Community Mental Health Nurse

The Community Mental Health Nurse will be responsible for the assessment of care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care for a defined caseload of people with complex mental health and or social care needs; and maintaining associated records. They will also act as mentor for Student Nurses as required.

Duties and Responsibilities

01) To support the CMHT Team Leader in establishing and maintaining effective inter-team and inter-agency communication.

02) To provide effective liaison/communication relating to referrals to and discharge from the CMHT across in-patient, primary care and community services.

03) Maintain effective joint working with Sector EPMHS, CATTs, EIP's, AOTs and other community based teams according to local circumstances.

04) Ensure that all relevant information regarding client care is communicated to the appropriate persons within and outside the team, bringing to the CMHT Team Leader's attention issues of concern regarding practice or workload.

05) Ensure effective communications with relatives, visitors, voluntary organisations and the general public, thus encouraging participation in care delivery. To respond sensitively to the needs of relatives and carers, often in a highly emotive setting.

06) To liaise with other professionals in relation to client care, actively co-ordinating care planning and review meetings, and case conferences as appropriate.

Clinical Responsibility

01) To manage a patient caseload, identified in consultation with medical, nursing and other professions and agreed by the CMHT Team Leader.

02) To establish and maintain effective individualised nursing and social care by assessment of patients problems; planning; implementation and evaluation of agreed interventions; clear and concise documentation of individualised client care and use of electronic patient record systems.

03) To be aware of the physical needs of people with mental health problems and refer physical conditions on as appropriate.

04) Establish therapeutic relationships with individual clients, relatives and carers.

05) Be responsible for the administration, carriage and storage of medication in accordance with relevant Trust policies. To ensure safe disposal of equipment used in the Community e.g. syringes, needles, in accordance with Trust policies.

06) Be responsible for the administration of prescribed medical treatments and monitoring effects in accordance with clinical procedures adopted by the Trust.

07) Use research findings in designing nursing care programmes and develop awareness of the significance of nursing research and wider evidence based practice in community mental health care.

08) Participate and be responsible for running nurse led clinics e.g. Clozapine.

09) Demonstrate an awareness of the needs of carers of patients with mental health problems and develop strategies to meet those needs; e.g. self-help groups, respite care, Carers Act.

10) Ensure that the principle of continuity of care is maintained and that appropriate plans are made for clients discharge and transfer from the clinical areas in line with Care Programme Approach (including acting as care coordinator), Community Care Act 1990 and Discharge Policies and the National Service Framework for Mental Health.

11) To have a working knowledge of the Mental Health Act 1983 and subsequent legislation as it affects the client group.

12) To participate in the Trusts adverse incidents reporting systems and comply with the Trusts procedure and techniques for managing risks.

Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility

01) Assist in identifying training needs with the community team for self and team members.

02) Act as preceptor and mentor for learner nurses.

03) Participate in annual appraisal, professional development and mandatory training.

Managers have a duty to promote and support staffs personal health and wellbeing at all times, this includes both physical and mental health and wellbeing.

Managers have a responsibility to support staff by directing employees to services that are available to everyone to help in managing health and wellbeing.

They should be open and approachable as well as proactive in discussing and agreeing a process to monitor an employees mental and physical health.

Financial Responsibility

01) To assist the Team Manager to manage the Team budget effectively.

02) Comply with relevant Trust and Team financial policies and procedures to ensure cost effective and efficient use of team and Trust resources.

Service Development and Improvement

01) To be involved in clinical audit and evaluation of mental health services within secondary care. Playing an enthusiastic role in the achievement of the teams contribution to achieving NSF objectives for the service at a local level and contribute to such audit requirements (of own practice and recording) as are requested from time to time.

02) To contribute to data collection and entry as part of audit and evaluation of such services.

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

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