Job Description

Waddon Ward is a Forensic Intensive Psychological Treatment Service (FIPTS) based at River House, Bethlem Royal Hospital. We are a 15 bedded male medium secure unit offering assessment, treatment and care for offenders with severe and enduring personality disorder. It is one of only two specialist units in the country and sits within the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway. We accept referrals from prisons and high secure hospitals across England and Wales of adult men with a history of violent offending and who have struggled to progress through OPD services.



We are looking for highly skilled, enthusiastic Ward Manager with a desire for self-development. The post holder will be an experienced Nurse who has a keen interest in working with service users with personality disorder and recognises the impact this kind of work may have on the team. You will act as a role model within the service and foster a culture of professional development, team support and excellent standards of care.



Please note vacancy can be closed early once maximum applications received.



You will be expected to lead a team, organise others in their actions and set priorities, objectives and goals within their sphere of responsibility.



You will also be expected to performance manage both the activity & members of the team and be part of a caring and compassionate team that is committed to supporting patients throughout their recovery journey.



It is important for you to be committed to working within a multi professional team, as well as possessing excellent communication, risk assessment and care planning skills. An excellent communicator, you'll be able to build good relationships with patients their families as well be passionate about mental health and supporting forensic patients.



You will be expected to carry out both clinical and managerial supervision and ensure that best practice is embedded in clinical environment as promoting.



We support our staff through a well-structured Trust Induction, Mandatory Training, weekly Reflective Practice, staff meetings, psychosocial meetings and team events such and CPDs.



South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) provide the widest range of NHS mental health services in the UK as well as substance misuse services for people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol. We work closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), King's College London and are part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. There are very few organisations in the world that have such wide-ranging capabilities working with mental illness. Our scope is unique because it is built on three major foundations: care and treatment, science and research, and training.



SLaM employ around 5000 staff and serve a local population of 1.1 million people. We have more than 230 services including inpatient wards, outpatient and community services. Currently, provide inpatient care for approximately 5,300 people each year and treat more than 45,000 patients in the community in Croydon, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark.



By coming to work at SLaM, you will gain experience of being part of an organisation with a rich history and international reputation in mental health care. You will have access to professional development and learning opportunities, and have the chance to work alongside people who are world leaders in their field. SLaM delivered more than 14,000 training experiences in 2014; providing an extensive range of learning opportunities for staff at all levels.

1) Responsibility for Patient Care:

To assess needs. To plan, implement and monitor care in collaboration with the service user, carers, and other members of the multidisciplinary team. To implement care that meets the mental, physical, spiritual, psychological and social needs of the service user, and that is sensitive to age, culture, race, gender, ethnicity, social class, sexuality and disability. To administer medication and psychological treatments with knowledge of contraindications and side effects, and relating accurate information to service users in a format they are able to understand. To demonstrate an understanding of the distress caused by, and social and personal consequences of mental illness for service users and their carers. To actively encourage service users to work towards self-determination and freedom of choice within legal, ethical and professional constraints. To work within policy, professional and legal frameworks at all times. This requires advanced knowledge of NMC Code of Professional Conduct, risk assessment and child protection protocols, Mental Health Act and CPA, and Trust clinical policies.

2) Responsibilities for Clinical Leadership of Patient Care:

To oversee care delivery to a group of service users, working collaboratively with named nurses and MDT members. To oversee named nurses' practice using managerial and clinical supervision, ensuring appropriate standard of practice and competencies. To oversee patient care and to ensure there is no act or omission of practice. To identify good practice, and encourage the dissemination of this across locally. To recognise practice that needs improvement, ensuring appropriate actions are taken to address this in collaboration with the Team Leader. To provide leadership and mentorship for HCAs, support workers, students, and associate primary nurses. To analyse, respond to and lead staff through complex and challenging clinical situations. To demonstrate an ability to investigate incidents and complaints, and to compile reports as required by the Trust.



3) Responsibilities for Communication and Relationships at Work: To understand the importance of relationships to the social and psychological wellbeing of service users. To develop therapeutic relationships which facilitate collaborative working. To actively promote relationships with colleagues that support open communication and collaborative working, taking personal responsibility for one's contribution to the process of MDT working. To maintain a high standard of written communication, recording appropriate events and observations in accordance with Trust policies and the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. To maintain confidentiality of information in accordance with Trust policies and the NMC Code of Professional Conduct.



4) Responsibilities for Clinical Environment and Service Development: To understand the responsibilities of shift co-ordination, and to take responsibility for care delivery in a specific area for spans of duty, including maintaining a safe clinical environment. To contribute to the provision of a safe clinical environment which promotes the dignity of service users. To handle service users' property and money in accordance with Trust policies. To participate in service evaluations, benchmarking, research and audit activities, and to contribute to implementation of service modernisation and improvement projects. To contributes to meeting the strategic targets and the needs of the Directorate and Trust, which include financial, workforce development, demand and capacity and outcome monitoring issues.



5) Responsibilities for Self Awareness and Professional Development: To develop an understanding of and demonstrate skill in the supervision process through one's own supervision, and in the provision of supervision to junior staff and students. To provide mentorship and professional supervision to junior staff, and assessment of student nurses. To support mentors in developing their mentorship skills. To actively participate in teaching and learning activities within the service. To account for one's own professional practice in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, and to maintain requirements for regular re-registration. To demonstrate an ability to identify areas for personal development to improve and enhance knowledge and skills. To participate in the Preceptorship process. To be physically capable of fulfilling the role, and able to work throughout a 24-hour shift system. To demonstrate an awareness of the effects of and one's own limitations in fulfilling some aspects of the role on the mental wellbeing of oneself, and demonstrate ability to seek assistance and guidance from colleagues. To show self-awareness and an ability to reflect and discuss emotions and thoughts in relation to care of service users.

6) Responsibilities for Management Role:

To be an effective clinical leader and role model with good delegation and supervisory abilities. To identify clinical need, prioritising and deploying resources within budgetary parameters. To co-ordinate staff deployment in off duty and monitoring annual leave, sickness and study days within the parameters of Improved Working Lives. To fulfil the role of unit coordinator in River House medium secure unit on a rota basis To jointly undertake the recruitment and retention of staff within the relevant trust HR policies. To support the Ward Team Leader in ensuring that Personal Development Reviews and Appraisals take place for all staff and that identified training needs are met. Demonstrating an understanding of and contributing to disciplinary and other Human Resource processes.