Welcome from our Chief Executive

Our organisation is expanding and we're looking for people with the right values, skills and/or potential to join us. We need people with energy, expertise, enthusiasm to help us provide the very best possible specialist NHS mental health and learning disability care. This involves helping us achieve our strategy to improve the quality of life for the communities we serve through People, Prevention and Partnerships.

So what can we offer you in return?

We're an organisation which puts people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. We'll help you learn, acquire new skills and gain further experience to support your career development. And we'll provide the opportunity for you to bring your fresh ideas to work about how we can do things differently and continue improving.

You will also be joining a health and care system committed to working together to do the best we can for the communities we serve. Above all, at Sussex Partnership you'll have the chance to make a difference to the lives of the patients, carers and families across our communities.

If you like the sound of that, then come and join our team.

Job overview

Are you a band 6 nurse looking to work in an environment that develops your knowledge, leadership skills and experience?

If you have answered yes to this question, then I believe that Maple Ward @Meadowfield is the right place for you.

Meadowfield is an acute mental health hospital in Worthing, we are part of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

We are an open unit, and our open doors are something that we are very proud of and this brings a very different feel to the unit than those that are not able to use this approach.

We would like to create an environment where service users, nurses, nurse associates, nursing assistants and carers are all leaders and actively involved in making decisions about our services.

And we would like you to be a part of our team during these exciting times.

This post offers The Trust's Golden Hello for band 5 or 6 Nurses, or a Relocation package up to a maximum of £2000. (subject to terms and conditions. Please see attached Protocol document).

Main duties of the job

Maple Ward is an exciting, vibrant environment to work within, and also has our health based place of safety (136 suite) attached to it. We are looking for Band 6 nurses to be based on Maple Ward and to also have responsibility for providing cover to our 136 suite, which will involve co-ordinating MHA assessments, liaising with Sussex Police, the approved mental health practitioner teams, and the local community mental health teams with regards to section 136 and Section 135 Mental Health Act assessments. The role would involve rotation between Maple Ward itself, and the 136 suite which has two members of staff allocated to provide cover at all times when this is occupied.

Shifts within the suite, and whilst working on the ward, followa 12 hour shift pattern and we can offer a flexibility with both day and night shifts as well as Full-time or Part-time hours.

To protect the health and safety of our staff/workers, patients, and those attending our sites, we encourage our workforce to get fully vaccinated against COVID

Working for our organisation

You would be supported to engage with the emerging leaders course, encouraged to seek development opportunities and training, alongside regular supervision, as well as providing senior nurse input on the ward . We are also very keen to embrace further quality improvement projects and have projects running already, but we are keen for further ideas to be explored and for nurses to lead on these. We will also support staff to complete nurse prescribing and attain Associate clinician status.

We'd love you to join our organisation that is rated 'good' overall and 'outstanding' for caring by the CQC. Our staff agree, with 82% in our recent staff survey telling us that they recognise that care for patients is our top priority.

Other key staff survey results include:

• 70% highlighting flexible working opportunities as a key point at work
• 79% reporting feeling able to make suggestions to improve the work within their team
• 77% identifying the opportunities to show initiative in their roles

We encourage flexible working. We know that a positive work/ life balance brings about huge health-related benefits, which has a positive impact on the care we provide. Please speak to us about flexible working, for example, home-working, part time hours, flexible start/ finish times or anything else. If it works for you and works for the role, we'll do our best to make it happen

Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team acting as care co-ordinator for a defined number of service users. They will:

• Undertake assessments of individuals with complex mental health presentations, including those service users presenting with higher levels of risk. To develop in collaboration with the service user their care plan and their recovery plan.
• Offer specialist nursing assessment and advice where required.
• Provide clinical and managerial leadership on the ward.
• Assess and manage on going risks as identified during the assessment, ensuring that this is done in collaboration with the service user and carers. To regularly review risk factors and make changes to the management of them as necessary.
• Provide supervision of junior staff and trainees where appropriate.
• Regularly take charge of the clinical environment over a span of duty.

Person specification

Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Registered RMN with current registration
• Registered Nurse with current registration (mental health / LD/ Adult) appropriate to the job role.
• Completion of Mentorship course/ENB equivalent and experience as sign-off mentor
• Evidence of continuous professional development

Knowledge/Experience
Essential criteria

• Significant post qualifying experience relevant to the care group
• Experience of supervising staff and students
• Experience of working alongside people with severe mental health problems particularly in their acute phase of illness
• Experience of supervising staff
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Experience of conducting clinical assessments including risk assessments
• Experience of partnership working within and across various statutory and non-statutory teams and agencies
• Experience of working within the CPA process
• Understanding of clinical governance

Sussex Partnership NHS FT is committed to supporting a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. Our workforce is currently under-represented from Black and Minority, Ethnic and disabled communities and we would welcome applications from these communities.

We regret that we are unable to advise candidates if they have not been shortlisted. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

In the event of an excessive number of applicants the Trust reserves the right to close this vacancy earlier than indicated.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust takes its responsibilities for the safeguarding and protection of children and young people and vulnerable adults very seriously and expects this of all its employees and bank workers. The Trust works with adult and children's social care to ensure that the integrated service has systems in place to equip staff and bank workers with the knowledge and skills to recognize abuse, and take action to safeguard and protect vulnerable adults and children and young people. It is expected that all staff and bank workers familiarise themselves with the appropriate structures and policies and with the Sussex child protection and safeguarding procedures and the Sussex multi-agency policy and procedures for safeguarding vulnerable adults and undertake the relevant essential training and further training appropriate to their role.

Successful candidates are normally offered salaries at the bottom of the relevant salary range. However, where previous or equivalent NHS experience in a similar role can be demonstrated and evidenced, this may be taken into consideration when setting the starting salary.