Senior Dementia Crisis Nurse | NELFT NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	14 May 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£37,338 - £44,962 p.a. pro rata (plus 5% HCAS)
Hours:	Part time
Closing date:	13 June 2025
Location:	Corringham, SS17 7ES
Company:	North East London NHS Foundation Trust
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7191747/395-EB166-25

Summary

Come and join our award-winning Dementia Crisis Support Team as a Senior Band 6 Mental Health Nurse / General Nurse.

The team is based in Corringham in a new, state of the art building. We visit patients in their own homes and care homes across Basildon, Brentwood and Thurrock.

We are a team made up of registered health professionals including Psychiatrists, Nurses, support workers and admin all of whom have vast Dementia experience. The aim of our team is to reduce a patient’s need to access A & E services and to avoid a hospital admission during a crisis period. We engage with the patient and / or carer in their own home or usual place of residence with rapid assessment, intervention, treatment and short term follow up for a maximum of six weeks.

The suitable candidate will need to be able to effectively travel throughout the geographical area.

The Service operates 7 days a week Monday to Friday 9am till 7pm and weekends and bank holidays 9am to 5pm. We work on a rota basis.

To work as a senior nurse with the Dementia Crisis Support Team across Basildon, Brentwood, Billericay, Wickford and Thurrock supporting and assisting holistic assessments of care needs for individuals who present to the service in crisis with diagnosed or suspected dementia. The post holder is responsible for the holistic assessments of care needs of patient in the community setting and the development, implementation and evaluation of care.

The remit of the team and the wider intermediate care services is to support people in their own homes or alternative community environments during periods of acute illness and/or rehabilitation to prevent hospital admission.

The post holder will, in collaboration with the wider Dementia Crisis Support Team (DCST), provide Nursing input to the multidisciplinary team 7 days a week.

The post holder will provide clear leadership for the team when deputising for the clinical lead and in their own capacity as a senior member of the team.

They will support maintenance and promotion of high clinical standards for service users as well as assisting with the clinical development of junior staff across the DCST.

The post holder works under the overall supervision of the clinical lead but is required to undertake the duties of the post without direct supervision.

The suitable candidate will need to be able to effectively travel throughout the geographical area.

Starting with NELFT

NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High Cost Area Supplement - Fringe

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 5% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £1,258 to a maximum of £2,122 p.a. pro rata for part time).

GENERAL

· To promote and maintain high quality services to people with mental health problems in the local community.

· To work with the team to achieve team goals and targets.

· To provide clinical supervision to team members

· To provide clinical expertise within the team

· To ensure comprehensive ongoing psychosocial assessment, risk assessment and case management is carried out

· To ensure ongoing planning, implementation and evaluation of care resulting in timely and effective discharge

PROFESSIONAL

· To comply with NMC Code of Conduct (or other relevant professional codes) and compile plans.

· To undertake training and personal development to meet professional requirements

· To be a Nurse Prescriber in the team or to be willing to complete the course

· Ensure safe administration of medication, in accordance with Trust and National policies.

· To have sound knowledge of commonly used Psychiatric medication & related side effects.

· To be a student mentor or willing to become a student mentor

LEADERSHIP

· Assist the clinical leads in the maintenance and development of team morale, by demonstrating support of colleagues and showing high levels of enthusiasm and commitment.

· To ensure that the team reflects and responds to local needs and works sensitively and respectfully with users and carers.

· Provide appropriate direction and consultation to members of the team.

· Promote philosophy and principles of Multi-disciplinary working.

· Participate in and deliver In-Service training.

· Maintain responsibility for overseeing a defined caseload of clients experiencing mental health problems in the community.

· Attend appropriate meetings to develop effective services for people with mental health problems.

Drawn from a varied range of essential functions and duties the Band 6 worker will participate fully in:

· Assist in strategic development of team function and effectiveness.

· To assist in the reduction of hospital admission frequency and duration by maximising the effectiveness of early discharge procedure.

· The service delivered will meet the needs of service users and their carer’s to a high standard.

