Clozapine Community Titration TeamWe are excited to announce that due to the expansion of the Community Clozapine Titration Team.....
Clozapine Community Titration Team
We are excited to announce that due to the expansion of the Community Clozapine Titration Team (CCTT) we are a recruiting additional band 6 registered nurses. The post is open to both mental health nurses and general adult nurses with a current registration. This is an excellent opportunity to become part of a highly-skilled team to facilitate the expansion and development of our current community clozapine service Trust wide.
Previous applicants need not apply
1 x permanent posts
Short listing planned for 8th Dec 2023
The role requires the successful candidate to complete physical health assessment and side-effect monitoring during clozapine initiation/re-titration.
The role will be both community and clinic based dependent on service need.
The CCTT works closely with our community mental health teams (CMHTs) and in-patient services to facilitate community titration/re-titration, early discharge support and support/advice to our neighbouring acute Trusts. The service is operational Monday to Sunday 9-9pm . Shifts available include; 9am to 9pm, 9am to 5pm and 1pm to 9pm, again this will be dependent on service need. The service is a nurse-led and provides high-quality evidence-based care. Furthermore, the team also provides clozapine teaching/training sessions to university students and Merseycare Foundation Trust staff. Comprehensive training will be provided for the successful candidate, however, knowledge of clozapine initiation/re-titration will be an advantage.
• Car driver or access to a transport method that fits with clinical requirements of the service which involves visiting patients across diverse locations within a designated time-frame
Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.
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.
The post holder will be responsible, for providing physical health monitoring and side effect monitoring for people being titrated on to clozapine in the community, including completing physical observations, venepuncture and ECG’s . The post holder will also be required to
complete annual physical health checks inline with the community requirements and the national guidance in clinic or at the service user’s home address.
2. The post holder will be expected to be a good team member, working within the MDT teach and acting as a positive role model in clinical practice, to work autonomously, reaching clinically appropriate decisions based on information received and using the knowledge and experience of the multi disciplinary team, in line with local policy guidance.
3. To provide managerial responsibilities for the junior staff members of the physical health team, including management of sickness and absence, PACE and supervision.
4. Requiring excellent communication skills and interpersonal effectiveness. Able to liaise across the multi-disciplinary team, attend ward rounds and risk manage the physical health care needs of the patient’s inline with policy guidance.
5. Liaising with external agencies in primary care to provide appropriate sign posting for conditions such as diabetes, COPD, cardiovascular conditions, hypertension and obesity and side effects
associated with clozapine.
Clinical
1. To coordinate the physical care of service users titrated and maintained on clozapine. To manage blood results and actions needed when results are outside normal parameters by following policy and national guidance. To escalate concerns around service users physical health to the MDT and primary care services if needed.
2. To offer ECG’s and venepuncture to all service users using the clinic or referred into the clinic
using the policy guidance.
3. To ensure that the service user’s physical health care plan is developed to meet the assessed need of the individual and that other staff are delivering care as laid down in the care plan. To ensure that all relevant information with regards to a service user’s care and treatment is
documented accurately and legibly into the health record. To liaise significant others when completing the assessment and treatment of care to the service user.
4. To direct other staff in order to ensure delivery of a high standard of physical care to service users.
5. To participate in setting physical health standards for care based on sound evidence based and research findings and up to date guidance for clozapine titration and re-titration.
6. To participate in the systematic monitoring and evaluation of service users that you have responsibility for with guidance from a supervisor.
7. To communicate with other members of the multi-disciplinary team to ensure the communication of any relevant information that has an impact on the service user’s physical care.
8. To use verbal and non-verbal communication skills gained through training or experience to impart sensitive information.
9. To check understanding of information where there are often barriers to effective communications due to distress, mental state or where English is not the first language.
10. To use skills gained through training and experience to give and receive information to other individuals with regards to a service users care in the reviews and multi-disciplinary meetings. These individuals may be external to the Trust.
11. To take responsibility for the safe administration of medication to service users ensuring that the Trust policies and procedures and the Nursing & Midwifery Councils regulations are adhered to.
12. To ensure that all relevant information with regards to a service users care and treatment is documented accurately and legibly into the health record. To supervise and monitor the entries made by unqualified staff.
13. To under the guidance of a supervisor provide reports both in written and verbal formats as requested e.g. for a service user multi disciplinary team meeting or CPA review.
14. To contribute to teaching sessions in order to pass on knowledge and skills.
15. To ensure that all incidents or near misses are documented as per Trust policy and that any follow up action is taken.
16. To actively participate in service user reviews ensuring that service user needs are met and that the team has all the relevant information on which to base their clinical decisions.
17. To develop care plans that enable service users to reach and maintain their optimum level of health and well-being to help them to obtain their optimum health.
18. To react pro-actively in cases of service user physical health crisis and put in place immediate plans to resolve the situation with supervision and guidance as appropriate.
19. To assist in the assessment and supervision of nursing and other students.
20. To assess and monitor the physical health of service users, seeking advice and support from medical staff as appropriate.
21. To actively participate in team meetings in order to positively influence team working and the development of research based practice.
22. To participate in the induction of new staff.
23. To maintain safe custody of medicines, sharps and other clinical equipment.
24. To manage own time and workload, prioritising work appropriately.
This advert closes on Thursday 7 Dec 2023
