Liaison/Rapid Response Sister/Charge Nurse

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust; Luton; On-site; GBP 37,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading NHS Trust as a Band 6 nurse in Community Health Services, providing essential care within integrated teams. This role focuses on both community nursing and seamless discharge planning. Ideal candidates will bring a passion for patient-centered care and the ability to thrive in dynamic environments.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• Registered General Nurse with degree or equivalent required.
• Experience in discharge planning and community care.
• Ability to work collaboratively within mixed-discipline teams.

Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive nursing assessments and care planning.
• Ensure safe discharge and prevent unnecessary admissions.
• Support multidisciplinary collaboration for holistic patient care.

Skills

Time Management

Effective Communication

Clinical Decision Making

Education

RGN

Educated to degree level or equivalent

Independent Nurse Prescribing

Tools

SystmOne

Job description

Main area Community Health Services Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Shift work and some weekends) Job ref 448-LCA-7054871-A

Employer Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Luton & Dunstable Hospital / The Poynt Town Luton Salary £37,338 - £44,962 per annum, pro-rata Salary period Yearly Closing 15/06/2025 23:59 Interview date 24/06/2025

Band 6

Driven by our Trust values: Honesty, Empathy, Ambition, Respect; the Trust's vision is to provide high quality care to the diverse communities we serve to make their lives better.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Our cultural diversity, long term conditions and disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ staff networks are a key part of this commitment, creating positive change and helping build an inclusive culture across the Trust.

Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed - our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

Options for flexible working are considered for all roles within CCS, including job share opportunities, compressed hours, annualised hours, tailored working patterns and more. If you are interested in flexible working, please talk to the recruiting manager for this vacancy.

Please note, the selection processes at Cambridgeshire Community Services are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right values and skills. Please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored, we remain watchful of candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn’t accurately reflect their skills.

Job overview

This is an opportunity for a shared post between two teams – The Integrated Discharge Team and Rapid Response Team who are expanding to meet the new Urgent Community Response & Virtual Ward requirements.

You will have experience of undertaking comprehensive nursing assessment and treatment planning, preferably with community experience and knowledge of discharge planning.

Working autonomously with both our Integrated Discharge Team based at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital and our community based Rapid Response Team, will allow you to experience two different environments.

These teams play a vital role in preventing hospital admissions or facilitating early and complex discharges .

This is the role for you if you have passion for nursing, drive to put patients at the centre of their care, enjoy working as part of a team and in a fast-paced environment .

The successful applicant will be in an exciting position to contribute to:

Service development by developing new ways of working (e.g. clinical triage, patient assessment, discharge planning )

Additional resilience in both services by supporting periods of high demand

Strengthening collaborative working, both across the teams and with system partners (e.g. GPs, social care and voluntary organisations)

Join us and be part of transforming and providing high quality health care within an integrated team model. In return we will actively encourage and support to develop.

This role includes shift work & some weekend working.

Main duties of the job

To be responsible for, as part of the integrated team, providing safe, effective and efficient discharge for patients as they return to the community from any point in their hospital pathway including admission aversion.

To assess patients and work with families and the multidisciplinary team to ensure full understanding of the community options when organising health funded packages of care.

Support the provision of community nursing care within the Integrated Community Nursing Team, providing scheduled and unscheduled care, to the population of Luton with a Luton GP.

Respond to urgent / unplanned care within the Community Nursing Service i.e. supporting the single point of access by prioritising, visiting or allocating patient visits as required using clinical skills and knowledge, supporting community nursing teams when required.

Work in partnership with other colleagues across primary and secondary care and other related services in order to provide a holistic care package designed to meet the specific needs of the individual, to facilitate hospital discharge and or prevent unnecessary hospital admission.

Work with the team lead in providing clinical leadership within the Community Nursing Service, providing line management and team support when required.

Work with other agencies to deliver strategic national and local health priorities.

Should we receive a high number of applications we reserve the right to close this vacancy at any point after 10th June 2025.

Working for our organisation

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Prevent avoidable hospital admissions by providing a holistic assessment, care planning, implementation, treatment and evaluation of patient care packages to meet the individual needs of the patient in accordance with Trust guidelines.

· Support the aversion of hospital admission by assessing, organising and delivering specialised care packages for patients discharged into the care of the team.

· Undertake core nursing procedures as required whilst attending the patient e.g. wound dressing, observations, pressure area care, risk assessments e.g. Purpose T, MUST.

· Undertake highly developed physical skills e.g. delivery of intravenous therapy, cannulation, syringe driver, catheterisation.

· Undertake diagnostic procedures/tests as required and to, when competent to do so, gain a full insight into patients’ condition, e.g. ECGs, phlebotomy, spirometry, blood glucose testing, Point of Care Testing.

· Undertake responsibility for prescribing medication where applicable in line with independent nurse prescribing guidelines following accredited training and competence.

· To be confident in using these skills & nursing knowledge to work autonomously to plan and implement episodes of care, referring appropriately to other services to support the plan of care as required.

