SCPHN Apprentice (School Nursing)

NHS; Wigan; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job description

Wrightington Wigan & Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Are you a highly motivated Nurse or Midwife and keen to develop your skills working with children and families in the community? If so, have you ever thought about a career as a School Nurse? Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust are pleased to be able to offer the opportunity to train as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) within School Nursing in conjunction with Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU).

Please read the requirements carefully before you apply as you will not be considered if you do not demonstrate how you meet the criteria:

• Applicants must be a qualified Registered Nurse or Midwife with active NMC Registration and significant post registration experience. This post is not for newly qualified nurses/midwives;
• It is essential that you hold English and Mathematics qualifications equivalent to Level 2 (GCSE grade C/4 or above) - this is a requirement of the university. We are unable to consider any applicants who do not list both qualifications on their applications;
• You must also hold at least 120 academic credits at Level 5 (for BSc) or Level 6 (for PGDip);
• This is a 13 month, full-time training course commencing September 2025 and will complete in October 2026. It consists of 50% academic and 50% practice placement and runs as a joint programme between WWL and Manchester Metropolitan University.

THIS VACANCY IS SUBJECT TO FUNDING

Main duties of the job

• The post is full time only: 37.5 hours to be worked Monday to Friday 0900-1700. The post cannot be undertaken on a part time basis - this is a requirement set by the university, not by WWL;
• You will be paid a salary to the maximum of mid-point Band 5. All university apprenticeship tuition fees are paid for you. Students will be employed on a fixed term contract for the duration of the course. There is no guarantee of a permanent post at the end of the traineeship;
• Applicants must be able to travel across the Trust independently to make multiple site visits daily. This means you must hold a valid driving licence and have access to a car with appropriate business insurance. You must refer to this in your supporting statement;
• Interviews are provisionally booked for 20th May 2025 - those invited to interview must be able to attend in person for one full day. There will be group and unseen tasks in the morning then candidates will be invited through to a formal interview session in the afternoon. No other dates or remote interview method will be available.

If you are passionate about the public health agenda and improving health outcomes for children, young people and families, then this may be the career choice for you. We are looking for high calibre qualified nurses/midwives who can demonstrate that they want to be at the forefront of leading the healthy child programme.

About us

Choose Well - Choose WWL

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that 'happy staff, makes for happy patients'.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

Job responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Students must successfully complete the 50% taught theory and 50% practice elements of the programme before they can register and practice as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse.
• Throughout the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing programme the student must experience practice in a range of different settings and areas of practice to enable them to develop an understanding of the breadth of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing practice.
• To develop an understanding of the principles of working in partnership with others to prevent the occurrence of needs and risks related to health and well-being.

Clinical Practice

To enable the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing student to develop the skills and competencies to:

• Provide comprehensive assessments of the health needs of clients.
• Raise awareness about health and social well-being and related factors, services and resources.
• Raise awareness about the actions that groups and individuals can take to improve their health and social well-being.
• Develop, sustain and evaluate collaborative work.
• Collaborate in a multi-disciplinary environment to ensure children are safeguarded.
• Develop capacity and confidence of individuals and groups, including families and communities, to influence and use available services, information and skills, acting as an advocate where appropriate.
• Identify and evaluate service provision and support networks for individuals, families and groups within the local area.
• Identify individuals, families and groups who are at risk and in need of further support.
• Develop and sustain relationships with groups and individuals with the aim of improving health and social well-being.
• Undertake screening of individuals and populations and respond appropriately to findings.

Communication

• To develop the knowledge and skills that are essential to enable the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing student to:
• Communicate complex information to children, parents, guardians, patients, carers, colleagues and other professionals acknowledging barriers to understanding.
• Communicate condition related information to clients and relatives that requires empathy and reassurance for example issues relating to child abuse and mental health issues where there could be emotive or hostile issues.
• Have the knowledge and clinical skills for assessing and interpreting any acute or other client focused problems giving advice and planning any further actions as required.
• Utilise problem solving and analytical skills used to assess clients with complex assessments that also require interpretation and comparison to offer clients choice and ownership of care.

Leadership

• To develop the knowledge and skills that are essential to enable the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing student to:
• Lead and manage projects to improve the health and well-being of a defined population.
• Develop the knowledge and skills required to support change Management.
• Develop the knowledge and skills required to manage teams, individuals and resources ethically and effectively.

Clinical Governance / Quality

• Students must adhere to the sponsoring/seconding organisation policies and procedures and the University regulations.
• Standards:
• Maintain professional accountability in all matters relating to client care.
• Participate in the development of service standards.
• Maintain knowledge on and participate when possible in quality initiatives including benchmarking and audit.
• Develop, sustain and evaluate collaborative work.
• Collect and structure data and information on the health and well-being and related needs of a defined population.
• Analyse, interpret and communicate data and information on the health, well-being and related needs of a defined population.

Education, Training and Development

• Students must undertake all theoretical and practice components of the programme within the given timeframe.
• To undertake mandatory training as per requirements.

Professional Responsibility

• The post holder must maintain patient records according to NMC guidelines.
• Be aware of and act in accordance with the NMC Code Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for Nurses and Midwives.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions.

Work Circumstances

37.5 hours Monday to Friday

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse or Midwife
• Level 2 Maths/English (GCSE grade C/4 or above)
• Meet University academic requirements for entry
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development Level 6/7

Experience

• Previous experience of working with children and families.
• Demonstrate knowledge of Child Protection procedures
• Experience of working in a community setting

Skills

• Competent IT Skills
• Ability to work in partnership with other agencies.
• Ability to prioritise and plan own workload.
• Aptitude to work cohesively within a team

Knowledge

• Understanding of the role applied for
• Sound knowledge of health policy relating to Primary and Community Care

Additional

• Able to travel across Trust independently
• Be able to adapt to student role/status

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.