Job overview
This will be an exciting role which will lead on running the Clozapine Clinic and Depot Clinics on behalf of the South Westminster Hub and holding a small caseload of stable depot patients with a view to facilitate their transfer back to primary care. This member of staff will also be the nominated Physical Health lead for the team, working with others in the team to ensure all patients have had their yearly physical health checks and follow up interventions.
VaccinationÂ
The successful applicant may have contact with patients or service users and we will therefore be seeking proof of vaccination or medical exemption during the recruitment process. As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.
Main duties of the job
This person will be a qualified mental health nurse with extensive post registration experience. The successful applicant should have a keen interest in supporting the physical health of patients with mental illness and will be supported, if interested, to complete their non-medical prescribing qualifications
Working for our organisation
This role will be based in the South Westminster Mental Health Hub. This is a friendly team with a real community spirit. The office is based near Victoria with excellent transport links to the city.Â
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
South Westminster Clozapine and Depot Clinics Lead
 To safely and effectively carry out the operation of the Clozapine Clinic for South Westminster two days per week, including the use of POCHI blood testing system.
To ensure the delivery of a service within the Clozapine Clinic which adheres to the Clozapine and
POCHI operational policies and is in line with evidence-based practice.
 To prioritise time and workload, in a flexible manner to meet clozapine clinic and community
caseload responsibilities.
To be trained up to take bloods from patients when required
To liaise with identified Care Coordinators/Responsible Clinicians for service users who attend the Clozapine Clinic as required.
To offer in-house training in POCHI operation as required.
To attend and contribute to Trust wide Clozapine development meetings.
To assess and review health and social care needs (Referring/Sign posting to relevant team for more complex issues including accommodation, finances, and support in accessing education, training or employment) and negotiate care plans with service users and their carers.
To participate in relevant meetings and effectively develop personal skills knowledge and experience through supervision and training.
Depot Lead
To lead and participate in the running of the weekly depot clinic, communicating any issues or concerns about depot patients with the relevant members of staff in the team
Work closely with the team pharmacy lead in liaising with GP colleagues to agree the transfer of medication or the transfer of patients back to primary care. Support primary care staff to feel comfortable with the use of the depot medications
Work to develop a speciality in depot administration sharing knowledge of this to upskill other nurses in the team
Deliver training to other staff and students on the delivery of depots.
 Develop a process to ensure patients under depot-only provision are accessing medical reviews when required
Stocktake medication usage to ensure all medications are ordered and available. Ensure medications are used within their use-by dates to minimise medication wastage. Ensure medication orders are
paused or cancelled when no longer requiredÂ
Manage the live depot spreadsheet to ensure depots are given to service users in the team on time
General
To be responsible for managing the care of patients allocated to the depot and clozapine clinics
To participate in relevant meetings and effectively develop personal skills knowledge and experience through supervision and training.
To undertake risk assessments, according to Trust policy.
To engage with service users within the clinic setting, to assess mental state, physical health, monitor treatment, support concordance and ensure prompt action is taken to alleviate unwanted effects of prescribed medication.
 To assess physical health and deliver interventions to promote optimal physical wellbeing (i.e. smoking, weight and lifestyle issues).
To help clients gain fair and equal access to services, through choice and social inclusion and being sensitive to age, culture, ethnicity and gender, sexuality and disability.
To ensure delivery of care plans in partnership with multi-disciplinary colleagues and a range of health and social care agencies.
To ensure CNWL Child Protection Guidelines and Safeguarding Children and Adult procedures are fully understood by self and others. To ensure the safety needs of children and adults are met at all
times and take appropriate action when a child or adult is felt to be at risk or in need.
To provide interventions and to work with other disciplines/agencies/teams in the care of service users experiencing co-morbid problems with substance use/misuse.
To ensure a coordinated response for people presenting to the clinic in crisis
To deliver a flexible and responsive service through working practices that are dictated by service user/carer need and contribute to the provision of service continuity including outside normal working hours when necessary.
