Dementia Specialist Community Nurse

Care Unbound Ltd t/a Here; Brighton; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare service provider in Brighton is looking for a Dementia Specialist Community Mental Health Nurse. In this full-time role, you will work within a multidisciplinary team, providing assessments and specialist nursing care to patients with dementia. The ideal candidate will be a registered nurse with significant experience in mental health. Competitive salary and potential for flexible working arrangements offered.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current mental health registration or other transferrable skills.
• Significant experience working with complex health problems.
• Experience in supervising staff and conducting clinical assessments.

Responsibilities

• Provide assessment, diagnosis, and medication reviews.
• Plan and implement care while providing specialist nursing advice.
• Engage and discuss benefits of a dementia diagnosis with patients.

Skills

Excellent written and oral communication skills

Ability to work in partnership with key stakeholders

Skills of assessing and interpreting service user conditions

Negotiation and conflict resolution skills

Education

Registered Nurse with current registration [mental health/LD/Adult]

Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent

Tools

Clinical systems

Word

PowerPoint

Job description

The role of Dementia Specialist Community Mental Nurse is to work as part of a multidisciplinary Team in Brighton and Hove Memory Assessment Service. The service is an integrated clinical and support service delivered in partnership by Here (Head Contract Holder) and Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, and the Carers Centre.

Our service function is to assess, diagnosis and provide treatment and care planning for people with dementia to enable them to lead fulfilling lives while future planning.

The Memory Assessment Service is commissioned to be an early intervention however we may see people with complex health presentations, including people presenting with higher levels of risk.

Main duties of the job

The role of Dementia Specialist Community Mental Health Nurse is to operate as part of the clinical team undertake specialist cognitive assessment and contribute to diagnosis formulation. TheDementia Specialist Community Mental Health Nursewill also be required to undertake medication reviews with people who are titrating and those who require an annual.

All staff are to be a champion for our patients and ensure that their voice is always heard and that they play an integral role in their journey through MAS and any future planning conversations

Although the role is advertised as a full time permanent position (1 WTE, 37.5 hours a week) , we will also be happy to consider this as a job shareif this is more suitable for applicants.

About us

Here is a not-for-profit, social enterprise working in the health sector. We do many things, including:

• Designing and delivering health care services in partnership with the NHS and third sector organisations
• Developing and implementing products that support primary care to thrive

What unites our efforts is a recognition of the way we do things:

• We are a group of people who believe we can make a difference in the world
• We think business can be a force for good, and that profits should benefit our society
• We know that our society is not fair and equitable, and many people cannot thrive in the conditions in which they live. We believe changes in health and care could enable a better future for us all.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will be an autonomous practitioner who will carry continuing responsibility for our patients by undertaking the following duties.

1. Provide Assessment, Diagnosis Giving and Medication Reviews appropriate topatients treatment plan within service.
2. To assess, plan and implementcare, and provide specialist nursing advice and carry out specialist nursingprocedures.
3. To explain and discuss the benefits of a dementia diagnosis and thebenefit of engaging with our service.
4. To undertake specialist assessments of individuals reported withcognitive impairment engaging family in a holistic assessment for people aged60 years an over.
5. To provide interventions relevant to the care group and have knowledgeof evidence based models of practice.
6. Assess and manage on going risks as identified during all patientcontact and ensure that this is done in collaboration with our patients andtheir loved ones. To regularly review risk factors and make changes to themanagement of them as necessary.
7. To operate within the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure)Regulations (IR(ME)R) in England
8. To ensure that clinical practice is evidence based and consistent withrelevant NICE guidelines and Here and Service policies and procedures
9. Attend MDTs to contribute to diagnosis formulation.
10. To be clear about all treatmentand support options available including potential medications available asappropriate including benefit vs risks, side effects they may experience andthe role that the medication may have in their ongoing care.
11. To monitor, evaluate and modifytreatment in line with BNF and Service protocols order to measure progress andensure effectiveness of intervention to achieve therapeutic goals.
12. To hold an awareness of ourpatients and their Next Of Kin (NOK) / carers work/educational / vocationaland housing needs/aspirations and ensure that the service supports refer whereappropriate.
13. To work with carers and familymembers, to help them understand and recognise potential risks and any triggerswithin the boundaries of confidentiality.
14. To help our patients NOK / familymembers who may be providing carer functions that they too, have needs and thevalue of engaging with our Carer Link Worker and where appropriate the benefitof a referral to The Carers Hub (The Carers Centre).
15. To assess, monitor; risk andescalate where necessary.
16. Work in a collaborative way,ensuring that the right decisions are made to ensure the best care for ourpatients. To ensure that any transfer of care is seamless and integrated acrosssystem pathways.
17. To ensure that up to date writtenand electronic records and activity data are maintained in accordance withProfessional and organisational /servicestandards.
18. To adhere to the Nursing &Midwifery Council Code of Conduct, professional standards and ethics and complywith local and national standards of practice.
19. To provide supervision of juniorstaff and trainees where appropriate.
20. To contribute to the maintenanceand development of Here and Service strategy.
21. To participate in the operationalplanning, implementation of policy and service development within the team,leading on delegated projects.
22. To contribute to compliance incontractual performance targets and quality standards are met.
23. To contribute in theorganisational governance arrangements and quality agenda, including thesetting and monitoring of practice standards.
24. To promote awareness of theprofessional role within the team and across the service.
25. To develop professional networksand keep abreast of local resources; clinical service delivery across ourhealthcare systems (primary, secondary and tertiary care).
26. To broaden research anddevelopment skills through participation in local audit and research projects.
27. To participate in clinical and social care governance group forums as required.

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant post qualifying experience in the relevant care group
• Experience of working alongside people with complex health problems in the designated care group
• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of providing a range of clinical interventions to people in the designated care group with a variety of health problems
• Experience of working consultatively with professionals
• Experience with working with disturbed service users (i.e patients with trauma)
• Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies
• Experience of working within the Care Programme Approach (CPA) process
• Previous experience of working in the community and primary care
• Contribute to the implementation of services.
• Lived experience of cognitive, impairment, dementia and mental health issues
• Experience of managing a caseload
• Understanding of clinical governance

Communication/ Relationship

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Ability to communicate in a clear and unambiguous way
• Excellent negotiation and conflict resolution skills
• Ability to develop effective professional relationships with others
• Ability to develop good therapeutic relationships
• Establish and maintain communication with individuals, families, carers and groups about difficult or complex matters overcoming any differences in communication
• Develop own skills and knowledge and provide information to others to help their development
• Participate in Partnership working with individuals, groups, communities and agencies
• Promote peoples equality, diversity and human rights
• To demonstrate effective communication skills with people in an age appropriate way and those whose understanding may be impaired

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current registration [mental health/LD/Adult], Or Other healthcare professionals with transferrable skills appropriate to the job role such as Occupational Therapist
• Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Skills

• Skills of assessing and interpreting service user conditions with appropriate actions
• Ability to work in partnership with key stakeholders
• Ability to work with resistance at times, to manage own reactions to difficult situations and to act with appropriate authority and diplomacy
• Plan and organise complex activities or programmes requiring formulation and review
• Assessment, planning and intervention skills.
• Provision of specialist nursing advice in relation to care
• IT literacy and willingness to take on new technology
• Able to use Word, PowerPoint, clinical systems, email
• Ability to use manual handling techniques
• Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Care Group and those of the Trust
• Ability to travel across sites
• Punctual and flexible across hours of work when required

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 known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.