School-Age Immunisation Nurse

Integrated Care System; Exeter; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A local healthcare organization is seeking exceptional nurses to join their School-Age Immunisation Team in covering Cornwall and Devon. The successful candidates will deliver immunisation programmes in schools, requiring flexibility, strong interpersonal skills, and proficiency in IT. A driving license is essential for travel between sites. This role offers the chance to make a significant impact on children's health while working within a supportive team environment.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

Employee benefit programme

6 weeks pro rata holiday entitlement

Access to a company pension scheme

Qualifications

• Driving licence and access to a car.
• Knowledge of Health and Safety issues is essential.
• Willingness to work flexible hours as required.

Responsibilities

• Assist with the delivery of immunisation programmes in schools.
• Identify vulnerable children and participate in safeguarding.
• Screen children for immunisation criteria and obtain informed consent.

Skills

Reliable

Enthusiastic

Highly skilled

Exemplary interpersonal skills

Proficient in IT

Education

Nursing Diploma or equivalent experience

Registered Nurse

Job description

Kernow Health CIC is a non-profit organisation owned by all of the General Practices in Cornwall. As a Community Interest Company, we use our resources to improve healthcare in the communities we serve.

We deliver the school-age immunisations service for children and young people in Cornwall and Devon, a Training Hub, the Special Allocation Scheme and Cornwall 111/Out of Hours.

We are an agile team that is highly supportive and flexible. We have strong values that can be found on our websitehttp://www.kernowhealthcic.org.uk/ People that work for our organisation need to be prepared to work hard and go the extra mile, but if you do this, you will be rewarded with great job satisfaction.

We are looking to appoint exceptional nurses to join our School-Age Immunisation Team, covering both Cornwall and Devon. The post holders will assist with the delivery of the immunisation programmes in the counties primary and secondary schools as well as clinics in community settings.

You will be a reliable, enthusiastic, highly skilled, dedicated nurse who is extremely efficient, motivated, dedicated and with exemplary interpersonal skills. You must be really can do and adaptable and be proficient in the use of IT. You must have a driving licence and access to a car.

Knowledge of Health and Safety issues is essential. There will be substantial access to children therefore an enhanced Disclosure and Barring check will be required.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will work as a member of the of the School-Age Immunisation Team for Cornwall and Devon, working for Kernow Health CIC on behalf of NHSE to support the safe delivery of the large scale immunisation and vaccination programme within educational and community settings. The current programme is as follows:

• Reception, years 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 (& 12 &13 in Special Schools) Nasal flu
• Year 8 HPV
• Year 9 HPV Mop-up
• Year 9 Tetanus/Diphtheria/Polio (teenage booster)
• Year 10 and 11 mop ups of above
• MMR catch-up programme

To support and improve the uptake rate for all vaccinations for children and young people of school age and to develop the service in conjunction with stakeholders and commissioners.

To contribute towards the public health agenda by improving health outcomes for children and young people.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION - PLEASE READ CAREFULLY

Before applying for this post, please also ensure that you have read the job description and person specification carefully.

As the Immunisation team covers the whole of Cornwall & Devon it is essential you can meet the travel requirements of the post. A flexible approach to working will be required.

About us

Why work for us?

Kernow Health CIC is a local organisation, owned by General Practitioners, delivering a number of NHS contracts across Cornwall where profits are reinvested back into the company to support healthcare across Cornwall. Working for us, you will benefit from:

• Opportunities for flexible working and annualised hours
• Employee benefit programme through Vivup.
• 6 weeks pro rata holiday entitlement (including bank holidays) with the ability to 'buy and sell' annual leave.
• Being part of a local, agile and innovative team.
• Access to a company pension scheme, sickness, maternity and paternity pay.

Job responsibilities

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• To support and improve the uptake rate for all vaccinations for children and young people of school age and to develop the service in conjunction with stakeholders and commissioners.
• To identify vulnerable children and where appropriate to play an integral role within the safeguarding process in line with local and national protocols and legislation.
• Work in partnership with children, families and multi-agency services supporting the local population.