 To support the safe step down of patients not currently requiring mental health services, with a focus on enabling GP practices to provide effective, continuing care and to ensure access to support in terms wider social and social inclusion/self-management needs.Â
To maintain standards of professional conduct at all times and observe the legal requirements of the MHA (1983), its Code of Practice, The Children Act (1989) The Mental Capacity Act (2005), Care Act (2014) and other relevant legislation and guidance.Â
COMMUNICATION
To use excellent communication skills and to develop and maintain therapeutic relationships with service users and their families and carers who may at times be in situations of emotional distress.
To be aware of how your verbal and non-verbal communication can be interpreted by others and ensure a polite approach is maintained at all times.
To develop and maintain effective working relationships and networks with colleagues within mental health services, primary care, voluntary agencies and other partner agencies to ensure well – co-ordinated care.
To actively participate in Inpatient and Community team meetings and clinical reviews, as required, to help promote team cohesiveness, multidisciplinary working and collaboration with colleagues in all parts of the Trust.
To use these forums to problem-solve and identify risk and concerns with the team and ensure agreed decisions are implemented and documented.
To ensure that views of all service users are effectively sought, channelled and acted upon, including the efficient processing of complaints or untoward incidents in accordance with the Trust policy.
To maintain accurate and up-to-date records utilising electronic media as necessary, and ensuring any hand written documentation is legible and in accordance with professional guidelines and best practice.
To maintain statistical information records required by the Trust for reporting on Performance Management.
To complete agreed audit and evaluation measures and provide and collate information relevant to performance management as requested.
TRAINING
To participate actively in clinical supervision, as well as in management supervision and annual appraisal with line manager, and to pursue further professional development and training appropriate to the age range covered by the team, according to a Personal Development PlanÂ
To maintain up to date knowledge through networking, training and reading, and to comply with professional requirements for the maintenance of professional registration.
To participate in and contribute to induction and training within the team, act as mentor or supervisor to students and junior staff, and to support the development of a working environment conducive to
learning.Â
Seek appropriate opportunities to contribute to mental health education within the community.
Attend conferences and workshops associated with mental health and psychiatry or related topics and keep abreast of developments by reading professional journals etc.Â
Person specification
Education and Qualifications
Essential criteria
Current Professional Qualification in mental health nursing Registration must be live with professional body NMC Evidence of post registration training and CPD.
Desirable criteria
Other relevant training, e.g. substance misuse
Clozapine/Potchi trained
Trained or willing to train in taking bloods and reading blood results
Experience
Essential criteria
Extensive post-registration experience
Experience of working in multidisciplinary mental health team with clients with acute/severe and enduring mental health problems
Desirable criteria
Work with clients with acute/severe and enduring mental health problems who are homeless/rootless
Work with people experiencing mental health crisis.
Supervision of students and junior staff.
Audit and research; Teaching; Working with people who use substances
Skills and knowledge
Essential criteria
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including report writing and presentations / IT skills.
Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a comprehensive care package for the identified client group, using a wide range of resources.
Able to develop a comprehensive programme of intervention and support for the identified client group and their families
Skills in risk assessment and management.
Can demonstrate understanding of psychosis and its impact on service users and carers.
Knowledge of current legislation and guidance applicable to this client group.
Can demonstrate understanding of the needs of diverse groups, e.g. residents of inner city; black and minority ethnic groups, and skills in engaging with them.
Skills in psychosocial interventions.
Able to build constructive relationships with clients and carers using warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.
Desirable criteria
Skills in leadership: ability to motivate others, use initiative and manage change.
Basic counselling and group work skills.
Dual diagnosis/substance misuse
Other
Essential criteria
Sickness/attendance record that is acceptable to the Trust.
Declared medically fit by the Occupational Health dept. to perform the duties of the post.
The post-holder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.
CNWL NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding all children and vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We follow safe recruitment practices to protect children and vulnerable adults.
Due to the high response levels we receive for some vacancies, we may expire any of them prior to the advertised closing date and advise you to submit your application as soon as possible.Â
Our Agenda for Change employment contracts are subject to a contractual 13 week probationary period.
