Job summary
The Specialist Nurse Practitioner - Learning Disability Nurse for Community Learning Disability Services will provide direct clinical care to adults with learning disabilities and highly complex needs, assessing, planning, and implementing care across community teams; maintaining associated healthcare records and evaluating both their own care, and that of junior staff where required.

Main duties of the job

• Develop positive working relationships to influence development of best practice
• Facilitate collaborative approaches and networking, active presence, and contribution at Forums
• Formulation, care planning and care delivery where information is highly complex, sensitive, and often contentious
• Work with peers in the Trust and partners in other organisations to develop and support good practice across the Trust and develop and maintain professional nursing standards.
• Acts as a clinical expert in providing highly complex advice direction and leadership to clinical and professional colleagues in the teams
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of key Nursing practice development needs in relation to healthcare for people with Learning Disabilities.
• Involvement in practice development and innovation in an area relevant to Learning Disability Nursing Practice, including development and review of Clinical Pathways.
• Support the implementation of approved outcome measures which support the development of nursing practice.
• Ensure that practice in relation to supporting people with learning disabilities reflects best nursing practice and is compliant with relevant NICE Guidelines.
• Take the lead in motivating and negotiating with others to support service improvements and overcome barriers and/or resistance to change.

About us
The Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (LYPFT) is the main provider of Mental Health and Learning Disability services in Leeds. We also provide specialist inpatient services in York and some highly specialised services across the country. As a teaching trust with strong links to local universities, we are a centre of excellence for teaching, research and development.

Details
Date posted: 09 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 173-33926-LDS
Job locations: St. Mary’s Hospital, Leeds, LS12 3QE

Job responsibilities

• Contribute to critical incident reviews and investigations as required supporting the process and the identification of learning outcomes. This will include working with sensitive and/or complex information and issues at times.
• Actively support the development and implementation of processes which will enable the learning from Critical Incident Reviews to be reviewed and disseminated through local governance systems
• Escalate areas of concern regarding practice to the Lead Nurse/ Matron. This may include sensitive and/or difficult issues.
• Lead on the dissemination and communication of knowledge gained from research and evidence, ensuring it informs clinical practice.
• Involvement with both clinical audit and Research and Development Activity, developing clinical audits and relevant to Learning Disability Nursing Practice, Support people with complex and serious health issues secondary to their learning disability, which may include Mental Illness, Physical Health or Challenging Behaviour.
• Hold a caseload of complex service users, assess and proactively managing risk.
• Assess care needs in response to highly complex presentations and responding to these, developing highly specialised programmes / packages of care.
• Accountable for assessing, planning, and implementing care across community teams
• Maintain associated healthcare records and evaluating both their own care, and that of junior staff where required.
• Provide specialist training for Learning disability nurses in the Community teams
• Provide a significant level of direct clinical practice, participating in clinical work within Learning Disability Services
• Utilise effective leadership skills, teaching, facilitation, and presentation skills.
• To participate in recruitment and selection of Nursing staff.
• Provide supervision and management of staff/Supervise staff from a range of different professional groups, working across professional and organisational boundaries
• Deal with highly sensitive and contentious information regarding staff performance.
• Undertake investigations into professional conduct of staff with support of HR Department
• Provide professional nursing advice to support investigations under a range of Trust processes including Disciplinary, Personal Responsibility, Capability and Attendance at Work. This will include sensitive information relating to fitness to practice.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse- Learning Disability
• Evidence of post qualification development to degree level, or similar gained through experience and significant experience in a community or similar setting
• Mentorship or Teaching qualification

Desirable

• Positive behaviour support qualification

Experience
Essential

• Have evidence of experience and up to date training relating to Learning disability community care practice, local and national issues.
• Extensive experience of supervising other staff.

Values
Desirable

• Tell us about a time when you spotted something small going wrong and did something to stop it becoming a bigger issue.
• Tell us about a time when you realised a colleague or someone you know needed a bit of support and you offered to help.
• Tell us about a time when you showed someone kindness or understanding.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details
Employer name: Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Address: St. Mary’s Hospital, Leeds, LS12 3QE
Employer's website: https://www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: 01138555345, Sharon Hayman, sharon.hayman2@nhs.net