Senior Nurse Practitioner

at  Devon Partnership NHS Trust

Job Purpose Night Nurse Practitioners (NNP) play a key role for people who use our services, clinicians and carers within a defined local delivery service. To act as a resource for all members of the multi-disciplinary team, providing expert nursing advice concerning all aspects of patient management. Effective communication with all colleagues and patients is an integral part of the role. To act as gate keepers for access to mental health beds to ensure that the admission criteria/ bed management policy is adhered to.
Torbay has a 24 hour liaison service, the NNP role will offer advisory support only. To provide professional leadership, role model, mentor and practice educator in response to patient and service demand. Duties and Responsibilities Be responsible for the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care without supervision. Provide leadership role model, demonstrating expert knowledge and skill in clinical practice.
Participate fully in quality assurance initiates. Be responsible for specific clinical and managerial projects and undertake all necessary work to complete these, including facilitating meetings, liaising and/or negotiating with other staff. To initiate and participate in audit/ research projects. Provide site management responsibility.
Communication and Working Relationship Skills Demonstrate the ability to receive and give complex clinical details clearly, with patients, carers and colleagues. Demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and sensitively in situations that are contentious and/or hostile. Demonstrate a high level of interpersonal skills, self-awareness and empathy in all communications. Demonstrate an ability to negotiate and problem solve in contentious and/or antagonistic situations where agreement is required, or communicate clear decisions and rationale when agreement cannot be reached e.g.
in situations where the Mental Health Act may be required. Demonstrate the ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with colleagues in both the Mental Health and Acute Trusts and other statutory and non-statutory organisations. Analytical and Judgemental Skills Undertake specialist bio-psycho-social assessments. Highly developed complex risk assessment and management skills are required in order to undertake this function effectively.
You will also implement, evaluate and document specialist care. Clinical triaging of urgent/routine primary care referrals. Formulate robust discharge plans without supervision, which may include a prompt referral to secondary mental health services, social and voluntary services. You will have Freedom to Act.
As a lone worker, you will be required to make autonomous clinical decisions in relation to the discharge of patients with complex mental health problems within the Acute Trust setting, without supervision. Planning and Organisational Skills Under the guidance of the Senior Nurse Manager, identify own professional development needs and demonstrate achievements against personal development plans. Participate in the mentoring and education of a range of students placed with the team. Participate in the planning, developing and delivery of multi-professional education programmes and training sessions for a range of clinical and managerial staff.
Provide clinical supervision to colleagues and students, as required. Facilitate a learning environment conducive to the acquisition of further knowledge and skills. Responsibility for Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy Utilise a range of highly specialised clinical skills appropriate to the needs of individual patients and the clinical setting in which they are required to be seen. Take direct responsibility for providing specialist care and treatment for a small caseload of patients.
Demonstrate a high standard of record keeping and documentation with adherence to trust policy and an understanding of professional guidelines and application of confidentiality. Work with colleagues to develop and promote the services philosophy, framework of care delivery and strategic objectives, taking responsibility for specific areas of policy and strategy delivery. Work with colleagues to develop clinical expertise and high standards of nursing practice, as defined by the Nursing & Midwifery code of professional conduct (2002). Deliver care that is evidence based, reflecting current best practice and research.
Participate in structured clinical supervision in accordance with Trust policies and procedures. Demonstrate clinical excellence and high standards of nursing practice to other staff. Demonstrate sound understanding of the legal and ethical issues in caring for all patients who are admitted to the Acute Hospitals. In particular, demonstrating a sound understanding of the Mental Health Act (1983), consent to treatment, capacity and common law principles (urgent necessity, best interests and duty of care) in a non-mental health setting.
Responsibility for Policy and Service Development Implementation Demonstrate a commitment to developing ones own research skills and facilitating these skills in other team members. Regularly undertake audit/research into client/service related areas and contribute to the application and evaluation of current research findings. Identify areas of study/research in the service, develop proposals and seek advice of funding to support such activities in collaboration with Senior Nurse Manager and in partnership with the Research and Development Department. Participate in appropriate audit projects including data collection, as a means of contributing to the ongoing evaluation and audit of the Night service Responsibility for Finance, Equipment and Other Resources.
In the absence of the Senior Nurse Manager, take responsibility for the co-ordination of all activities within the clinical area or equivalent sphere. Assist the Senior Nurse Manager to exercise control of the budget for the service and contribute to the formulation of the service budget setting process. Ensure the promotion of the health and safety, well-being and interests of the patients, staff and all visitors who come into contact with the team and its service environs. Responsibility for Human Resources, e.g.
Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management Contribute to the supervision of support staff and education of O.T. students as requested by Lead and operationally manage a team of staff ensuring that they operate within policies and procedures. Manage the overall day to day work load of the team/Service dealing with staff and performance issues as necessary. Recruit and select staff within the team for both Health and Social Services posts according to resource requirements in either agencies.
Ensure that new staff receives an induction programme. Ensure implementation of appropriate supervision arrangements for all staff and provide effective management and supervision to all staff. Ensure that all staff receives training in accordance with the training plan, minimal requirement for their professional registration and competencies for the Care Programme Approach and recovery competencies. Ensure completion of all PDRs to support staff development.
Ensure that all staff are compliant with the Mental Health Capacity Act and other relevant legislation. Contribute to the development of the effective workforce planning and development for their function within the network. In the absence of the Senior Nurse Manager, take responsibility for the management of the team and patient care provided, to the agreed local and professional standards. At all times follow the Code of Professional Conduct NMC (2002) and ensure that all staff within their sphere of responsibility adheres to the code at all times.
Supervise, monitor and appraise the performance of qualified and unqualified staff within their sphere of responsibility and report to the Clinical Services Manager. Act as change agent to promote innovation and high standards of practice. To support inpatient managers with supervision, RMSs and SUIs. Responsibility for Information Resources and Administrative Duties Participate in the design and implementation of the audit of clinical work.
Take a proactive role in seeking carer and user feedback. Undertake appraisal and supervision according to Trust policy. Demonstrate respect, empathy and understanding of all users and colleagues within the service. Adhere to the Nursing & Midwifery Council Code of professional conduct (2002) Adhere to all Devon Partnership NHS Trust policies e.g.
Human Resources policy, Health and Safety policy, Clinical policies and procedures. Responsibility for Research and Development Participate in core clinical governance activities by contributing to the planning, evaluation and audit of practice, clinical pathways and protocols within designated area Network with peers to maintain professional links across the Trust. Contribute programmes of research and development as required. Freedom to Act Lone working on unit and within community setting in compliance with Trust and local lone working policies and procedures.
Any Other Specific Tasks Required Adhere to the Trust policy for the promotion of equal opportunities and cultural awareness. Required to work flexibly in keeping with local practice

Please refer the Job description for details