· To facilitate clear and effective communication channels between patients, relatives, carers and professional community colleagues to ensure seamless patient care.

· Respond to urgent calls from health and social care professionals and utilise sound clinical decision making and triage processes to assess, plan and implement evidence-based treatment plans in response to clinical assessment.

· To obtain and analyse information gathered from GP’s via the telephone making judgements and advising the GP as to the most appropriate outcome for the patient.

· Assess and prioritise unscheduled requests for nursing intervention and allocation to the appropriately skilled clinician.

· Ensure at all times patients are treated with care and compassion.

· To be accountable for the holistic assessment, care planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care packages related to Care Interventions, treatment plans.

· Assess and identify any complications surrounding patient care and to act accordingly to enable the patient to remain at home where appropriate. Assess and implement care interventions to meet identified health needs of individuals, families and communities. Maintain associated records.

· Refer patients to other services / agencies as appropriate e.g., Social Services, specialist services .

· Identify unpredicted crisis situations and manage accordingly i.e., staff, caseload, support network and supervision. Identify to senior managers the situation, risk, action and outcome.

· Manage team members and own workload to support the delivery of care in the community and prevent inappropriate hospital admissions.

· Organise and coordinate the overall care to meet clients’ care needs, which may be complex involving other professionals and agencies. Provide individuals and their families with specialist advice for them to make informed choices about their health.

· Take responsibility for identifying and developing a range of clinical skills/knowledge appropriate to necessitate safe discharge or prevention of admission.

· Take a lead in the setting of standards of care amongst the team members and to teach, deploy, co-ordinate and supervise the team, recognising their knowledge/skills and development potential. Plan and co-ordinate for self and others; off duty, covering annual leave, sickness and study leave in the most cost-effective way when required to do so.

· To be accountable and responsible for the management of work priorities for self and team members. Develop patient’s personalised care plans, which use evidence-based care and ensure that the most appropriate member of the team delivers the care required.

· Provide education to patients on nature of their condition, treatment, side effects and expected outcome. Enable patients and carers to participate in their care, thus encouraging independence and self-reliance.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• RGN
• Educated to degree level or equivalent e.g. Community Specialist practitioner / PgDip
• Evidence of CPD
• MSPP or equivalent
• Post Graduate study in relevant area
• Independent Nurse Prescribing or willingness to undertake

Experience

• Understanding of staff and resource management
• Understanding of multidisciplinary care collaboration
• Ability to work within a skill mixed team, working within quality standards
• Knowledge of Discharge Planning Able to demonstrate experience and a knowledge of clinical / governance and audit
• Demonstrate an understanding of research and its impact on clinical practice
• Knowledge of DoH Continuing Health Care process – Fast Track
• Knowledge of Safeguarding Children/Vulnerable Adults and procedure for reporting
• Evidence of involvement in project development work or health promotion group work
• Experience of working within a high ethnic population
• DN / Community experience
• Demonstrate an understanding of Mental Capacity Act (MCA) 2005
• Experience of discharge planning
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary Primary Health Care Team
• Able to demonstrate an understanding of DoH Continuing Health Care processes – Checklists, Decision Support Tool, review

Skills

• Time Management and prioritisation skills, ability to work under pressure in a changing work environment
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team.
• Evidence of effective communication
• Recognises the limits of own authority within the role
• Seeks and uses professional support appropriately
• Understands the principle of confidentiality
• Identify and challenge unacceptable behaviour and its effect on others
• Experience of Systmone

On April 1 st 2025, the Boards of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust will come together to deliver services as a group, with a singular board operating across both organisations. Both trusts are high performing specialist community health and care providers working in the East of England. Both have a strong track record, with the highest ratings from the Care Quality Commission, best in class NHS staff survey outcomes, and a decade of experience in innovation and clinical development.

The group model provides health and care services to a population of 3.2 million in their homes and neighbourhoods. We provide care that supports people from the very beginning to the very end of their lives.

We will remain 2 separate employers until further notice and the specific role being advertised will be in employed by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Certificate of Sponsorship

For roles that are eligible for sponsorship, applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker Visa to work in the UK are welcome, and will be considered alongside all other applications. You are strongly advised to visit Check if you need a UK Visa website ( Opens in a new tab), and familiarise yourself with what is required which should assist you in your understanding of the process

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here . (Opens in a new tab)

UK Registration

For roles that require professional registration, applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new tab)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our safe recruitment pre-employment checks are undertaken before an appointment is confirmed and may include a DBS check. Where the role requires you to drive, we'll ask you to validate your driving licence online via the DVLA.

In submitting an application, you authorise Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE will be via the e-mail address on your application form. If you have not been invited to interview within 2 weeks of the closing date, you unfortunately haven’t been successful on this occasion, but keep an eye on our vacancies as a job that’s just right for you may appear!

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Emma Farquhar Job title IDT Liaison Team or Rapid Response Service Manager Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 01582 497355 Additional information

IDT Liaison Team 01582 497355

Rapid Response 07881516886