Job Description Post Title: Directorate: Service Hours: Managerially Accountable to: Professionally Accountable to: Responsible for: Location: Job Purpose: Dimensions: Key Relationships: Specialist Nurse with Responsibility for Acute Liaison Band 7 Operations The post holder will be expected to work flexibly in line with the hours of operation Service Manager / Lead Liaison Nurse Director of Nursing Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Junior qualified members of staff and for the education of students. Based within Royal Surrey County Hospital with access to an SABP Community Service team base. Travel will be required Trust wide. To work collaboratively with health care and multi-agency colleagues to facilitate open and easy access for People with Learning Disabilities to access Royal Surrey County Hospital. Providing highly specialist nursing advice and training to enable the development of services sensitive to and appropriate for the needs of individuals with learning disabilities. To develop and maintain communications between primary and secondary specialist health services. To be responsible for working with providers across the Trust area to improve the experience of People with Learning Disability when using acute services. The post holder will be required to build and maintain professional working relationships with: Primary and Secondary Care, Specialist services, Voluntary Organisations, People who use services, paid and un-paid carers and family services. Page 1 of 6
Principal Duties: 1. Deliver a highly specialist nursing service within Royal Surrey County Hospital. Providing highly specialist advice to acute and community colleagues regarding the needs of people with learning disabilities. 2. Act as a resource and point of contact for all Acute / Primary Health Care Team staff, community learning disability services and other professionals. 3. Demonstrate highly specialist nursing knowledge and skills in areas such as crisis intervention, alternative communication, the assessment and management of people with additional mental health needs, epilepsy, challenging behaviour and other conditions associated with learning disabilities. 4. Be aware of national best practice and enable secondary health services to benchmark practice against nationally recognised standards. 5. Ensure access to acute services for people with learning disabilities reflect local users views, national best practice and local demographic need. Incorporating the philosophy outlined in Valuing People Now and the principles embedded within the overarching structures as set within the Learning Disability Strategy, clinical governance framework and Disability Equality Scheme. 6. Assist in the development of appropriate care pathways, protocols and policies. 7. Facilitate the meeting of individual healthcare needs, for people with complex needs, liaising with primary care and the Community Teams for People with Learning Disabilities (CTPLD), to co-ordinate support on learning disability referrals who may require help to access acute services. 8. Actively assist people with learning disabilities, as well as carers and health and social staff when accessing acute services, outpatients, pre-admission triage and assessment service to establish patient s needs both during and post hospital episode. 9. Support and develop a clinical assessment service linked to the Choose and Book referral screening service. Working in conjunction with primary care liaison and specialist CTPLD, primary and acute healthcare professionals to ensure understanding of individual need and provide accessible information to support healthcare delivery. 10. Actively support the inclusion of people with learning disabilities, within patient support services i.e. Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and carers groups and ensure active participation with the review of hospital services. 11. Participate in appropriate meetings within Royal Surrey i.e. LD steering group, Safeguarding Adults Committee. 12. Ensure that the healthcare needs of people with learning disabilities are communicated to service providers and local Clinical Commissioning Groups. Page 2 of 6
13. Provide routine reports regarding the Choose and Book referral system, liaison activity, reasonable adjustments, including evidence of best practice and highlight any systemic issues that have an adverse impact on the provision of care. 14. Provide support and advice regarding Mental Capacity, Consent, Best Interest and Deprivation of Liberties to the service user, their family / carer and any professionals involved in decision making about their care. 15. Participate in the development and implementation of specialist teaching / training packages which will be delivered to a range of multi-disciplinary audiences. 16. Work in partnership with acute services and other healthcare providers within the Trust boundaries. Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with colleagues, other agencies, people who use service and their families. 17. Ensure that the needs of minority ethnic groups are taken into consideration within local services and future developments 18. Be professionally and legally responsible and accountable for all aspects of clinical work and care. To maintain high standards of care in all areas of practice in accordance with the NMC Code of Conduct and guidelines. 