Specialist Learning Disability Nurse | Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Manchester is seeking an experienced Specialist Learning Disability Nurse to enhance the mental health and quality of life for children and young people within the community. This role involves delivering specialist assessments, providing training for staff, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to implement effective interventions. Strong skills in working with learning disabilities and autism are essential. This position offers a supportive environment with opportunities for professional development and training for nursing students.

Qualifications

• Experience in working with children and young people with learning disabilities.
• Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary settings.
• Understanding of evidence-based practices in mental health.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialist assessments and intervention plans for young people.
• Train and consult with staff from various agencies.
• Participate in team development and service improvement initiatives.

Skills

Specialist assessments and interventions

Training and consultation delivery

Collaboration with multidisciplinary teams

Knowledge of autism and learning disabilities

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Specialist Learning Disability Nurse to join our Community Learning Disability and Autism Team within CAMHS. We are a friendly, innovative team comprised of Specialist Learning Disability Nurses, Clinical Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and Clinical Support Workers.

The postholder will provide individual and group-based interventions around emotional well‑being, distress and distress‑related behaviours, and other behaviours of concern. Working from a neuro‑affirmative perspective, they will support children, young people and families to improve quality of life and mental health outcomes. The postholder will be trained in Riding the Rapids, a group‑based intervention for parents, and will be supported to implement Positive Support Plans with families.

Interventions take place in a variety of settings, including CAMHS bases, family homes, schools and the community. The postholder will work collaboratively with families and other agencies, during assessment and intervention, and in attendance at multi‑agency meetings. There are opportunities to deliver training and contribute to service improvement at a team, locality and organisational level.

There is a robust nurse‑led supervision structure in place, and we offer regular training placements for nurses and trainee psychologists and speech and language therapists.

Key Responsibilities

• To provide specialist assessments, formulations and intervention plans relating to behaviour and mental health of young people with severe learning disabilities and/or a diagnosis of autism.
• To provide training, advice and consultation to staff from health and other agencies.
• To contribute to the continuing development of the Specialist Community Service for Learning Disabilities and Autism.
• To contribute to the continuing development of the Positive Behaviour Support pathways in MFT.
• To receive regular clinical professional supervision from a senior clinician.
• To provide case‑based supervision to junior staff and nursing students.
• To provide advice, consultation and training to staff working with children and adolescents with severe learning disabilities and/or autistic young people across a range of agencies and settings where appropriate.
• To adhere to national and local Professional and Clinical Guidelines.
• To utilise evidence‑based literature, evaluation and research to support effective practice.
• To represent a professional view point in relation to nationally accepted good practice and to ensure a high level of ethical standards and professional conduct.

About MFT

MFT is one of the largest NHS Trusts in England with a turnover of over £3bn and is on a different scale than most other NHS Trusts. We’re creating an exceptional integrated health & social care system for the 1 million patients who rely on our services every year. Bringing together 10 hospitals & community services from across Manchester, Trafford & beyond, we champion collaborative working & transformation, encouraging our 30,000 workforce to pursue their most ambitious goals. We set standards that other Trusts seek to emulate so you’ll benefit from a scale of opportunity that is nothing short of extraordinary. We’ve also created a digitally enabled organisation to improve clinical quality, patient & staff experience, operational effectiveness & driving research, and innovation through the introduction of Hive; our Electronic Patient Record system which launched in September 2022. We’re proud to be a major academic Research Centre & Education provider, providing you with a robust infrastructure to encourage and facilitate high‑quality research programmes. We’re excited to be embarking on our Green Plan which sets out how MFT continues to play its part in making healthcare more sustainable. At MFT, we create and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, provide equal opportunities for career development that are fair, open, and transparent, protecting your health and wellbeing and shaping the future of our organisation together.

Attachments

To find out more about the key responsibilities and the specific skills and experience you’ll need, take a look at the Job Description & Person Specification attachments under the ‘Supporting Documents’ heading. The Candidate Essentials Guide sits with the Job Description and Person Specification and provides details about the Trust, our benefits and outlines how ‘we care for you as you care for others’.

Diversity Matters

MFT is committed to promoting equality of opportunity, celebrating, and valuing diversity and eliminating any form of unlawful discrimination across our workforce, ensuring our people are truly representative of the communities we serve. All individuals regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are encouraged to apply for this post. As an inclusive employer, we are here to support you. If you have any special requirements to help you with your application, email our team at [e-mail].

We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

This advert closes on Monday 27 Oct 2025.