Job summary
This is an exciting opportunity to work within our Twickenham and Richmond Integrated Recovery Hubs as a Nursing Associate. The service offers provides care and treatment for working age adults with severe and enduring mental illness who live in the borough of Richmond.

This is a great opportunity to join one of our passionate and forward thinking teams, develop skills, and enhance your overall career pathway.

You will be a member of a multi-disciplinary team that aims to provide high quality community-based care to a diverse population, committed to new ways of working, challenging stigma and promoting recovery.

Only qualified/soon to be qualified nursing associates will be considered.

Main duties of the job
The nursing associate role works closely with band 6 clinic nurses delivering mental and physical health intervention in our busy clozapine, depot and cardio metabolic assessment (CMA) clinics. The role requires someone who has a high level of physical health skills, a good understanding of mental health and relevant mental health interventions and is keen to drive forward quality improvement and innovation. In addition, the role requires someone who is flexible and who can work both autonomously and under direct supervision.

About us
We are Proud to Belong at South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust.

We have expert services, a rich history and a clear commitment to providing the best quality care for those with mental ill-health. The Care Quality Commission already rates our services as 'good' - we aspire to be 'outstanding'.

This is a great time to join us. We are transforming the way we care for our communities to support our mission of Making Life Better Together. We have built two brand new mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital, which are amongst the best in the world. More developments are planned across our sites and services as we invest a further £120m to upgrade and modernise our estate by 2027.

We are inclusive and diverse and strive to be actively anti racist. We want to attract people from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich the work we do together. We are proud to co-produce and involve our local communities in all that we do.

We offer flexible working, career development and a variety of benefits to enable a positive, welcoming environment in which our people and their careers can thrive.

Come and join our inclusive teams and help our patients on their recovery journey.

Job responsibilities

• Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading on implementing the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.
• Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.
• Escorting service users, as required, in line with Trust policies.
• Facilitating the admission and discharge of service users, ensuring needs of the patient are met including activities such as property checks, orientation to services, and ensuring that community support needs are met.
• Advocating for service users needs and rights within Trust policy. Encouraging and empowering service users to have an optimum level of responsibility for their individual programme of care.
• Subject to the requirements of a particular service area and within the confines of the role, following trust policy/government regulatory guidance and upon successful completion of an approved programme of study and competency assessment signed by ward manager for the clinical area, the post-holder will administer routine medications.
• Supporting and ensuring the day-to-day smooth running of the clinical area. This will include coordinating and prioritising activities.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in job applications
If you have used AI to support the preparation of your application, please briefly indicate how it was used within your supporting statement or application form.
Please remember, your application is your opportunity to tell us about your skills, experience and motivation for the role. We encourage applicants to complete their application and supporting statement in their own words wherever possible. We recognise that AI tools can be helpful in supporting accessibility, and for improving spelling, grammar and structure.
Applications that rely heavily on AI-generated content can become generic and fail to accurately reflect an applicant's individual experience. Applications that clearly demonstrate your own voice, reflections and experiences are often the most effective and help us better understand your suitability for the role.
Please be aware that information provided in your application and supporting statement may be explored further during the selection process. It is important that all applications accurately represent your own knowledge, skills and experience.

Person Specification
Experience & Knowledge
Essential

• Understanding of the scope of the role of the Nursing Associate in context of the nursing and interdisciplinary team and the organisation, and how the role may contribute to service development.
• Understands and acts in line with NMC professional standards for practice contained within The Code.
• Knowledge of when to seek advice and escalate to the appropriate professional for expert help and advice.
• Experience of working in teams under appropriate supervision as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Understanding of the importance of following procedures and treatment plans.

Desirable

• Experience in different clinical care settings
• Experience in supervision of staff.

Training & Qualification
Essential

• Registered Nursing Associate on the NMC register.
• Nursing Associate foundation degree qualification.
• English and Mathematics basic qualifications (e.g. GCSE at Grade C or above, New GCSE Grade 4-9 in Maths and English Language or evidence of Level 2 in Functional skills for numeracy and literacy).

Skills & Abilities
Essential

• Ability to develop effective and appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues.
• Able to provide quality care that is responsive to service user's needs, with supervision available but not always present, and acting on own initiative, within protocols, policies and care plans.
• Able to plan and co-ordinate and prioritise own and team work within a shift system.
• Communications skills - receiving and conveying sensitive information, with staff and with service users and able to keep accurate records. Knowing when to escalate concerns and to whom
• Ability to positively engage distressed individuals and de-escalate highly- aroused situations
• Advocates for all individuals, within professional boundaries and trust policies, particularly those with protected characteristics; promotes equality and diversity.

Desirable

• Vital Signs, Phlebotomy.
• Experience in facilitating groups.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details
Employer name
South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS Trust

Address
Livingston House
2 Queen's Rd
Teddington
TW11 0LB
United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.swlstg.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Team manager
Jacinter Nyamitara
jacinter.nyamitara@swlstg.nhs.uk
07548800365