Community Staff Nurse

Are you a nurse looking for a supportive team and the opportunity to develop new skills?

This is an exciting time to join the community nursing service in Merton. We are developing new community pathways which will support the delivery of more care in people’s homes, and to enable us to do this we have a range of new learning and development opportunities available through the CLCH Academy.

We are looking for a nurse with a genuine interest in continuing to develop skills in community nursing. We have a good track record of supporting newly qualified nurses, return to practice nurses, and nurses transitioning into the community from other settings including acute care. You must be able to work flexibly according to service needs and have excellent organisational, time management and communication skills.

We are based Merton Civic Centre in Morden, please get in touch if you would like to arrange an informal visit and meet the team.

To provide skilled nursing care working under the supervision of the Community Nurse Team Lead and Deputy Team Lead to patients in a variety of community settings.

The post holder will undertake community nursing duties involving delivery of nursing services and holistic assessments of patients health needs using a person centred approach. This includes providing quality and seamless nursing care to housebound patients and being proactive in co-ordinating their care needs as appropriate, avoiding unnecessary admission to hospital or long term care institutions. In addition, the post holder will be involved in facilitating self-care for patients with long term conditions, health promotion and innovative activities and projects that enhance patient service delivery.

Central London Community Healthcare (CLCH) is one of the largest community healthcare organisations in London and Hertfordshire, providing our services to diverse communities/boroughs in 11 London Boroughs - Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Richmond, Wandsworth, Westminster - and Hertfordshire.

• To give skilled nursing care, based on principles of best practice and clinical evidence. This includes: Chronic disease management, end of life care, continence promotion and wound management. Specific skills include phlebotomy, administration of medication via syringe drivers and intravenous therapy, PEG management, urinary catheterisation and tracheostomy suctioning.
• Act as a Named Nurse with the support and supervision of the DN Team Lead. To take continued responsibility for the holistic health needs assessment including care planning, evaluation and appropriate implementation of health care and ensuring continuity of care following referral from acute care, rehabilitation units, GPs and other agencies.
• Undertake comprehensive assessment of the physical, psychological and social care needs of patients using the Single Assessment Process and including the needs of carers. To provide individualised and person centred care plans that provide monitoring and promotion of self-care to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions
• Act as the patient’s advocate and to facilitate the patient’s own choices with regard to nursing care, promoting independence and self-care, as appropriate.
• To identify and record new problems and other relevant information reporting back to the DN Team Lead as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate, comprehensive and contemporaneous records in accordance with Trust and NMC guidelines.
• Liaise with, and where appropriate initiate referrals, to ensure adequate care and support to patients and carers.
• To provide information and support to patients, relatives and other carers that promotes and optimises positive health.
• Undertake health promotion and disease prevention activities such as flu immunisation, advice on stopping smoking, falls prevention, dietary advice and foot health.
• To have knowledge of, and be able to effectively use local services and resources to promote patient care. For example specialist services.
• To ensure the safe handling of body fluids and contaminated sharps.
• Be alert to the needs of vulnerable adults including risk assessment and taking appropriate action when required.
• To develop and utilise specialist nursing skills such as leg ulcer assessment and management, syringe driver set up, intravenous drug administration, continence assessment, and palliative care.
• Support patients and their carers with managing their medicines and undertaking medicines management reviews as directed.
• To provide care to people with long term conditions undertaking reviews in accordance with the individual patient care plan and with support of more experienced colleagues as required.
• Undertake nutritional assessments and advise and support patients with their nutritional needs. For example PEG feeds.

Please refer to the attached Job Description for full list of responsibilities.

As an NHS Trust we strongly encourage and support vaccination uptake as this remains the best line of defence against COVID-19.