· Effective relationships within the service and other voluntary and statutory agencies will be established

· Individual and team clinical supervision

· Individual Performance Review/Appraisal

· Clinical research and data collection

· Multidisciplinary projects

· Nursing projects to support service delivery

· Evaluation and audit work

· To have an understanding and support the team with the teams financial resource

· Assisting to ensure that equipment is to an agreed and acceptable standard and that staff are trained and competent to use it and mems checks in place.

· To participate in training and lead on training

Clinical Skills

· To act as an autonomous, registered practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.

· The post holder will have Current Effective Status on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) – Registered Nurse (RN12).

· Further professional knowledge will have been gained through accredited courses workshops, study and in house training programmes demonstrating competence in Dementia care.

· To be responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients/patients in a holistic way considering physical health alongside mental health needs

· To be able to assess and develop plans of care to meet the complex needs of patients with a variety of conditions. This includes chronic, acute and palliative care within own competencies, recognising own limitations and seeking advice when necessary. This will include continuously evaluating and acting on outcomes

· To be able to initiate referrals to other health professional specialist services and agencies

· To provide patients and relatives with information and education thus ensuring they have meaningful choices that promote dignity, independence and quality of life

· To ensure practice is supported by research, evidence based practice, literature and peer review

Computer/Administration

· To be computer literate and encourage implementation of the Trust’s IM&T Strategy.

· To ensure accurate recording of actions, and updating patient’s records, maintaining confidentiality at all times

· To take part, and assist, in the registration of patients in the day to day running of the department

· To read and communicate via email

· Maintain accurate and complete patient records

· Responsible for maintenance of databases, ordering systems, and departmental records using appropriate/current information systems

Communication

· To have a wide range of knowledge in approaches to communicating and managing patient care especially in relation to Dementia Care

· To be able to effectively communicate with patients, colleagues, peers, senior managers and clinical leads within the Trust.

· To be able to communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working.

· Participate in the review and development of clinical policies and be able to identify potential improvements to service provision.

· Form professional relationships with patients and communicate with them in a way that respects their views, autonomy and culture.

· Constructively manage barriers to effective communication.

· Report effectively on patient’s performance and progress

· Communicate with other staff and agencies as appropriate in written and verbal format report on patient on patient performance and progress

· Represent the team at meetings and feedback relevant information

· Assist in obtaining valid patient consent and work within a legal framework with patients who lack capacity to consent to treatment

Training

· To participate in an annual Appraisal to identify areas of development

· To participate in training to support your role as appropriate.

· To be responsible for personal CPD (continuous personal development)

· Be prepared to share knowledge and experience both formally and informally

· Take a flexible approach in supporting colleagues during times of caseload pressures

· Participate in the training and induction of other staff/students as appropriate

· Ensure students are actively supported to enable them to achieve their learning needs

· To ensure own continued professional development and support a culture of lifelong learning in self and others

· To undertake, and assist, in the planning of own mandatory training and workshops

· To undertake a regular appraisal, developing a personal development plan that includes clinical competencies reflecting the health needs of the local population and relates to Trust strategy

· To support new staff and their integration within the team

· To support training as part of the role including changes to professional development and implementation of new policies and guidelines

Physical Effort/ Mental Effort and Emotional Effort

· To be able to travel between sites both internal and external to the organisation in order to undertake required responsibilities

· Manual handling of patients sometimes with the need for prolonged physical effort

· To spend periods sitting at a computer and in meetings

· There may be frequent interruption to respond to requests from other staff

· May have direct exposure to angry or distressed service users

· Could have indirect exposure to highly distressing or emotional information and circumstances (e.g. complaints and serious incidents)

· Required to discuss issues of safeguarding with senior staff and ensure appropriate advice is sought and received when required

Policy and Service Development

· Keep up to date with relevant Health and Social Care developments

· Participate in the planning, reviewing and development of services

· Be a responsive link worker and develop links across the wider team

· Report any incident/untoward incidents/near misses to self, patients or carers to the manager

Analytical and Judgement Skills

· Undertake risk assessments providing accurate feedback to the team as necessary e.g. in relation to lone working and health and safety

· Analyse basic patient information to make informed decisions

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points based system.

Use of AI
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.


This advert closes on Wednesday 28 May 2025