Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1)      To provide specialist  nursing input for adults with a diagnosis of a learning disability (LD) and/or Autism (ASD) who also experience additional mental illness, co-morbid neurodevelopmental conditions, or behaviours which challenge and who have had contact with forensic services. This will include assessment, including risk, planning and implementing care and interventions and evaluating in conjunction with the service user, the carer, MDT and other agencies

2)      Provide specialist knowledge on forensic mental health across all SLaM boroughs through active follow up of a defined caseload as well as providing expert advice and consultation e.g. CMHT's, Community LD teams, Community Forensic mental health teams, courts, police liaison meetings, probation and mental health hostels.

3)      To liaise with, advise and support carers, community based mental health workers, inpatient services, support workers and primary healthcare team members. To liaise effectively with all concerned parties including GPs about CPAs, management, possible risks and contingency strategies for service users

4)      To work effectively within a multi-disciplinary context whilst maintaining the unique perspective and contribution of mental health and learning disability nursing

5)      Ensure that all service users have documented service/care plans which are reviewed and evaluated on a regular basis and that service users have copies of their care plans

6)      Manage a caseload of enhanced CPA clients acting as a care co-ordinator. Attending clinical meetings, CPN meetings, referral meetings, professional meetings as appropriate to the service user

7)      To mentor allocated RMN/RNLD student nurses and joint practitioner students. To participate in the induction of new team members

8)      To maintain accurate user documentation, establishing priorities, organising time and resources to ensure safe and effective standards to monitor/document care

9)      To actively participate in the setting, monitoring and maintenance of evidence based nursing practice and standards of care, through nursing research and clinical audits

10)   Through regular appraisal and supervision, review, maintain and promote your own professional development. Undertake regular supervision of own case load with team leader or other identified professional and ensure this is accurately recorded

11)   To act as an accountable professional in line with the NMC code of Professional Conduct and with relevant legislation

Clinical Care:

1)      To manage a defined caseload of complex and challenging clients who present as high risk and will have demonstrated this through the nature and gravity of their offending. 

2)      Demonstrate effective and innovative advanced communication skills with people with a learning disability and/or ASD and their family and/or carers

3)      Provide care co-ordination and joint working for a designated caseload of community clients who have committed serious offences and may be subject to formal statutory supervision e.g. conditionally discharged by the Home Office

4)      Develop and implement evidence based interventions in the management of patients in the community including acting in the capacity as social supervisor and care co-ordinator.

5)      Employ a person-centred approach to communication providing Easy Read or alternative formats, where appropriate, to promote understanding and ability for the person to make an informed choice about their care

6)      Encounter distressing accounts of offending behaviour whilst undertaking assessments as well as in the course of your day to day duties e.g. extreme violence or of serious sexual assault

7)      To participate in the assessment and screening of mentally disordered offenders at the Magistrates' Court and to provide a range of interventions and where necessary provide oral evidence

8)      Provide monitoring of out of area placements ensuring attendance at CPA's which may involve travelling nationally and providing written reports to the Borough Forensic Meetings

9)      To provide specialist input and advice to forensic mental hostels within 4 SLaM Boroughs

10)   Occasional/frequent exposure to distressing, volatile and unpredictable situations e.g. verbal and challenging behaviour.

11)   Demonstrate cultural awareness and sensitivity to all people, with consideration of and attending to equality and diversity, when meeting the population health needs and leading on the promotion of health equalities.

12)   Demonstrate an understanding of and an ability to critically reflect upon the potential impact of unconscious bias on clinical interventions and be cognisant of health inequalities experienced by people with a learning disability .

13)   Promote the mental health and well-being of people with a learning disability  in conjunction with mental health professionals and General Practitioners

14)   To identifying needs, mental capacity and ensuring identifiable safeguarding issues are actioned and processes implemented.

15)   Develop innovative strategies for effective co-production with people with a learning disability learning disability and/or ASD, their families, and carers. To understand and engage in  positive behaviour support (PBS) strategies to support care and improve quality of life.

16)   Be cognisant of the processes of incident reporting, incident reviews and learning from deaths - Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) NHSE/I 2019 which now includes reviewing the deaths of autistic adults.

17)   Work collaboratively with multi professional agencies, to ensure access to health

care meets the individual’s health and wellbeing needs across the life span, including sexual health, long term co-morbidities and end of life care.

18)   Provide support to other professionals to ensure a consistent and seamless health care approach across health and social care sectors for all individuals.

19)   Ensure that capacity and best interest decisions involve the person with the learning disability  in a way that they can express their views and understand the decision to be made.

20)   Monitor the risk of a potential crisis for people with a learning disability and/or ASD. Initiate and augment interventions; support and collaborate with all appropriate agencies to reduce the risk of harm and unplanned admission to hospital.

21)   To maintain confidentiality in accordance with the agreed policies, procedures and protocols of the South London and Maudsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

22)   Actively promote the healthcare needs of people with a learning disability and/or ASD in line with the requirements set out in ‘Valuing People Now’, the NHS Improvement Standards for learning disability, Autism Act and the NHS Long Term Plan. 

23)   To facilitate access to mainstream health services where appropriate and using tools such as Hospital Passports and individual health action plans.

24)   Facilitate and enable people with a learning disability and/or ASD to have a better understanding of their health needs, through co-production of appropriate strategies to support them and their carers/families to develop their own skills to manage their individual mental or physical health needs

Clinical Governance:

1)      All staff are responsible for identifying areas within their service, which do not meet clinical governance quality standards

2)      All staff are expected to participate in clinical governance actions to achieve clinical governance within their service

3)      All clinicians are expected to participate in Care Improvement System, including clinical audit programmes.

Service Developments:

1)         Attend all team meetings and carry out all principal duties of the team in accordance with the team’s operational policy

2)         Develop supportive working relationships with other service providers.

3)         Provide specialist clinical advice to all members of the FIND, to ensure the highest standards of client care are maintained

4)         Support primary and secondary health care services to meet the needs of people with a learning disability and/or ASD

5)         Keep up to date with current trends in learning disability and mental health nursing and the impact of current health and social care community legislation

Education & training of others

1)         Participate in the teaching and supervision of students on placement within the team.  Act as a mentor to student nurses; be familiar with their educational needs and requirements of their current practice

2)         Participate in and educational role to nursing and non-nursing disciplines.

3)         Maintain and develop expertise in caring for people with learning disabilities, by regularly updating ones own knowledge by reading relevant books, journals and so forth, by attending relevant conferences and courses and participating in In-service training when requested or required

Administrative and managerial responsibilities:

1)         Ensure that all principal duties are carried out in line with the agreed policies, procedures of the South London and Maudsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

2)         Ensure effective communication between Forensic Mental Health services, Learning Disability services,  General Mental Health services and the Criminal Justice System keeping within agreed protocols on information sharing and confidentiality.

3)         Maintain the welfare and safety of service users and staff with due regard to accident reporting and the Health and Safety at work Act.

4)         To provide oral evidence to the Magistrates' courts as required, as part of the psychiatric assessment service.

5)         Participate when necessary in acting up or across in the FIND services.  To ensure that arrangement is made with the FIND Team lead to cover caseload during periods of absence or leave.

6)         Assist the FIND team lead/FIND colleagues in all aspects of community nursing.