Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication Skills and Working Relationships:

Promote effective communication within the team.

Support with the provision of bespoke “on-the-job” coaching training to ward teams with regards to individualised and therapeutic interventions for patients who require enhanced care, role modelling to staff as part of their development.

Collaborative working with ward teams, assessing and reviewing patients requiring a higher enhanced level of care.

Analytical and Judgement Skills:

Use specialist clinical judgment to identify appropriate care from a range of options for the patient, having undertaken a full mental health assessment.

Review blood results and medication during assessments, using judgment to identify appropriate escalation route

Planning and Organisational Skills:

Coordinate and manage the daily allocation of the Enhanced Care Team caseload

Hold the bleep/phone for first point of contact for the Enhanced Care Team.  Frequent interruptions with unpredictable workload.

Freedom to Act:

Undertake completion of mental health assessments, including assessment of risk and vulnerability

Provide an initial response to complaints and queries and have a working awareness of SWFT complaints procedure escalating as required.

Management Responsibility:

Operational day to day management responsibility of the Enhanced Care Team Support Workers using leadership skills and adherence to Trust Policy and Values to ensure the effective delivery of activity.

Role modelling effective use of de-escalation techniques which may include communication, self-regulation, assessment, actions, and safety maintenance to reduce the risk of harm to patients, relatives/carers, visitors and staff.

Plan the provision of day-to-day organisational tasks

Line management responsibility, monitoring performance with the use of appraisal, and regular one to one meeting. Deal with immediate issues concerned with staff sickness and absence

Oversee the standard of care being delivered by the Enhanced Care Team.

Responsibility for Patient Care:

Take an active role in the risk assessment and planning of patient care in collaboration with the ward teams and supporting implementation of strategies to minimise risk, assessing and interpreting complex health/social needs   of patients, reassessing as appropriate

Help with decisions and treatment plans within local guidelines / protocols to manage acute and chronic illness and respond to actual and potential health problems appropriately

Signposting an ensuring early referral to community services/specialist teams and health facilitation.

Provide expert, autonomous and highly specialist clinical practice to include initial assessment and formulation of plans. Ensure clinical care and treatment plans are high quality and are based on a holistic assessment of need and have a plan for discharge from the point of admission

Undertake holistic clinical assessment and triaging following referral of patients to the Enhanced Care Team.

Undertake venepuncture, cannulation, catheterisation, medication rounds as required as part of ongoing nursing care.

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development:

Contribute to the writing of policy and procedure documents relating to enhanced care and support.

Participate in the development of evidence-based policies and procedures.

Role model the Trust values, demonstrating a person-centred approach to service delivery and development

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources:

Support specialist education and training both classroom and ward-based learning.

Ordering stock for the team as required.

Manage the team roster, making adjustments as necessary, signing off timesheets for the team.

Responsibility for Information Resources:

Ensure there is robust risk assessment of referrals to inform clinical decision

Ensure accurate records are maintained reflecting changes in the patient’s treatment and interventions relevant to the care delivered by the service.

Responsibility for Research and Development:

To assist in the development of quality initiatives such as audit, evidence-based practice and risk management within a culture of continuous quality improvements.

Maintain accurate and concise patient records that produce statistical data for the purpose of evaluation and development of the service.

Physical Skills/Physical Effort:

Occasional requirement for moderate effort e.g. manoeuvring patients

Mental Effort:

Use advanced sensory skills to listen to patients, understanding unspoken needs from potentially challenging behaviours.

Emotional Effort:

Deal with occasional highly distressing or emotional circumstance, e.g. safeguarding issues, challenging behaviour