Nursing Associate

Job Overview

The Physical Health Monitoring and Improvement Team is looking for a qualified Nursing Associate to cover maternity leave. You will be join our team to support the running of our various community clinics across the city of Leeds. Within this role you will be supporting service users with a serious mental illness (SMI), specifically the monitoring and improvement of their physical health.

This involves dispensing and administering prescribed medication in both clinic and home settings, performing physical health observations including blood taking, ECG, Blood pressure monitoring, BMI calculations and asking questions relating to service user’s lifestyle e.g. smoking status and diet.

Participate in the planning and running of clinics with planned appointment times for service users to attend.

There will be an expectation to provide healthy living advise to service users and make referrals to teams within LYPFT and other organisations to assist service users to improve physical health and wellbeing.

The role will require support and escalation of service users who present with both physical ill health and deterioration in mental health symptoms. The post holder will be expected to highlight any changes in mental health and physical health presentation to relevant professional e.g. Care Coordinator, CRISS.

Main duties of the job

Setting up and preparing clinics on a daily basis. The Physical Health Monitoring and Improvement Team currently delivers three separate clinics:
• Clozapine Clinic – Blood monitoring, physical health checks, medication dispensing.
• Physical Health checks – For service users on high dose antipsychotics or other medications requiring monitoring.
• Depot Clinic – patients attend clinic for the administration of their depot medication.

In addition to static clinics, we also offer the above services as home visits for those patients unable to attend clinic sites.

Dispensing and administering prescribed medications within a clinic setting.

Performing physical health checks on service users including blood taking, ECG and lifestyle questions.

Offering advice to service users about healthy living options.

Referring and escalating physical health and mental health issues to relevant professionals.

Ensuring service users appointments are booked and communicated to service users.

Will work towards delivering effective supervision of junior members of staff and assisting with improving practice within the service.

Working for our organisation

The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

There are many benefits of working for LYPFT including fantastic employee wellbeing support, 27 - 33 days annual leave, flexible working and remote working arrangements, the NHS Pension Scheme, coaching, support and opportunities for career development and training and education support alongside a range of exclusive discounts and payment schemes including for cars, extra leave days and more NHS Discount Offers.

We also have an incredible bank department, offering variety of roles in nursing, allied health professions, healthcare support worker and administration clerical. Permanent employees are automatically added to bank.

Applicants should be aware that for any individual who requires a visa to work in the UK, the Trust provides sponsorship for registered healthcare practitioner roles only. This is an essential requirement of the role, and the Trust is unable to offer you a role if you are unable to meet Trust requirements for sponsorship and Home Office requirements for a visa.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

This role is to support service users with a serious mental illness (SMI) specifically to the monitoring and improvement of their physical health.

This involves dispensing and administering prescribed medications within a clinic setting, performing physical health observations including blood taking, ECG, Blood pressure monitoring, BMI calculations and asking questions relating to service users lifestyle e.g. smoking status and diet.

There will be an expectation to provide healthy living advise to service users and make referral to teams within LYPFT and other organisations to assist service users to improve physical health and wellbeing.

The role will require support and escalation of service users who present with both physical ill health and deterioration in mental health symptoms. The post holder will be expected to highlight any changes in mental health and physical health presentation to relevant professional e.g. care co-ordinator, CRISS

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
• Qualified Nursing Associate
• Holds full UK drivers licence

Knowledge

Essential criteria
• Can demonstrate an understanding of how a mental illness / learning disability can impact on persons physical health and wellbeing

Skills

Essential criteria
• Able to communicate and form positive working relationships with service users, carers and those working in other agencies

Experience

Essential criteria
• Experience of working with a range of patients with complex mental health needs or learning disabilities.

United Kingdom
England
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