Clinical Responsibilities:

• Screen children to ensure their inclusion for immunisations within the programme meets the required criteria in the Patient Group Direction (PGD).
• Obtaining informed consent where necessary based on clinical judgement.
• Ensuring maintenance of the cold chain throughout the process.
• Compliance with the medicines management standards throughout the process including awareness of contraindications to vaccination.
• Preparation and administration of the vaccines safely and competently in accordance with professional accountability and local/national standards and guidelines.
• Respond to clinical emergencies (anaphylaxis) initiating basic life support to ensure emergency procedures are executed and reported in accordance with national and local policy. Report adverse reactions to the Clinical Manager.
• Assess and signpost children to the appropriate named school contact where additional advice and support is indicated for identified health needs.

Public Health Responsibilities:

• Contribute towards the development of public health initiatives to meet the needs of identified target groups and carry out public health promotional activities through integration and effective partnership working.
• Provide advice and information to children, parents, schools, members of the public and professionals where required.
• Demonstrate knowledge of immunisation and vaccination programmes, the impact on public health and the national and local agenda.
• Contribute to the development and delivery of the programme to support the achievement of performance targets.

Quality and Governance Responsibilities:

• Maintain accurate and contemporaneous documentation both to ensure timely and effective communication in accordance with national and local policies and the NMC code.
• Ensure confidentiality in accordance with policy.
• Demonstrate understanding of specific issues relating to children and young people.
• Demonstrate skills and knowledge in safeguarding practice.
• Awareness of dealing with complaints and appropriate reporting in accordance with organisational policies.
• Support the process of user satisfaction feedback to help develop the service.
• Initiate incident reporting and take appropriate action to inform Management.
• Comply with requirements for data protection.

Resource Responsibilities:

• Equipment and resources are managed effectively to reduce waste and promote cost efficiency.
• Ensure the safe keeping and maintenance of equipment in accordance with policy reporting defect or loss.
• Ensure safe storage and stock control of vaccines and adrenaline in accordance with prescription only medicines management and cold chain policy.

Professional Responsibilities:

• Work within The Code Standards of Conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC, 2015) national and local guidelines.
• Work across organisational and agency boundaries to promote integrated working.
• Work to agreed Kernow Health CIC policies which facilitate and support the clinical governance agenda.
• Contribute to the development of clinical audit, clinical benchmarking, and the setting of standards.
• Deliver care that is evidence based.
• Support the organisation and development of team members by participating in programmes of learning.
• Responsible for planning and organising your own professional clinical supervision.
• Compliance with statutory, mandatory, and essential training requirements.
• Maintain a portfolio to demonstrate continuing professional development, making sure that steps are taken to maintain adequate skills and knowledge in line with NMC revalidation.
• Participation in information technology systems as they develop.

Communication and Working Relationships:

• School Staff
• Children, young people and families
• General Practice Staff
• School Nurses
• Health Visitors
• Kernow Health wider team
• Child protection named nurse

Physical Dimensions:

• Lifting and carrying equipment e.g. vaccine porters (cool boxes), consumables box, laptops etc
• Preparation of vaccines for the sessions
• Some exposure to bodily fluids/vomit
• Ability to calm anxious or distressed children
• Driving between different locations across the counties
• Working in busy often noisy school environment
• Sitting for long periods whilst immunising and documenting on a laptop.

Making Every Contact Count:

All staff are positively encouraged to contribute to improving health for themselves, their patients and colleagues. This happens when, in everyday contact, the opportunity is taken to raise the subject of choosing better heath by stopping smoking, eating more healthily, reducing alcohol intake and being more active. The Making Every Contact Count programme has all the information you need and you will hear more about this once you start your role.

Please note interviews are planned for Wednesday 13th August.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse
• Nursing Diploma or equivalent experience

Experience

• Experienced in managing and prioritising own work load.
• Experience of working with diverse communities
• Experience of administering vaccines (training will be given if required)
• Experience of working with children and young people
• Experience of partnership/integrated working

Practical and Intellectual Skills

• Awareness of NHS and national and local policies and guidance relating to Public Health
• Sound knowledge of current nursing and professional issues with evidence of CPD
• Excellent understanding of safeguarding issues/legislation adapted to practice
• Computer Literate
• Ability to apply knowledge of confidentiality issues when working with children, young people, families and carers
• Ability to assess and engage professional judgement to ensure parental and/or child consent is informed in accordance with national/local policies, guidelines and legislation
• Excellent awareness of equality and diversity issues
• Evidence of flexible approach to work.
• Must be prepared to show flexibility in line with the needs of the service, such as potential evenings or weekends as necessary

Other

• Driving licence and availability of a car

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.