Physical Health Clinic Nurse - Clozapine

Are you an experienced registered mental health or general nurse with a passion to improve the physical health of individuals with a mental illness?

Are you looking to further develop your skills and progress or gain experience at a senior band?

We are looking to recruit a senior nurse with a genuine interest in physical health working with service users within the mental health service. The successful candidate will be self-motivated and able to work in a fast-paced environment. Additionally, you will be able to work autonomously and as part of a well-established team within the health and well-being clinics. Previous experience of working with service users prescribed Clozapine is desirable and an ability to act as a senior clinician within the Clozapine clinics.

Main duties of the job

The role will require the oversight and management of a very busy clinic, providing monitoring for the physical health of patients being prescribed Clozapine. There will also be times where you are required to carry out home visits, so access to transport to complete duties of the role is essential.

Extensive knowledge of running a clinic and managing Clozapine medication is required, alongside physical health monitoring such as ECGs, Venepuncture, Pochi Machine operation, and escalation of physical health concerns to the appropriate teams.

This is a very busy area and part of a growing team.

About us

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 1.4 million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales, and the Midlands.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction, and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable, and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job responsibilities

1. To coordinate the physical care of service users titrated and maintained on Clozapine and Lithium.
2. To manage blood results and actions needed when results are outside normal parameters by following policy and national guidance.
3. To escalate concerns around service users' physical health to the MDT and primary care services if needed.
4. To offer ECGs and Venepuncture to all service users using the clinic or referred into the clinic using the policy guidance.
5. To ensure that the service users' physical health care plan is developed to meet the assessed need of the individual and that other staff are delivering care as laid down in the care plan.
6. To ensure that all relevant information with regards to a service users' care and treatment is documented accurately and legibly into the health record.
7. To supervise and monitor the entries made by junior team members, through performance management and audit.
8. To liaise with significant others when completing the assessment and treatment of care to the service user.
9. To direct other staff in order to ensure delivery of a high standard of physical care to service users.
10. To participate in setting physical health standards for care based on sound evidence-based and research findings.
11. To participate in the systematic monitoring and evaluation of service users that you have responsibility for with guidance from a supervisor.
12. To communicate with other members of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure the communication of any relevant information that has an impact on the service users' physical care.
13. To use verbal and non-verbal communication skills gained through training or experience to impart sensitive information.
14. To check understanding of information where there are often barriers to effective communication due to distress, psychiatric symptoms, or where English is not the first language.
15. To use skills gained through training and experience to give and receive information to other individuals with regards to a service users' care in the reviews and multi-disciplinary meetings. These individuals may be external to the Trust.
16. To provide and co-ordinate the provision of a range of therapeutic activities for service users and monitor their effectiveness.
17. To take responsibility for the safe administration of medication to service users ensuring that the Trust policies and procedures and the Nursing & Midwifery Councils regulations are adhered to.
18. To ensure that all relevant information with regards to a service users' care and treatment is documented accurately and legibly into the health record.
19. To supervise and monitor the entries made by unqualified staff.
20. To, under the guidance of a supervisor, provide reports both in written and verbal formats as requested e.g., for a service user multi-disciplinary team meeting or CPA review.
21. To contribute to teaching sessions in order to pass on knowledge and skills.
22. To ensure that all incidents or near misses are documented as per Trust policy and that any follow-up action is taken.
23. To actively participate in service user reviews ensuring that service user needs are met and that the team has all the relevant information on which to base their clinical decisions.
24. To develop care plans that enable service users to reach and maintain their optimum level of health and wellbeing to help them to obtain their optimum health.
25. To react pro-actively in cases of service user physical health crisis and put in place immediate plans to resolve the situation with supervision and guidance as appropriate.
26. To assist in the assessment and supervision of nursing and other students.
27. To assess and monitor the physical health of service users, seeking advice and support from medical staff as appropriate.
28. To actively participate in team meetings in order to positively influence team working and the development of research-based practice.
29. To participate in the induction of new staff.
30. To maintain safe custody of medicines, sharps, and other clinical equipment.
31. To manage own time and workload, prioritising work appropriately.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse.
• Degree Level - or a commitment to work towards.
• Supervision of junior staff.
• Phlebotomy training.
• Diabetes Care.
• Previous experience of working with service users on Clozapine.

Knowledge/Experience

• Significant experience of working in a clinical area providing physical health care and assessment.
• Demonstrable experience of working with people who experience serious ongoing mental health problems.
• Knowledge and experience of Clozapine, effects, side effects, and patient management.
• Knowledge of Cardio Metabolic risks in clients with Severe and Enduring mental health conditions. LESTER Tool and NHS Plan.
• Knowledge of substance misuse and associated risks.

Values

• Accountability.
• Responsive to service users.
• Engaging leadership style.
• Transparency and honesty.
• Discreet.

Skills

• Able to communicate effectively both verbally and non-verbally.
• Possess excellent listening and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge of clinical risk and Health & Safety Management.
• Demonstrate knowledge in the concepts of mentorship, preceptorship, and supervision and ability to provide education and supervision to qualified and unqualified staff.
• Demonstrate a good knowledge of The Code; it's the nurses' responsibility to identify gaps in their knowledge base.
• Excellent time management and organizational skills.
• Compassionate and motivated about the needs of mental health clients.
• Knowledge of Substance Misuse Nursing interventions.

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.