Community Mental Health Nurse

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust; Welwyn Garden City; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Welwyn Garden City is looking for a Community Mental Health Nurse to join their team. The ideal candidate will handle clinical responsibilities, supervise staff, and provide effective care and communication with service users. With a focus on quality and person-centered care, this role offers competitive salary and opportunities for career development.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Staff benefits package

Career development training

Qualifications

• Ability to assess needs and formulate care plans.
• Experience in delivering evidence-based mental health care.
• Capable of working in challenging and emotionally demanding environments.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day service delivery and clinical operations.
• Supervise junior staff and participate in care planning.
• Provide effective liaison with service users and their families.
• Ensure timely responses to safeguarding cases.

Skills

Clinical judgement

Crisis intervention

Communication

Medication administration

Team collaboration

Education

RMN or Dip/BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing

ENB 998 / Preceptorship and Mentorship

Job description

Community Mental Health Nurse – Adult Community Mental Health Services

We have an exciting opportunity for a Community Mental Health Nurse to join our Adult Community Mental Health Services Team in Hertfordshire / Welwyn Garden City. The area is well served with transport links to historic Hertfordshire and its glorious countryside as well as into London and beyond.

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an exceptional organisation with big ambitions, our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country. HPFT is awarded ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, and has a reputation for quality, innovation and people‑centred care.

Responsibilities

• The post‑holder will be responsible for the clinical and operational day‑to‑day service delivery ensuring that an individualised, comprehensive assessment and Care Management service is effectively delivered.
• Supervise junior nursing staff and students as delegated by the team manager.
• Accountable for delivering quality services that are effective and efficient in line with the organisation's objectives and performance indicators.
• Contribute to strategic service development, working collaboratively with other agencies.
• Support the Team Leader in establishing and maintaining effective inter‑team and inter‑agency communication.
• Provide effective liaison/communication throughout the care pathway to service users, their carers and others, responding sensitively to all needs especially in highly emotive settings.
• Maintain effective joint working with others, developing positive working relationships and clear communications with the multidisciplinary team and other professionals.
• Ensure that all relevant information regarding service users' care, particularly issues of concern re practice and workload, is communicated to the line manager.
• Liaise with other professionals in relation to service user care, actively participating in care planning and review meetings and attending case conferences required.
• Assess the need of service users who meet the service eligibility criteria and their families, formulate a care plan and risk assessment, review its effectiveness and re‑plan using evidence‑based interventions partnering with the service user.
• Identify and respond to acute presentations in order to manage risk and promote the safety and well‑being of the service user.
• Utilise clinical judgement to evaluate the service user's physical and psychological responses to treatment.
• Initiate, plan and deliver effective risk management systems within the clinical area.
• Ensure a consistent and timely response to safeguarding cases in line with departmental procedures.
• Provide a responsive, effective service to individuals in crisis.
• Plan, organise and prioritise resources and tasks on a daily basis to meet service and organisational needs.
• Take a leading role in the day‑to‑day management of the service supporting the Team Leader, including recruitment, retention, rostering and attendance management as required.
• Work in conjunction with and alongside colleagues and partners within the organisation.
• Plan and deliver treatment interventions in line with best practice and local and national guidelines.
• Act as a Care Coordinator ensuring high‑quality care delivery at all times.
• Take a leading role in designated projects/service development as allocated.
• Support the line manager/service line lead in the effective and timely management of complaints and serious untoward incidents.
• Identify the training needs of junior staff, highlight this to the Team Leader, and deliver training to others as needed.
• Document service user care by recording information on the electronic care record, demonstrating keyboard skills.
• Have the ability to sit with service users for extended periods of time, often within pressured circumstances and to sustain frequent, intense concentration.
• Be adaptable to the physical environment, particularly when meeting service users in their homes, continually being aware of Trust Health & Safety policies.
• Be able to cope with the physical demands of frequent travel across the Trust.
• Administer oral and injectable medications, store and transport them, and monitor people's physical responses to medications such as blood pressure, glucose and weight.
• Travel between appointments across a wide geographical area in order to manage numerous visits each day, across the west and south of the county and occasionally further.
• Share office space in a hot‑desk arrangement and work in an open‑plan environment.
• Work frequently in distressing, challenging and emotionally demanding situations requiring mental effort to undertake duties effectively.
• Be exposed to unpleasant and distressing working conditions; some service users may exhibit aggressive and abusive behaviour.
• Carry a clinical caseload and act as a CPA Care Coordinator, adhering to the CPA policy and fulfilling the named nurse role.
• Undertake comprehensive health needs and risk assessments (including capacity assessments) and develop a care plan (Health Action Plan) in accordance with identified needs, establishing specialist responsibilities/actions based on Recovery Principles.
• Carry out joint assessments with other MDT as required.
• Be aware of and comply with the relevant mental health and work‑related legislation and policy at all times.
• Provide relevant up‑to‑date evidence‑based information about treatment/intervention that enables service users to make informed choices about their care.
• Deliver evidence‑based care in a timely manner.
• Make reactive recommendations as necessary when working alone in the community.
• Undertake health promotion activities with individuals and groups.
• Promote physical health and well‑being by providing health checks/screenings and monitoring.
• Administer prescribed medication or supervise its administration and assess the service user for desired and non‑desired effects.
• Maintain robust clinical records and prepare reports as required.
• Provide and facilitate specialist help and advice to other professionals, agencies and carers.
• Provide effective professional supervision/mentorship of junior staff and students, assessing proficiencies of practice as required.
• Maintain one's own professional registration and development.
• Actively participate in and seek clinical and professional supervision and appraisal in line with organisational policy.
• Ensure effective and economic use of resources available, complying with relevant Trust and service financial policies and procedures.
• Remain up‑to‑date concerning relevant clinical, social and legal issues.
• Assist the Team Leader in the development of the team, incorporating evidence‑based practice.
• Adhere to quality initiatives compatible with national targets and local standards applicable to practice.
• Be involved in the development and use of quality assurance systems, contributing to and participating in audits, evaluation and lesson learning.

Required Qualifications

• RMN or Dip/BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing.
• ENB 998 / Preceptorship and Mentorship.

Desirable Criteria

• ENB 812 / BSc in Specialist Community Nursing Practice (Mental Health).
• Psychosocial interventions, experience of working in a range of settings relevant to the post.
• Post‑registration experience with at least one year at Band 5.
• Experience of working in an acute mental health inpatient/day care services.
• Experience of working in situations or crisis and emotionally demanding environments.
• Experience and knowledge of safeguarding process.
• Experience of teaching and training.
• Experience and knowledge of working in a multiethnic community.
• Experience of delivering evidence‑based care.
• Knowledge of parenting literature and its application.
• Ability to teach and train others using multimedia materials suitable for presentation.
• Knowledge of current developments in research with service user group.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Clinical risk assessment and management in a community setting.
• Professional Code of Conduct.
• Up‑to‑date knowledge of relevant legislation, ethical issues, strategic frameworks and current guidelines regarding the range of presenting problems in adult mental health and their implications for both practice and clinical management.

Additional Information

We can offer a competitive salary, staff benefits package, excellent career development and training that comes from working for HPFT. Whilst it is a challenging period for the NHS, there has never been a more exciting time to join HPFT. We are on a "Good to Great" journey as we continue to innovate, improve, transform and deliver the very highest standards of care to the service users and communities that we serve.

Potential staff must have appropriate UK professional registration. Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can assess their eligibility against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We encourage all applicants to review that information carefully.

All staff should comply with the Trust's Anti‑Discriminatory Statement, Employee Charter, Trust Policies and Procedures, Code of Conduct and Equality and Diversity.