Community Staff Nurse - Rapid Response

Main area: Community Health Services

Grade Band: 5

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full time

• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Full/Part Time shift working to cover service needs from 8am to 11pm including weekend working.)

Job ref: 448-LCA-7087067

Employer: Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust

Employer type: NHS

Site: Units 2-3 The Poynt, Town: Luton

Salary: £29,970 - £36,483 per annum, pro-rata

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 06/04/2025 23:59

Interview date: 15/04/2025

Community Staff Nurse - Rapid Response

Band 5

Driven by our Trust values: Honesty, Empathy, Ambition, Respect; the Trust's vision is to provide high quality care to the diverse communities we serve to make their lives better.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Our cultural diversity, long term conditions and disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ staff networks are a key part of this commitment, creating positive change and helping build an inclusive culture across the Trust.

Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed - our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

Options for flexible working are considered for all roles within CCS, including job share opportunities, compressed hours, annualised hours, tailored working patterns and more. If you are interested in flexible working, please talk to the recruiting manager for this vacancy.

Job overview

We are expanding our Rapid Response Community Nursing Team to meet the new Urgent Community Response (UCR) and Virtual Ward requirements. This brings an exciting opportunity for experienced and skilled Registered Nurses to join the team.

The Rapid Response Team is an established and successful team that provides high quality nursing care to the people of Luton to enable them to maximize their health status, minimize the effects of ill health and disability, and to lead as independent a life as possible.

We take referrals from GPs, Paramedics, local Hospitals, and Specialist Community teams for patients experiencing an acute health crisis. We aim to avoid unnecessary hospital admissions by assessing patients, developing care plans and liaising with other services as needed. We implement existing pathways such as IV therapy, cellulitis, COPD, chest infection and heart failure to provide evidence-based care.

Virtual wards are a national initiative that will support patients who would otherwise be in a hospital setting to remain in their own home environment. This will be supported with the use of digital technology, monitoring, supporting the setting up of equipment and providing patient care and the treatment they need. It is expected that patients will move between UCR and virtual ward pathways.

Main duties of the job

• To support the provision of Community Nursing care within the Rapid Response Team, providing scheduled and unscheduled care to the housebound population of Luton.
• To assist in the assessment, planning and implementation of holistic care provision.
• To work with the MDT to prevent avoidable hospital admissions.
• Full/Part Time shift working to cover service needs from 8am to 11pm including weekend working.

Working for our organisation

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• To ensure at all times patients are treated with care and compassion.
• To support the Senior Nurse in organisation and coordination of the overall care to meet clients’ care needs, which may be complex involving other professionals and agencies in an integrated and co-ordinated way.
• To accept responsibility for those patients whose care has been delegated to them by the Community Nursing Sister or Senior Nurse and ensure continuity of the nursing care by ongoing assessment.
• Escalate risk as appropriate.
• To deputise for the Community Nursing Sister in their absence as required.
• Assess and prioritise unscheduled requests for nursing intervention and allocate to the appropriately skilled clinician as appropriate.
• To refer patients to other services/agencies as appropriate.
• To organise own work as delegated by the Senior Nurse.
• Delegate work to junior staff and learners as required.
• To assist in the planning and co-ordination of duty, covering annual leave, sickness and study leave under supervision of a Senior Clinician.
• To assist in the assessment and implementation of care interventions to meet identified health needs of individuals, families and communities.
• Maintain associated records.
• To provide mentorship to pre- and post-registration nursing students.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Current NMC registration
• (Degree / Diploma)
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Willingness to undertake additional training in line with service development.
• Palliative Care training including end of life
• IV Administration / Central line training

Experience

• Nursing patients with a wide range of conditions including terminal illness and physical disabilities
• Ability to organise/prioritise workload
• Ability to work unsupervised
• Awareness of requirement to report to Senior Nurse
• NMC Code of Conduct and Implication on Practice
• Knowledge of research-based practice
• Basic I.T skills, Microsoft Office, Word.
• Community Nursing Experience and lone working
• Experience of working within a diverse population
• Clinical supervision
• Knowledge of current national guidance relating to community nursing

Knowledge and Skills

• Clear written and verbal skills
• Organisational skills
• Ability to prioritise workload
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Ability to problem solve
• Catheter Care competencies
• Wound care competencies
• Diabetic care competencies
• IV Therapy
• Palliative Care
• Cannulation
• ECG recording

On April 1st 2025, the Boards of Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Norfolk Community Health and Care NHS Trust will come together to deliver services as a group, with a singular board operating across both organisations. Both trusts are high performing specialist community health and care providers working in the East of England.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.