Mental Health Staff Nurse

Integrated Care System; Peterborough; On-site; GBP 31,000 - 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Peterborough is seeking a Mental Health Staff Nurse to provide exceptional care to patients in a Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. The ideal candidate will be a qualified nurse who excels in teamwork and is committed to delivering evidence-based nursing care. This role includes responsibilities in assessing and planning patient care as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Benefits

12-month preceptorship program

Continuous practical support on the ward

Competitive salary between £31,049 to £37,796 annually

Qualifications

• Experience of in-patient services and working as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
• Basic level of dealing with service users with complex mental health needs.
• Awareness of safeguarding issues and responsibilities under relevant legislation.

Responsibilities

• Assess, plan, implement, and evaluate care for service users.
• Implement evidence-based therapeutic interventions.
• Maintain accurate and timely written records as per Trust policy.

Skills

Effective communication skills

Ability to carry out physical interventions

Good understanding of risk assessment

Initiative and teamwork

IT literacy (MS Office)

Education

Registered Nurse Mental Health (RNMH)

Registered Nurse Learning Disability (RNLD)

Job description

Go back Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

Mental Health Staff Nurse

The closing date is 27 August 2025

Being able to care for some of the most unwell patients within the mental health system and to see them recovery something of the person they really are is a privilege. It can sometimes also be a challenge!

We are excited to be looking for a Band 5 nurse to join our highly skilled team and to join us in providing excellent care for our patients. Based in Peterborough at the Cavell Centre on the Peterborough City Hospital site, Poplar Ward is the Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit for CPFT. We are a 6-bedded single-sex ward, caring for working-age men from across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who are experiencing serious mental illness and requiring intensive care and support.

Our ideal candidate will be a qualified nurse (newly qualified nurses and those awaiting their PIN may also apply), who is keen to learn, creative, adaptable, enthusiastic, and dedicated to providing the best care possible. Being a team player is also an essential attribute. As is a good level of physical fitness as all staff must be able to undertake physical interventions.

Main duties of the job

The challenge of supporting patients with severe and often enduring mental illness requires staff to have a commitment to providing excellent care, a clear understanding of the importance of teamwork, and an ability to work well under pressure when required.

If you are successful, we will support you in providing quality evidence-based nursing care for our service users with mental and physical health needs. As a staff nurse, you will be working as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) and will be responsible for supporting and leading on the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of nursing care on a rotational shift basis. You will also interact frequently with carers and families providing support and advice where appropriate.

We will expect you to have a good level of knowledge of local, national policies and legislation which govern current service provision. We would also expect you to be kind, caring, compassionate and committed to excellent care for our patients.

Preceptorship:

The Trust runs a comprehensive 12-month preceptorship to support newly-qualified staff in all aspects of nursing care. This includes monthly sessions that focus on specific topics and aspects of the profession, as well as continuous practical support on the ward from a dedicated preceptor and an entire nursing and management team experienced in supporting staff through the preceptorship process.

About us

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health & social care organisation dedicated to providing high quality care with compassion to improve the health & wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting & empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services not only via inpatient and primary care setting but also with the community. These services include Children, Adult & Older Peoples mental & physical health, Forensic & Specialist mental health, Learning Disabilities, Primary Care & Liaison psychiatry, Substance misuse, social care, Research & Development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high calibre candidates that share our vision & values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including disabled people & members of our ethnic minorities & LGBTQ+ communities.

Job responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities

• To be responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of the evidence-based care required, including health promotion for a named service user/group ensuring it meets Trust timescales.
• To ensure that the requirements of the Mental Health Act 2007 are observed, adhered to, and implemented.
• To promote carer and service user involvement within the service and for its provision. To encourage recovery, discovery, and independence, taking into account risk assessment and management.
• To establish therapeutic relationships with service users, and the implementation of evidence based therapeutic interventions with appropriate boundaries in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Councils professional code of conduct
• To demonstrate care and compassion in your work
• To be responsible for the safe custody and administration of medicines in accordance with all medicine policies
• To respect and value the different therapeutic approaches within the multidisciplinary team but ensure that the agreed philosophy approach is adopted and followed
• To ensure that accurate and timely written records are kept which comply with the Trust policy and NMC guidance, reporting on any issues as appropriate.
• Empower service users by ensuring that they receive the relevant information about their treatment, medication, available services, advocacy services, ward routines and safety procedures.

Person Specification

Education / Qualifications

• Registered Nurse Mental Health (RNMH) or Registered Nurse Learning Disability (RNLD)

Experience

• Experience of in-patient services and working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Basic level of dealing with service users with complex mental health needs
• Experience relating to ward specialism
• Lived experience of mental health

Skills and Abilites

• Effective communication skills both verbally and written, including IT literacy (MS Office).
• Ability to carry out physical interventions
• Ability to use own initiative, to enable contribution to a multidisciplinary team approach
• Good understanding of all aspects of risk assessment
• A commitment to working with our patients to facilitate personalised care plans
• Awareness of safeguarding issues and responsibilities under relevant legislation
• Basic understanding of the Mental Health Act and Mental Capacity Act
• Basic understanding of legislation relating to care including - Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Act, Children's Act, Equality Act 2010, Health and Safety Act and the Data Protection Act

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.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust

£31,049 to £37,796 a yearper annum, pro rata