Job responsibilities
Floating
Support Nurse
Reports
To: Birchwood
Registered Manager/Clinical Lead
Grade
/Salary: £30,000 per annum
Location:
Birkenhead
Hours: 37.5 hours per week (3x12
hour shifts) Day/Night shifts required
Background and service:
Kaleidoscope is an innovative substance misuse treatment
provider that delivers quality community and residential services across Wales
and England.
Birchwood is our flagship residential treatment unit
that provides evidenced-based and medically managed detoxification services to
dependent alcohol and drug users. The unit has capacity for 20 bed spaces and
provides both clinical and therapeutic treatment packages. Referrals are accepted from community drug
and alcohol services across the UK.
For
alcohol dependence, Birchwood supports service users who are assessed as
suitable for residential detoxification, providing a safe and supervised
withdrawal from alcohol. Service users will be screened for clinical dependence
in line with ICD-10 diagnostic criteria to assess suitability, using the
Severity of Alcohol Dependence Questionnaire (SADQ).
For Opiate dependence,
Birchwood supports service users who are assessed as suitable for residential
detoxification using methadone, buprenorphine and lofexidine
Role
Purpose:
The post holder will be a Registered Nurse RMN or RGN.
They will have working knowledge and experience of both drug and alcohol
detoxification and treatment programmes with an understanding of both clinical
and psychosocial aspects of care.
The post holder will be
responsible for the delivery of clinical
treatment services, working closely and in partnership with clinical,
therapeutic and support staff in order to deliver a package of integrated,
holistic support. They will support prescribing plans
for patients admitted to the unit and will act as a point of contact for colleagues
around prescribing issues.
The Nurse will work under the guidance of the Clinical Lead and will be
responsible for the supporting of patients admitted to the unit. This will
include treatment planning, titration and monitoring, alongside other clinical
interventions. They will support
in assessing, planning and implementing clinical care whilst supporting service
users general health needs. They will appropriately respond to clinical
emergencies, assessing and managing risk as appropriate.
There will
be a responsibility to ensure the safe and efficient administration of
controlled drugs and general healthcare medications to service users with a
responsibility for the maintenance of stock levels and adherence to legal
recording requirements.
The post holder will deliver all services in line with Kaleidoscopes Operational Policies and
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensuring
that care is safe, undertaken to a high standard and informed by up-to-date practice. The post holder should therefore be committed to
evidence-based practice, sound clinical governance and continual improvement.
The post holder should enjoy face-to-face contact with
people who have recognised that their use of substances has become problematic.
They will have excellent communication skills, be able to work closely with
other multi-disciplinary agencies and flexibly and efficiently within a team,
to ensure services are delivered equitably and at times to suit the client. They
will have a non-judgmental approach to people who have substance misuse
problems and be able to provide a welcoming and accessible service to existing
and potential service users.
All Birchwood workers will be required to work evenings and
weekends where required. Individual and
clinical supervision will be provided six weekly for one to two hours as
required. There will be an induction period, during which training will be provided
in specific areas.
Key Duties and
Responsibilities:
The Nurse will:
Undertake comprehensive
clinical assessments and screening.
Carry a caseload
of service users being prescribed medication.
Deliver a
comprehensive prescribing service for patients admitted for alcohol or drug
dependence
Ensure case notes
and other statutory records are up to date and kept in accordance with Kaleidoscope
and Birchwood policies and procedures/regional information sharing protocols.
Deliver a range
of clinical interventions, including testing and vaccination.
Participate in
clinical audits, service reviews and the evaluation of service user
satisfaction surveys; implementing resulting recommendations in order to
improve and develop the service.
Ensure that data
recording and reporting requirements are fully met.
Develop effective
links with mental health, GP prescribing and other voluntary and statutory sector providers and agencies.
To implement
effective and flexible clinical systems and structures that are responsive to individuals
with different levels of risk, complexity, severity and strengths, in order to
ensure that treatment is optimised.
To work within
agreed policies, procedures and protocols to safeguard children and vulnerable
adults.
To act as Care
Co-ordinator, and have clinical responsibility, for the nurse led clinic
including assessment and appropriateness of medication prescribed.
To offer wound
care assessment and basic wound dressing
To refer and
liaise with other agencies involved with the clients broader care plan as part
of the Service, including Health Services, hospitals and GPs.
To attend
meetings appropriate to the development and maintenance of the role
In
carrying out the above duties the post holder will:
Work flexibly
across operational sites as required.
Work flexibly
within an agreed number of hours of work to maintain the most appropriate level
of service provision.
Seek to improve
personal performance, contribution, knowledge and skills.
Participate in
appraisal, supervision and Learning & Development processes.
Keep abreast of
developments in services, legislation and practice relevant to the relevant
client group.
Ensure the
implementation of the all service policies.
Contribute to
maintaining safe systems of work and a safe environment.
Undertake other
duties appropriate to the grade of the post.
This post has been identified as requiring
the post holder to provide evidence of BBV immunisation status in
order to carry out the role effectively. The role may require the post holder
to undertake Dry Blood Spot Testing/ Substance Misuse Testing/ Working in
Needle Exchange or is a clinical role and therefore
Kaleidoscope wishes to ensure that staff are not at risk of infection
or transmission of a disease that may affect their own or patient safety.
Staff will therefore need to evidence their immunisation history, exemption
or non-responder on commencement of employment or at routine intervals at the request of
the Organisation.
