Job responsibilities
To provide specialist nursing care for children and young people at Vranch House School, a special school setting with complex physical, medical and health needs. The post holder will work autonomously and as part of the multidisciplinary team to assess, plan, deliver and review care, advocate for children and families, support parents and carers to make informed decisions, and contribute to palliative and bereavement care with compassion, professionalism and sensitivity.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as an advocate for children and young people with complex physical and health needs, ensuring their views, best interests and individual needs remain central to all assessment, planning and delivery of care.
• Work in partnership with parents, carers and families, providing clear, sensitive and evidence-informed information to support them to make informed decisions about their child's health, care and wellbeing.
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate nursing care for children and young people with complex, chronic and life-limiting conditions within the special school environment.
• Develop, implement and regularly review individual healthcare plans, risk assessments and emergency care plans in collaboration with families, education staff and relevant professionals.
• Provide skilled clinical care and delegated nursing interventions for children with complex needs, including the management of medical procedures, long-term conditions and changing health needs.
• Collaboration with specialist services and the multi-disciplinary team in regard to palliative and end of life care, ensuring compassionate, child-centred and family-centred support.
• Provide sensitive support to bereaved families and contribute to ongoing care and communication following the death of a child, working within local pathways and professional boundaries.
• Work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team with education staff, therapists, community children's nurses, paediatricians, palliative care services, social care and other agencies to provide coordinated, holistic care.
• Attend and contribute to multidisciplinary meetings, reviews and case discussions, sharing specialist nursing knowledge and ensuring continuity and consistency of care.
• Support school staff through training, advice and competency-based teaching in relation to children's healthcare needs, emergency procedures and delegated clinical tasks.
• Identify safeguarding concerns and act in accordance with local safeguarding policies and procedures, maintaining accurate documentation and timely escalation where required.
• Maintain high standards of record keeping, communication and confidentiality in line with NMC standards, organisational policy and legal requirements.
• Promote dignity, inclusion, participation and equality for children, young people and families, recognising the emotional, social and practical impact of complex health needs.
• Support transition planning for children and young people moving between services, educational settings or stages of care.
• Participate in clinical governance, audit, service development, supervision and continuing professional development to maintain and improve quality of care.
• Provide Health promotion and Infection control guidance to staff in our school setting.

Person Specification

• Registered Nurse with current NMC registration, ideally with experience in children's nursing, community children's nursing or special school nursing.
• Experience of working with children and young people with complex physical, medical and/or life-limiting conditions.
• Ability to communicate with empathy and sensitivity in highly emotional situations, including palliative care, end of life care and bereavement support.
• Experience of working in partnership with families and supporting shared decision-making.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, care planning, risk assessment and multidisciplinary working.
• Ability to work independently and prioritise effectively while contributing positively to team working.
• Experience preferred, of teaching, advising and supporting staff in relation to clinical care and health needs.
• Commitment to equality, inclusion, professional development and high-quality child and family-centred care.

Qualifications
Essential

• Post registration experience of nursing.
• Adult or Child Nursing Registration.
• Competence to manage the complex health needs of pupils at our school, providing specialist assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care.
• Confidence and ability to deliver ongoing training and delegation of tasks to staff, considered competent.
• Undertake and oversee clinical procedures such as: Enteral feeding, gastrostomy/jejunostomy, NGT, Tracheostomy care, Knowledge of Seizure management plans and rescue medication, Medication administration, Respiratory support and suctioning, Continence and bowel care, and providing support for Intermittent catheterisation.
• Develop, review, and update emergency care plans.
• Provide clinical triage and respond to health concerns arising during the school day.
• Ensure safe delegation of clinical tasks to trained school staff in line with NMC standards.
• Act as a key health professional in safeguarding processes, attending: Child protection conferences, Core groups, EHCP reviews, Multi agency meetings.
• Identify and escalate safeguarding concerns in line with local policies.
• Contribute to risk assessments for pupils with complex medical needs.
• Ensure compliance with infection prevention and control standards.
• Work closely with: Paediatricians, Therapists (OT, physio, SALT), Community nursing teams, Social care, Education of staff and leadership skills.
• Support families and staff through clear communication, health education, and signposting.
• Participate in EHCP processes and contribute to statutory documentation.
• Ability to be responsible and accountable for own practice and to maintain NMC registration.
• Commitment to personal and reflective practice.
• Self-motivation, positivity and enthusiasm.
• Empathetic, and dedicated to best practise.
• To be flexible and approachable, dependable and have good time management skills.
• The successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced disclosure by the Disclosure & Barring Service. This is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Desirable

• Experience of nursing children and young people with special educational needs.
• Interest in special educational needs.
• Knowledge of complex health needs.

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration.