Staff nurse- Mental health

NHS; London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 44,000; Full time

Job description

Job summary

This is an exciting new post within the Whittington Hospital Paediatric Department, which aims to provide high quality care to children and young people who present to our hospital with emotional/mental health needs and risks.

The post will ensure that excellent safe emotional/mental health care and support occurs during any young person's stay in our acute paediatric environment. There are excellent opportunities to develop core skills in both physical and mental health care. The role will be supported both within the Paediatric and Paediatric Mental Health Team at the hospital.

Main duties of the job

1. To engage with our patients in mental health crisis in our Emergency Department and on our acute paediatric ward (Ifor) to co-create care plans, safety plans (with assistance of the Paediatric Mental Health Team-PMHT) and engage with them to stay safe and work towards their admission goals.
2. To promote the physical and psychological well-being of our patients during their admission.
3. To oversee the patient's mental state and risk during their admission.
4. To support the acute paediatric ward in the daily management of environmental needs relevant to paediatric MH admissions.
5. To work closely with both the General Paediatric Team and the Paediatric Mental Health Team.
6. This post offers a range of clinical, therapeutic and managerial experience. There is scope for professional development and preparation for advancement. At times the environment can be challenging, due to acuity of mental health and social care needs.
7. De-escalation skills and the ability to maintain professionalism and compassion in acute settings is essential in this role.

Please see Job Description for full outline of the role

About us

Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Date posted

11 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£35,964 to £43,780 a year per annum inclusive of HCAS

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

1 year

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

220-WHT-3011-A

Job locations

Ifor ward

Whittington Health, Magdala Avenue

London

N19 5NF

Job description Job responsibilities

Managerial Responsibilities

• To manage the allocated young people admitted with mental health needs on a shift-by-shift basis with the support of the general paediatric nurse in charge and guidance from the Paediatric Mental Health Team and/or Out of Hours Psychiatry Team.
• To remain updated in the administrative requirements and needs of the patients detained under the Mental health Act. Also, to observe and understand the essential elements in the working of the Children Act 1989.
• To be aware of the Whittington Health Trust Disciplinary and Appeals Procedures.
• To keep abreast of developments and research in mental health nursing and relate research findings to practice.

Additional Duties:

The role will also entail supporting wider Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services(CAMHS) in the Whittington Health NHS Trust such as Simmons House Adolescent Unit, which is an Inpatient Psychiatric Unit for a maximum of 12 Adolescents aged 13-17. This would mean participating fully in the expected role as an RMN in an inpatient unit, under the supervision of the Clinical Charge Nurse or Senior Staff Nurse. The role and duties in this environment are closely related to the role on the Paediatric Ward, but in addition may involve:

• Shift Leading
• Participating in the therapeutic work provided for the patients such as group work.
• Medication Administration
• Supporting the organisation of admission, transfer, and discharge of patients.

Other services where there will be opportunities to work and broaden your skills based will include Islington CAMHS.

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITIES

- To accept regular supervision from a named supervisor.

- To accept periodic clinical and professional refreshment.

- To offer supervision to named junior staff.

- To undertake roles and responsibilities as outlined in the Knowledge and Skills Framework.

Person Specification

Qualifications Essential

• Registered mental health nurse
• Band 5

Desirable

• Six month post qualification mental health work

Skills Essential

• Experience with working with seriously mentally ill clients during acute phases of illness.

Desirable

• Clear practical and theoretical knowledge of the Mental Health Act, the Mental Capacity Act and The Children Act.

Knowledge Essential

• Experience of teaching and supervision of junior staff.

Desirable

• Demonstrates a sound knowledge and some experience in assessing/planning care within a CAMHS setting.

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address: Ifor ward, Whittington Health, Magdala Avenue, London, N19 5NF

Employer's website: Whittington NHS Trust