Are you a Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse who is looking to return to practice and re- join the NMC professional register? If the answer is yes, then Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust is offering an exciting opportunity for you to undertake a Return to Practice Programme for Registered Nurses. The theoretical element of the Return to Practice course will commence in the following intakes; September 2024, January 2025 and May 2025 at University West of England (UWE) (campus to be confirmed at interview). Please confirm which intake you are interested in when you apply.
Whilst undertaking the RTP course you will be employed by Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust on an honorary contract, we cannot guarantee a post on completion; however there are usually plenty of employment opportunities available Trust wide in both inpatient areas and community teams for both Mental Health and Learning Disability Nurses.
The Return to Practice Programme prepares you for re-entry onto the professional register and is an essential requirement for returning to practice and take between 4 and 8 months. You will need to complete 450 hours on clinical placement. Weekly placement hours to be negotiated at interview and with practice to enable you to work with your practice assessor and regain your skills. More information on the RTP course can be found on the Health Education England website. As part of the programme you will receive a bursary funded through Health Education England of £500 for Return to Practice Nurses.
Return to Practice hours are unpaid but there is also the potential opportunity for you to work as a healthcare assistant through the AWP Bank whilst undertaking the course. You will be offered a placement(s) in one of our clinical areas (community or inpatient) to complete your practice requirements, where you will receive support and supervision and an assigned a practice assessor.
To attend all education days of the Return to Practice course at university and successfully complete all components of the training programme within the contract period.
To complete set Clinical Practice Hours, under the NMC Guidelines, taking responsibility for the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care needs, under the supervision of registered nursing staff (Assessors & Supervisors). Promoting high quality care delivery in a specified clinical area.
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust) a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.
The programme has six face to face study days which are spread out throughout the duration of the programme. The theoretical aspect of the programme is run alongside a practice placement where returnees will complete practice competencies that meet the NMC outcomes that are required to be eligible to return to practice.
This is an employer lead model and you would have an honorary contract with AWP to undertake your clinical hours within a healthcare setting. You will be supported by a practice supervisor and assessor.
Clinical Placement
If shortlisted, you will be required to attend a joint interview with a member of University staff and a representative from your prospective Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Trust. Your placement will be with AWP in a community or inpatient setting.

DURATION:

Six days attendance at the University plus a minimum of 150 clinical hours - over a minimum of
16 weeks/maximum of 46 weeks depending on your experience and time away from nursing.
Normally, this is made up of two shifts of 7.5 hours per week for at least 10 weeks. Delivery:
Part-time who should attend: This course is suitable for nurses who no longer have ‘live’ registration with the NMC and wish to re-enter the profession. Suitable for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities parts of the register and is open to first and second level nurses (RN and EN).
Recognised by Nursing and Midwifery Council
1. People leadership and management
1.1 Provide inclusive, compassionate and effective leadership for your team by setting clear vision and direction.
1.2 Develop a culture and environment in which members of staff are encouraged and supported to deliver high- quality services and are supported to innovate and improve services where appropriate.
1.3 Encourage your team to feel able to raise concerns openly and safely.
1.4 Promote equality of opportunity in service delivery and employment, ensuring that no person receives less favourable treatment than another on the grounds of gender, marital status, race, religion, creed, colour nationality ethnic or national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
1.5 Support prompt recruitment by identifying vacancies to the AWP Recruitment Team as soon as they arise, and participate in the selection and effective induction and on boarding of new joiners to the team.
1.6 Ensure that all team members have a very positive introduction to the team and a well-supported first year.
1.7 Take responsibility for encouraging people to stay with AWP, ensuring that you are aware whenever a member of your team is considering leaving, seeking to understand their reasons and encouraging them to stay.
1.8 Ensure that key messages are cascaded in your team and that your team are encouraged to put forward suggestions.
1.9 Show appreciation to your team when they do good work and support them when they are struggling.
1.10 Consider the individual needs of team members for a healthy work-life balance and think about how their needs can be supported by providing flexible ways of working.
1.11 Support all team members to keep their mandatory and statutory training up-to-date and identify the learning and development needs of all team members of the team ensuring that everyone has an up-to-date personal development plan (PDP).
1.12 Ensure that every team member as at least an hour of supervision (one-to-one meeting) each month, this may include both managerial and clinical supervision.
1.13 Ensure all team members receive a constructive assessment of their performance each year and set SMART objectives for the coming year.
1.14 Seek support from the HR Team to tackle any worries regarding matters of discipline, including both conduct and capability concerns, supporting a ‘just and restorative culture’. Take prompt action regarding serious concerns and ensure clear plans are in place for problems which are less serious in nature but prove difficult to resolve.
1.15 Act as a positive role model at all times, encouraging people to feel equal members of the team whilst working within clear frameworks and policies.
1.16 Promote effective use of bank and agency nursing staff, providing a safe and effective service, complying with regulatory standards.
2. Performance and information management
2.1 Ensure that you and your team understand all of the agreed key performance indicators for your service, particularly relating to outcomes and essential standards to be met.
2.2 Ensure that you and your team understand data quality standards and that all the necessary records for your service are maintained and reported.
2.3 Ensure that you and your team understand all of the clinical and business action plans relevant to your services.
2.4 Ensure that you and your team understand all of the monitoring, auditing and reporting systems relevant to your services.
3. Service development and planning
3.1 Actively seek opportunities for improvement for the services which you and your team provide by identifying research evidence and best practice elsewhere, interpreting/translating and facilitating adaptation for AWP.
3.2 Analyse and interpret data to inform the strategic direction of the services which you and your team provide
3.3 Ensure multidisciplinary involvement and the use of quality improvement (QI) techniques in service improvement, by negotiating shared solutions, facilitating the resolution of complex or contentious issues and managing any conflict into constructive outcomes.
3.4 Ensure effective risk identification, analysis, mitigation and management within your services, encouraging all members of your team to be aware of and to manage risks.
4. Governance and policy
4.1 Ensure that you understand all of the key governance requirements, policies and standards for your services and that these are communicated to your team; make sure your team understand the importance of good governance.
4.2 Support the development of policies relevant to your services, including your team in this work.
5. Financial and resource management
5.1 Monitor and exercise appropriate control over the budget(s) for your team, ensuring that both you and your team understand the resources available to support provision of a high quality and cost effective service.
5.2 Challenge and manage poor financial management and poor use of any resources.
5.3 Ensure optimum use of people and other resources; particularly though emphasizing use of substantive staffing and effective use of bank and agency staff.
5.4 Ensure that whenever you authorise expenditure you are thoughtful and careful about whether there could be a more cost-effective solution.
5.5 Ensure that your use of resources is in accordance with AWP Standing Orders and Standing Financial
Instructions.
6. Stakeholder involvement
6.1 Ensure that you are aware of the many stakeholders to your services (your key stakeholders will include all members of your multi-disciplinary team, other teams, service users, families, carers, local communities, other statutory agencies, other healthcare providers etc.)
6.2 Develop and maintain positive relationships with your key stakeholders, this may include proactive communications to ensure full involvement and engagement in the delivery of services and aims and objectives.
6.3 Implement and lead effective two-way communications to ensure that the Service areas are responsive to the needs of patients/service users and external pressures

Please refer the Job description for details