19. Be aware of and implement Safeguarding Child and Adult Policies, Procedures and Legislation. To carry out professional responsibilities under the Mental Health Act 1983 (amended 2007) and other relevant legislation. 20. Have a high level of communication skills, to establish and maintain effective relationships with colleagues, other agencies, people who use service and their families. 21. Provide routine reports to Deputy Director of Nursing within the acute trust to highlight systemic issues within the trust and to alert any potential clinical risk and potential safeguarding concerns. 22. Participate in regular supervision sessions in order to receive support and have time to reflect upon practice. 23. Participate in regular supervision sessions in order to receive support and have time to reflect upon practice. Management a) Undertake performance reviews on an annual basis, as discussed and agreed within supervision and appraisal process, ensuring feedback on performance is given at regular intervals throughout the year. Provide regular clinical mentorship and clinical supervision to the band 6 role within the RSCH b) Promote the principles of Improving Working Lives amongst your team ensuring fairness and equity. Page 3 of 6
c) Communicate effectively with your team on a timely basis ensuring robust systems exist so that staff feel informed. d) Have responsibility for risk management and health and safety in the workplace. General a) To fully participate in the Trust s performance review and personal development planning process on an annual basis. b) Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with line manager as part of the personal development planning process. c) To achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales. d) To contribute positively to the effectiveness and efficiency of the teams in which he/she works. e) To undertake any other duties at the request of the line manager which are commensurate with the service specification outlined by G&WCCG f) To contribute to a healthy and safe working environment by adhering to health and safety regulations and Trust policies. g) Surrey & Borders Partnership NHS Trust is committed to valuing and promoting diversity in employment, service delivery practices and its general environment. An expectation of all leadership posts within the Trust is that each individual will take responsibility for promoting open, inclusive and accessible service provision, staff development and a culture that values and respects difference. Page 4 of 6
PERSON SPECIFICATION Post Title: Specialist Nurse with responsibility for Acute Liaison Area Requirements Qualifications Essential Desirable Registered Learning Disability Nurse Mentor preparation or Teaching and Assessing in Clinical Practice ENB 998 BSc / MSc Specialist Health Care Practitioner or equivalent (Or working towards) Qualification in Teaching and Assessing. Registration NMC registered Knowledge & Experience Clinical (where relevant) 5 years post registration experience of which 2 are in the community working with people who have learning disabilities. Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team. Knowledge of relevant legislation, child and adult safeguarding issuers. Good understanding of current practice and service development issues concerning people with learning disabilities. Ability to plan and deliver clinical audit on a regular basis. Experience of undertaking clinical audit / research project. Previous experience of a liaison role Page 5 of 6
Skills Communication/ relationship Analytical/ judgmental Planning/ organisational IT Physical Abilities Physical Mental Emotional Working conditions Other Excellent interpersonal, written and oral skills. Able to communicate highly complex and often sensitive information to an advanced level, including where there are barriers to understanding. Highly developed negotiation skills. High level of tact and diplomatic skills. Ability to make judgements on complex and conflicting situations, requiring investigation, analysis and prioritisation, with a flexible approach to problem solving. Proven organisational skills. Ability to work autonomously and set own priorities. Ability to plan a specialist nursing provision including a strong education and training element. To assess plan, implement and evaluate care for people with learning disabilities. Able to access and update information in trust data systems utilising electronic systems for research and information gathering. Able to use computer software to create reports and documents. Ability to move and handle equipment and wheelchairs. Some requirement to work in cramped conditions. Ability to move and handle equipment and wheelchairs. Some requirement to work in cramped conditions. Ability to maintain concentration within an unpredictable work pattern and environment. Ability to cope frequently with distressing or emotional circumstances involving people who use services and carers. Ability to cope frequently with exposure to unpleasant working conditions. Current (valid) driving licence Report writing and audit Page 6 of 6