Psychological Nurse Specialist

at  The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

The Christie Psycho-oncology Team takes pride in celebrating success and is committed to maintaining high standards of care at all times. We are excited to offer an opportunity for a Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) to join our unique team, which includes psychiatrists, mental health nurses, a clinical psychologist, counsellors, and dedicated administrative staff.
This position entails a fixed-term contract for 22.5 hours per week for 12 months, preferably from October 2024 to October 2025. Our operating hours are Monday to Friday, from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding bank holidays. We provide care to both oncology inpatients and outpatients, and the current team collaborates closely. This role is integral to the future development of the service.
The successful applicant must be passionate about patient care and demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a commitment to personal development and contributing to our service. You will have access to regular supervision and robust support to navigate your role, which may involve challenging and distressing situations.
As an organization that has been awarded ‘Good’ status by the CQC, you will be working in a very supportive environment with the opportunity to continue developing your clinical practice.
You will be responsible for managing your own caseload of patients, supported by the broader Psycho-Oncology team, which includes psychiatrists, psychological specialist nurses, a psychologist, and counsellors. Additionally, you will oversee the management and coordination of the team’s operations. Regular supervision and access to professional courses will be provided. Collaborating with the clinical lead and the rest of the team, you will have the opportunity to contribute to service development, education, and mental health promotion.
The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.
We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world; chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals; highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer; and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years.
We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Clinical
1. Perform comprehensive assessments of patient s ' mental health and psychological needs and plan, implement, and evaluate care delivery according to changing health care needs to ensure continuity of effective patient car e .
2. Perform advanced clinical skills in psychological and mental health assessment, diagnosis, and interactions to enhance the patient experience .
3. Provide guidance to nursing colleagues regarding the management of patients with specific mental health needs.
4. Collect, collate, evaluate, and report informatio n , maintaining accurate patient records in line with clinical governance and risk-management.
5. Involve patients and cares /relatives in the planning and delivery of care and development of services to enhance the patient/carer experience.
6. Work collaboratively w i th other professionals and agencies to ensure patient needs are met.
7. Use advanced communication skills in a variety of settings.
8. Monitor health, safety and security of self and others and promote best practice in the clinical area.
9. Promote patient and public involvement activities in the specialist area, leading to service improvement.
Managerial
1. Ensure the effective and efficient use of physical and financial resource s in conjunction with finance and the service manager.
2. Lead on the writing of protocols relevant to the Psychological Nurse Specialist role.
3. Contribute to and coordinate the development and implementation of policie s , procedures, and guidelines within the Trust in line with national guidance ; and contribute to these activities at network and national level.
4. Organize daily work schedule and off duty rotas ensuring appropriate and effective skill mix and deployment of staff appropriate to patient needs.
5. Be aware of Health and Safety issues and ensure relevant risk assessments for the department are undertaken.
6. Report and record all incidents and complaints according to the agreed policy, investigating promptly and compassionately.
7. Ensure all existing Trust policies and procedures are adhered to and new ones are implemented as necessary.
8. Report to Clinical Lead or DACN on clinical matters/activity and staff development.
Professional
Highlight areas of improvement/development within the department and undertake relevant projects.
Keep abreast of issues influencing the Trust both internally and externally and ensure senior colleagues and the team have a good understanding of the same.
Undertake clinical supervision of health care professional colleagues on an individual or group basis.
Be fully aware of the divisional objectives and the Trust’s corporate plan.
Demonstrate a pleasant and approachable manner and help create and promote good working relationships.
Show professional and courteous manner whilst practicing excellent communication skills at all levels.
Show respect for members of the team and endorse the philosophy of giving mutual support.
Being aware of one’s own limitations, maintain confidentiality and adherence to NMC Professional Code of Conduct
Cooperate in own performance review by indicating learning goals and support needs.
Actively seek mentorship / supervision to enable reflection and development within the role.
Exercise effective leadership using sound organization skills and judgement, upholding equality and diversity of colleagues and patients.
Education and Development
Provide specialist, expert clinical knowledge to clinical colleagues, patients, and carers/relatives both within and outside the Trust.
Identify learning needs, plan, implement and evaluate programs of education to meet identified needs.
Participate in the education of pre- and post-registration health care professionals/medical staff
Educate and support staff in the general hospital in how to manage medically ill inpatients with psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, delirium, dementia.
Sustain up to date skills and knowledge and maintain awareness of professional issues.
Ensure own compliance and compliance of others with regard to mandatory training.
Research & Audit
Identify need for, and undertake, research/clinical audit/benchmarking, to improve effectiveness of patient care.
Contribute to relevant research projects in Psycho-Oncology being conducted at Trust, Network, or national level.
Disseminate research and audit findings through presentation to professional groups and publication.
Evaluate service delivery- identify areas for improvement and initiate change