Job summary
- Main area
- Care Home Support (Frimley)
- Grade
- Band 7
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Part time - 22.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 371-CHS1061
- Employer
- Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Care Home Support (Frimley)
- Town
- Bracknell
- Salary
- £50,008 - £56,908 per annum, pro rata (incl of HCAS)
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 27/08/2025 23:59
- Interview date
- 10/09/2025
Employer heading
Senior Specialist Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Band 7
Job overview
The post holder will be part of The Care Home Support Team (CHST). CHST deliver specialist practice to improve outcomes and more effective management of physical and mental health needs for people living in residential and nursing homes by working with the care home staff to enhance their knowledge, skills, and confidence. CHST consists of a Registered General Nurses, Registered Mental Health Nurses, and Therapists working collaboratively with the care homes, GPs, and wider multidisciplinary colleagues. The team provide dedicated support to care home staff to enable them to produce individualised and holistic care plans, through providing training, advice, and guidance during MDT’s. The team support care homes to optimise patient care in aiding sustainable placements for residents and avoiding inappropriate inpatient admissions.
The post holder will have experience of advanced clinical practice within a clinical speciality and use their specialist knowledge and skills to provide expert professional and clinical advice to care home staff on the treatment and care of their residents in complex cases.
CHST works 5 days a week, Monday to Friday, 9-5, however the post holder has some flexibility depending on the needs of the care homes. This is a permanent role for 22.5 hours per week
Main duties of the job
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To build good working relationships with the care homes in the area.
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Advise care homes on management of dementia, mental health symptoms and management, mental capacity, DOLs and safeguarding.
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Support implementing service redesign initiatives which meet local and national priorities and are in line with commissioning intentions.
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Provide education to care homes via TEAMS or face to face on mental health issues, champion work and areas of care the home has identified as a need. This could be formal or informally with role modelling/upskilling.
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Provide a holistic assessment to aid medical diagnosis, management and treatment of complex residents in the care home environment and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions or placement failure.
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Work in collaboration with other members of the MDT, Mental Health teams, LA Care Quality teams and the Integrated Care Board.
Working for our organisation
Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.
Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:
- Caring for and about you is our top priority
- Committed to providing good quality, safe services
- Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions
Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:
- Flexible working options to support work-life balance
- 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
- Generous NHS pension scheme
- Excellent learning and career development opportunities
- ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
- Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
- Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
- Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
- Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
- Free parking across Trust sites
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The “must haves” for you to be considered for this role:
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You must be a Registered Mental Health Nurse on the appropriate part of the NMC Register.
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Experience in elderly mental health and some teaching skill or enthusiasm.
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Experience of informal teaching
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Car driver with business insurance, ability and readiness to travel to multiple sites
For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. For further application tips – see the help with your application document attached once you click apply.
If you’re someone who shares our passion for excellence and care, you belong at Berkshire Healthcare!
We are committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants where required.
Person specification
Education/Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria
- Current NMC Registration
- Diploma/Degree in Mental Health Nursing
- Formal post-graduate qualification in a relevant area
- Post graduate training in a relevant clinical speciality such as Accredited courses in Dementia Accreditation of proactive educators
Desirable criteria
- Leadership / Teaching qualification
- Nurse Independent and Supplementary Prescriber Qualification
- Membership of relevant specialist interest group
- Masters degree
Continuous professional development
Essential criteria
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Previous experience
Essential criteria
- At least 5 years experience working within older people’s mental health
- Knowledge and participation in clinical governance relevant to Mental Health
- Experience of completing complex mental capacity assessments and coordinating best interest’s decision frameworks
- Proven clinical leadership ability
- Experience of group teaching and role modelling.
Knowledge Skills and Abilities
Essential criteria
- Highly specialist knowledge of mental health in patients with highly complex needs
- Knowledge of Audit and Research
- Evidence of own self development through CPD I PDP
- Ability to develop others through CPD I PDP I In-service training
- IT skills
- Effective written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent time management
- Flexible and adaptable in order to meet competing priorities
- Able to maintain judgment under pressure and set priorities
- Ability to lead a team
- Ability to autonomously as well as working well within a team
- Knowledge of social services processes
- Willingness to continued professional development
- Ability to pass on skills and knowledge to others - both formally and informally
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria
- Ability to travel between multiple sites efficiently
- UK Driving Licence
- Daily use of a car with business insurance
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Application numbers
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jane Akoko
- Job title
- Specialist Mental Health Practitioner
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07929 185020
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