Job summary
An opportunity has arisen to join the Single Point of Contact team as a band Support Nurse within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The role will provide first line triage to calls and referrals to ensure patients receive the appropriate response from a community clinical teams.
SPC is a contact centre service that supports patients and healthcare professionals to access various community services within the Trust. It is a growing service working across Cheshire and Merseyside and so the role provides great development and progression opportunities within SPC and Mersey Care.
We are a large team inclusive of both clinical and non-clinical staff who are very supportive and have a strong skill mix. We have an excellent training team who will ensure full training is provided. We can also offer hybrid working to successful candidates.
Applicants must be able to work a rota of shifts between the hours of 8am and 5pm Mon-Sun including bank holidays, so flexibility is essential.
Main duties of the job
Suitable applicants will have excellent communication and IT skills. Full training will be provided.
As the service adapts to hybrid working, there will be opportunities to work from home on a rotational basis.
The nurses operate within a contact centre environment providing clinical assessment and advice to patients and carers liaising with other health care professionals including GP and non-medical prescribers to ensure the patient accesses the most appropriate clinical pathway and supporting admission avoidance.
About us
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than million people across our region and are also commissioned for services that cover the North West, North Wales and the Midlands.
We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.
At the heart of all we do is our commitment to 'perfect care' - care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We're currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.
Flexible working requests will be considered for all roles.
Job description
Job responsibilities
1. To assist with the development of the call centre and support the team in developing new pathways within Primary Care and into Secondary Care.
2. To ensure public and professionals are aware of how to access the service
3. To provide individualised information to clients/professionals by telephone in a manner that is appropriate to their needs.
4. Ensure direct, prompt and appropriate referral to nursing teams, nurse specialists, GPs and other professionals were appropriate.
5. To offer alternatives to hospital admission to General Practitioners and to other health and social care professionals
6. The post holder will contribute to the continuous development of the service and raising of service profile across service users.
7. To act as UCD support nurse on health issues, facilitation and delivery of relevant services in unplanned care or as a matter of urgency.
8. Ensure the delivery of the quality strategy within the designated area incorporating establishment of systems and processes.
Principal Responsibilities
Managerial
9. Establish and maintain positive working arrangements and communications with other agencies/services within the community to facilitate effective response and delivery of care.
10. Establish and maintain positive working relationships with relevant personnel within acute trusts.
11. Maintain effective working relationships within the team. Maintain clear lines of communication.
12. Act as support to nurse advisors and call handling staff.
13. Assist with setting objectives and performance targets in conjunction with team members.
14. Collect and collate relevant information to monitor efficiency and effectiveness of the service provided.
15. Contribute towards audit within the service.
16. Work with other agencies/health care professionals to identify pathways/services to prevent patients admission to hospital.
17. Work in a flexible and adaptable manner to minimise risk to patients in an urgent situation.
18. Actively promote the call centre and attend meetings and other relevant events to do so.
Leadership
Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of community services.
Have a Personal Development Plan.
Participate in Clinical Supervision.
Participate in educational activities that support the development of the team and the induction of new staff.
Clinical
To maintain high professional standards, within the NMC Professional Code of Conduct.
Continue to extend the scope of own professional practice by improving and enhancing knowledge and competence.
Contribute towards the development of standards of care, in conjunction with colleagues and demonstrate and encourage good practice.
Ensure accuracy when recording clinical information.
Non-Clinical
Ensure that accurate and timely records are maintained for:
Sickness and Absence
Training and Development of individuals Accidents to Staff
Incident Reporting
Ensure that all staff are aware of and conform to all policies and procedures.
Record and report any complaints and participate in any investigations as required.
Training & Education
Meet the requirements of the Clinical Governance Agenda.
Be responsible for ensuring all interventions/recommendations are recorded and documented.
Monitor outcomes of calls and advice/recommend actions.
Contribute towards the prevention of unnecessary admissions to hospital by developing an effective and successful interface between relevant agencies/services to deliver the best pathway of care to the patient.
Support flexibility and diversity within the service.
Communication
Telephone communication with stakeholders, patients and members of the multidisciplinary team.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
19. Registered Practitioner
Desirable
20. oMentor/teaching qualification, or equivalent, or equivalent work-based experience
Experience
Essential
21. Evidence of clinical experience in relevant field
Desirable
22. Clinical supervision experience
Values
Essential
23. Continuous Improvement
24. Accountability
25. Respectfulness
26. Enthusiasm
27. Support
28. Responsive to service users
29. Engaging leadership style
30. Strong customer service belief
31. Transparency and honesty Discreet
Skills
Essential
32. Awareness of Clinical Governance, patient group directions and associated policies
33. Understanding of audit process
34. Excellent communication, organisational and interpersonal skills
35. Conflict resolution skills
36. IT literate
37. Work as member of a team
38. Ability to travel to work across boundaries
Desirable
39. Understanding of local and national quality initiatives