An exciting fixed term opportunity has arisen for a band 7 Community Psychiatric Nurse to work 3 days a week in the Richmond Community Older Peoples Service in the Memory Assessment Service for one year. This is an opportunity to be part of a dynamic multi-disciplinary team that assesses all referrals for old age adults with mental health needs and resident in the borough of Richmond.

This post will entail working as part of a well-established Multidisciplinary Team. The post holder will be required to offer support to patients in the MAS service, carrying out initial assessments and monitoring their response to prescribed dementia medication. Part of the role will be liaising with family and carers, other stakeholders such as GP's, local Authority, and other voluntary organisations to develop good relationships. The post holder will develop skills in assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation, and caseload management and know to appropriately feedback information to the MDT. They will liaise with GPs regarding initiating/increasing dementia medication and carry out discharges for patients who have completed their treatment with the service. They will act as the lead for the MAS team, overseeing and monitoring key performance indicators and will hold some deputizing responsibilities for the team manager.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for an enthusiastic, positive, motivated, and highly committed individual with good communication skills, who can work with us to support the work of this vibrant team. We encourage applicants who are keen to develop their skills in assessment, monitoring and caseload management and who enjoy working autonomously but with the support of the team. You will work with a Recovery Model and be fully involved in MDT discussions.

The postholder will work closely with the team of doctors and be involved in carrying out initial assessments for patients and discussing diagnosis. They will also support to assess/determine what the individual's mental health needs are and identify potential risks to inform their care plan and develop a collaborative response to needs. They will liaise with GPs around initiating dementia medication. They will support and supervise junior staff to follow up to ensure patients are stable on their prescribed medication and carry out discharges in collaboration with the MDT.

They will act autonomously to identify and raise concerns including urgent/emergency situations and escalating to the Team Manager or Consultant as appropriate.

Have a weekly allocation of patients and carry out their initial assessments.

Demonstrate the skills to professionally communicate complex information to users and carers regarding bio-psychosocial problems in an empathetic and supportive way.

About us

We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety ofbenefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide a specialist service with a responsibility to assess those referred to the service

Act as a lead and play a central role within the developing Richmond Memory Assessment Service

Manage referrals into the Memory Assessment Service and prioritise them.

Act as team deputy and provide cover for the Older persons CMHT Manager

Identify appropriate follow up care post assessment and ensure referrals are made to support this

Support patients and families in accepting the diagnosis

The post holder will promote choice and hopefulness and ensure a recovery orientated approach.

The post holder will promote and initiate any actions to safeguard vulnerable adults.

The post holder will be required to teach other nursing and non-nursing staff, both in formal and informal settings. Teaching will also be provided to pre-registration students.

The post holder will be responsible for specific clinical projects and undertake all necessary work to complete these, including facilitating meetings, liaising and/or negotiating with other staff.

The post holder will be expected to participate fully in quality assurance initiatives, with particular emphasis on a patient first approach when required.

The post holder will initiate and participate in audit/research projects associated with the work of the service when required.

Person Specification

Training & Qualification

Essential

• RMN with current NMC registration
• ENB 998 or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing professional and personal development Willing to undertake NMP training

Desirable

• Educated to degree or diploma level nursing or other courses relevant to Older People Services
• Nurse prescriber ( if not then an expectation to undertake the specific course) NMP training

Experience

Essential

• Demonstrable experience of assessing people with memory problems
• Experience of working with people who have experienced serious ongoing mental health problems
• Experience of working in old age psychiatry
• Experience of assessing and managing crisis with those with a dementing illness
• Experience of working as a Clinical Supervisor
• Experience of working in a Community setting
• Experience of implementing and monitoring standards of care
• Experience of supervising junior staff within own and/or other disciplines

Desirable

• Other relevant post registration experience
• Audit and research experience
• Experience of teaching/training in a formal or informal setting

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Specialist knowledge of mental health disorders as well as their relationship to physical disorders
• Report writing skills
• Ability to assess clinical presentations
• Knowledge of anti dementia treatments and efficacy of same
• Knowledge of memory tests associated with memory assessment
• Skills in assessment, care planning and case management
• Risk assessment/management and crisis intervention skills
• Ability to interpret research and apply to practice

Desirable

• Knowledge of basic pharmacology
• Knowledge of physical conditions related to older people.
• Ability to demonstrate use of psychosocial assessment methods
• Research and audit skills

Employer details

Employer name

South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address

Livingston House

2 - 6 Queens Road

Teddington

TW11 0LX

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

294-MHCA-6590328-JB-A