Registered Nurse Associate

Are you a Registered Nurse Associate looking to join an innovative team and drive compassionate patient-centred care?

We are looking for an established or new Registered Nursing Associate to join Rydal Unit, older adult ward.

You will be supported within a multidisciplinary team consisting of occupational therapists, psychiatrists, physiotherapists, activity workers and assistant practitioners.

We provide a range of training and educational opportunities, clinical supervision and peer group support.

This post is subject to an enhanced check with adults barred list Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check.

Main duties of the job

The role of the Nursing Associate is to work with the multi-professional team and the Registered Nurse to assess, plan, organise and deliver clinical care in line with service and patient needs, as agreed with supervising clinicians.

The Nursing Associate has a breadth of knowledge across the lifespan and across the fields of nursing, providing holistic and person-centred care and support for people of all ages and in a variety of settings. The Nursing Associate works independently under the leadership of registered nurses, working within the sphere of nursing care and within all aspects of the nursing process (Health Education England 2018).

Nursing Associates are accountable professionals who are equipped with the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and behaviours relevant to employment as a Nursing Associate and will work to a nationally recognised Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of conduct. They must meet the NMC standards of proficiency and recognise and work within the limits of their competency.

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 costs as we do so.

Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.

Job responsibilities

Key responsibilities:

1. Deliver high quality, person-centred care under the direction of a Registered Nurse or other registered care professional, dependent on setting.
2. Have proficient attitudes and behaviours compatible with NHS Values.
3. Work as part of a designated clinical and care team delivering care that focuses directly on the needs of the person.
4. Carry out specific delegated clinical and care tasks and responsibilities to a high standard and competency, under the direction and supervision of a Registered Nurse or other registered care professional.
5. Where appropriate work without direct supervision, at times delivering care independently in line with the individuals defined plan of care, within designated parameters of practice of the Nursing Associate role, accessing clinical and care advice when needed.
6. Continue to develop and improve practical and theoretical knowledge, competence and skills whilst in clinical practice and maintain all evidence required.
7. Contribute towards developing a culture of learning and innovation, developing high quality learning environments.

Duties and responsibilities:

Clinical

1. Work as part of a designated clinical and care team delivering care that focuses on the direct needs of the individual and their family.
2. Holistically support people to improve and maintain their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing, promoting health and preventing ill health.
3. Develop understanding of all elements of the nursing process and be able to assist the registered nurse in the ongoing assessment, planning, management and evaluation of care.
4. To recognise changes in a patients condition which require the intervention of others and understand when to refer to the supervising registered nurse and other senior colleagues for reassessment of patient care.
5. To work in collaboration with others to ensure the safe and timely discharge of patients with the aim of avoiding readmission.
6. To perform procedures as detailed within the NMC Standards for proficiency for Nurse Associate (2018) to meet the nursing needs of the patients in their care.
7. To ensure that high standards of nursing care are delivered and maintained.
8. To act and raise concerns when standards are not being maintained following local policy and procedures.
9. To act as an advocate for the patient and the family, including promoting and protecting their interests, privacy and rights, equality and inclusion.
10. To be involved in Trust Initiatives to improve patient safety and care.
11. Have demonstrated the proficiency to administer medications and undertake annual medicines management training, highlighting as appropriate any areas for personal development.
12. To be aware of and adhere to Trust Policies relating to the control and administration of medication.
13. To ensure that high standards of nursing care are given and maintained and to act when standards are not being maintained.
14. To work within the NMC code of professional practice, and within policies, procedures and guidelines of the Trust.
15. To be flexible to work within areas or departments to meet the demands of changing service needs.
16. Recognise and work within the limits of their competence highlighting as appropriate any areas for personal development.

Managerial

1. To communicate with the team leader/nurse in charge and collect data in order to participate in the smooth running and organisation of the department.
2. To support junior and senior colleagues in their roles and be resilient to manage change.
3. To support the team leader/nurse in charge in risk assessment and minimisation, ensuring incidents and near misses are reported appropriately.
4. To manage verbal complaints, inform team leader/nurse in charge and refer on when unable to resolve.
5. To participate in the investigation of incidents/complaints as required.
6. To establish and maintain effective communication, both verbal and written in every context/setting.
7. To recognise, prevent where possible, and manage areas of conflict, reporting to team leader/nurse in charge if unable to resolve.
8. To participate in staff meetings regularly.
9. To provide support and supervision to health care support workers to promote their learning and development within role.
10. To receive delegated duties from the supervising Registered Nurse and senior colleagues, accepting those that fall within their individual competency level, adhering to the NMC Delegation and Accountability document (NMC Code 2018).

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Foundation Degree in Nursing Associate practice
• Current NMC Registration

Knowledge/Experience

• Previous experience of working within a healthcare setting
• Experience of working in teams under appropriate supervision as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Insight into how to evaluate own strengths and development needs, seeking advice where appropriate
• Experience of providing and receiving complex, sensitive information
• Breadth of person-centred nursing knowledge
• Understanding of the scope of the role of the Nursing Associate in context of the nursing and interdisciplinary team and the organisation, and how the role may contribute to service development
• Understands and acts in line with NMC professional standards for practice contained within The Code.
• Knowledge of when to seek advice and escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice
• Understand requirements for NMC professional Revalidation
• Understanding of the importance of following procedures and treatment plans

Values

• Accountability
• Support
• High professional standards
• Responsive to service users
• Engaging leadership style
• Transparency and honesty
• Discreet
• Change oriented

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• IT skills appropriate to the role
• Ability to work well in a team
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload
• Able to recognise own limitations in the context of the Nursing Associate role
• Ability to participate in reflective practice and clinical supervision activities.

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.

Rydal Unit, Knowsley Resource and Recovery Centre