensitization and phlebotomy

Knowledge

• Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information in emotive contexts; use empathy to overcome barriers to understanding
• Well-developed knowledge of specialized nursing interventions for people with learning disabilities including complex needs
• Skills in complex physical health assessment, intervention and management for people with learning disabilities
• Able to plan, organise and prioritise own clinical workload; knowledge of baseline research, national policy and legislation relevant to learning disability and general population
• Able to record and report required clinical information; knowledge of research design and methodology including quality improvement initiatives
• Able to provide culturally competent service and contribute to nursing team development

Inclusive

• Able to concentrate for extended periods; respectful approach to service users, families, carers, colleagues and professionals; able to negotiate and handle confrontation professionally
• Willing to learn and develop in a changing environment; warmth and flexibility; sensitivity to views and needs of service users and carers from all backgrounds

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Northwick Park Hospital Mental Health Unit, Harrow Adult Community LD Team