Clinical Charge Nurse

Permanent- Full Time - 37.5 hours per week

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a substantive post of a Clinical Charge Nurse (Band 6) in our Acute and Crisis directorate.

Vacancies exist in Avery Ward (female), Shrewsbury Ward (male), and Millbrook Ward (mixed gender) at Oxleas House, Woodlands unit and Green Parks House. All wards are approximately 20 beds and care for adults (18-65) in crisis requiring psychological and pharmaceutical interventions.

We welcome applications from staff that are already on the NMC register with relevant experience. You will be part of a MDT involved in the delivery of care and therapy for our patients. You need to be a passionate role model in delivering care and keen to develop and build on your management and leadership skills.

You will support the ward manager to lead the management of clinical and risk issues on the ward, emphasising relational security within the unit, such as providing patient choice, collaboration and transparency with a trauma informed care approach.

The post operates on a shift rota system, including weekends and night work, this is inclusive of the duty senior nurse role.

Please note that Oxleas operates a probationary period.

Main duties of the job

As a Clinical Charge Nurse you will promote and develop clinical leadership and clinical practice and be a positive role model to junior members of the team through the practice of evidence-based care.

You will be expected to support professional development through clinical appraisal and supervision and contribute to the ongoing educational programme for staff, fostering a positive learning environment.

Your professional and personal development will include further postgraduate study and you will be encouraged and supported by your line manager to undertake Master's programmes.

Job responsibilities

• Leading and supporting junior staff to deliver person centred care.
• Formulating and documenting a plan of nursing care where possible in partnership with Service Users, carers, family, and friends including personal choices/likes/dislikes/wishes.
• Evaluating and documenting the outcomes of nursing interventions. Personal care (bathing, dressing, and grooming).
• Nutrition and hydration (monitor and ensure adequate intake).
• Emotional and social support.
• Leading and supporting junior staff to promote recovery.
• Engaging with activities of their interest.
• Leading and supporting junior staff to risk assess and risk manage.
• Undertaking individual risk assessments as per Trust policy.
• Engaging in 1-1 sessions, listening, responding, and reporting.
• Prevention and management of aggression and violence including providing hands on care to prevent injury to self and others using approved technique such as PSTS/PMVA after undertaking appropriate training, assessment and deemed competent.
• Recognising service user health deterioration and taking action - monitoring physical health, checking vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, temperature, saturation, blood glucose, Glasgow coma scale.
• Knowledge of the Early Warning Signs (MEWS/NEWS).
• Reporting incidents as per Trust policy.
• Safe use of medical devices.
• Implementing safe and therapeutic observations policy levels.
• Safe transfer of individuals.
• Resuscitation procedure: ABLS/ILS after undertaking appropriate training, assessment and deemed competent.
• Coordinate junior staff and oversee the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient and service including relevant legislative or required documentation are completed.
• Leading on safeguarding and duty of candour procedures ensuring that own practice and that of junior staff remains within legal, ethical, and professional parameters and is open to scrutiny from peers.

Person Specification

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication and written skills
• Understanding and being able to identify the deteriorating patient in a compassionate and professional way
• Be willing to undertake group activities with patients to support a therapeutic and patient focused recovery
• Self-aware, self-confident and intrinsically motivated to do a good job and to motivate others
• Lead on physical health
• Lead on emergencies

Education and Qualification

• Registered Mental Health Nurse and/or Registered Learning Disabilities Nurse Mentorship qualification
• Mentorship Training or practice assessor
• Leadership Training

Experience and Knowledge

• Experience in working within a mental health setting with adults with acute mental illness
• Experience of medication management
• Experience of being in charge of a ward environment
• Experience of supervising and training junior staff and student nurses
• Experience of implementing quality improvement projects and sound knowledge of QI methodology
• Experience of patient flow systems

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.