Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Nurse

at  Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust

We are seeking to recruit an enthusiastic, dedicated and motivated Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Nurse with a special interest and knowledge of working with women with complex needs in the perinatal period.
Our perinatal mental health team is a specialist service based at HMP/YOI Bronzefield , that offers assessment and treatment to mothers in the perinatal period in prison. This includes mothers who are pregnant in prison, who reside with their infants on the prison- based mother and baby unit, and those who are separated due to care proceedings. The role would be part of our Multidisciplinary team, consisting of alongside Consultant Psychiatry, Occupational therapy, Nursing and Clinical Psychology.
The service provides a range of therapeutic interventions including Emotion coping skills groups, Circle of Security Parenting programme and Video Interaction guidance. There will be a strong focus on trauma-informed approaches and delivery of training on perinatal mental health.
This is a 12 month fixed term contract to cover maternity leave. We are keen to have the right person for this role and would welcome a discussion about secondments and flexible working opportunities.
The post would be an ideal role for anyone who has an interest in working with mothers who present with complex trauma and mental health difficulties. Our service is in its infancy and this role offers opportunity for service development and quality improvement projects.
CNWL’s Health and Justice Services are led by a highly motivated team with vast experience in healthcare within secure environments. We employ a range of health care professionals within the mental health services in numerous sites, across prisons, YOIs and secure hospitals, with children and adults, men and women and across the range of security categories. Joining a large, forward-thinking Trust will bring successful candidates excellent development opportunities, an exciting career structure, and job satisfaction.
The Perinatal Mental Health Service operates across 3 women’s prisons, (HMP Bronzefield, HMP Send, HMP Downview). This post will be based at HMP Bronzefield but travel between sites will be part of the role.
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust offers its staff ongoing career progression through:
Monthly supervision
Annual personal development plans/appraisals
Access to exciting internal and external training opportunities.
Excellent progression through various career pathway opportunities such as but not limited to:
Preceptorship Programme
Support and guidance with Revalidation
Hidden Gem and annual award ceremonies
Excellent staff benefits, our benefit packages are amongst the best in London and include:
Health and wellbeing services
Season ticket loans
Cycle to work scheme
Relocation package
The trust also values its staff and you are entitled to become a member of MyTrustBenefits. MyTrustBenefits is an online portal for all CNWL staff, as well as their family and friends. It offers over 1400 discounts at hundreds of retailers nationwide. Save money on your weekly food shops, toiletries, cosmetics, cinema, meals out, holidays, travel and entertainment. You can also access free online courses on a variety of topics, professional and personal, ranging from business management, languages, law and teaching.
All of our sites in Surrey offer free use of the onsite leisure facilities and free parking for staff.
As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination as this remains the best way to protect yourself, your family, your colleagues and of course patients and service users when working on our healthcare settings.

EDUCATION & TRAINING:

Provide regular education & training (both formally and informally) on perinatal mental health issues to a wide range of professionals involved in the care & management of women in the perinatal period ( particularly those listed Key Working Relationships ). This should be focused around compliance with NICE guidelines.
Provide on-going training and advise to midwives on enquiring about mental illness at booking of pregnancy and ensuring the implementation of NICE guidelines.
Contribute to the development & maintenance of the highest professional standards of practice, through active participation in internal & external CPD training & development programmes, in consultation with the post holder’s professional & service managers.

CLINICAL GOVERNANCE:

Be knowledgeable about, & advise on best practice for treatment of pregnant & postpartum women, parent –infant relationship with particular regard to relevant NICE guidelines & CEMACH reports.
Be knowledgeable about, & advise on best practice for Safeguarding Children, with particular regard to Working Together to Safeguard Children, HM Government, revised 2006 & the London Child Protection Procedures, revised 2007.
Participate in the evaluation and audit of clinical work & the service.
Take an active role in seeking user, carer & stakeholders feedback to help shape & influence the further development of the service

Deliver a highly specialist evidence-based mental health assessment, formulation of diagnosis, care planning, treatment & review for women in the perinatal period.
Undertake risk assessment & risk management for individual clients, & to provide advice to other professions on aspects of risk assessment & risk management.
Act as care coordinator, where appropriate, taking responsibility for initiating planning & review of care plans under enhanced CPA including clients, their carers, referring agents & others involved the network of care.
Provide specialist evidence-based interventions such as CBT, VIPP, VIG, to women in the perinatal period, to the parent infant dyad or the family system.
Provide specialist consultation, advice & support to both CNWL, local Maternity Hospital in-patient and community services on best practice when working with women with mental health needs; at preconception, pregnant women & women with infants up to one year old.
To work jointly with care coordinators from CMHTs with a small complex & challenging caseload of pregnant women or those with an infant up to one year old.
Work in consultation with other professionals making known concerns regarding safeguarding children &/or adults to the appropriate & responsible service. This includes attending Child Protection & Review Conferences as appropriate where the child is at risk because of the mother’s mental illness.
Work with colleagues to establish a clear process & criteria for receiving referrals to undertake direct work or information for advice & liaison work.
Assist in setting up structures that allow the dissemination of knowledge & skills regarding working with perinatal women in prison services.
Liaise & work with specialist services such as MBU, personality disorder services, eating disorder services etc.
Where possible, to work with partners & significant others to provide appropriate education training and support.
Identify carers and refer/sign post for assessment as appropriate
Work as a member of the multi-disciplinary team exercising autonomous professional responsibility for managing a clinical caseload independently, providing highly specialist assessments & follow-up for women referred with complex problems, which includes assessment of risk in terms of self-harm, self-neglect, vulnerability, harm to others, domestic violence & safeguarding children.
Seek consultation where necessary with clinical supervisor &/or line manager on clinical work and participate in regular supervision.
To be mindful of the needs of women from a wide range of racial, cultural, sexual, religious & social backgrounds and to develop, with colleagues, sensitive & innovative ways of meeting these needs.
Ensure that all service users have a perinatal care plan, which is implemented. This requires attending & contributing to pre & post-birth meetings.
Work with other professionals in supporting them to implement an agreed parent –infant care plan.
Attend the CNWL Safeguarding Children multidisciplinary meetings & any other relevant multidisciplinary meetings within Maternity services, as appropriate.
Be responsible for monitoring, recording & reporting on clinical work & communicating highly complex clinical information to a variety of recipients (e.g. patient’s, families and carers, other professionals) orally and in writing.
Be responsible for developing & maintaining knowledge of local resources & developing excellent working relationships with relevant statutory, voluntary and community groups & organisations.
The postholder will work autonomously as a specialist perinatal practitioner managing antenatal clinics & post-natal clinics in the prison setting.