Health Visitor

Job responsibilities

Key Tasks and Responsibilities of the Post:

Key Working relationships:

To work with individuals, families, schools and the community.

To work in multi-agency partnerships, for example, Social care and other agencies.

The wider SCPHN 0-19 team and Livewell Southwest, e.g. Public Health, Children and Families, Performance Management.

The Primary Health Care Team.

United Hospitals Plymouth departments, e.g. Paediatric Department; Neonatal Outreach, Emergency Department, Safeguarding Childrens Office.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

Midwifery

Education departments, e.g. Plymouth University and Professional Training & Development Department

Schools, Nurseries and Children Centres.

Professional Duties & Responsibilities:

To practice the principles of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing as reflected in the wider definition described in the NMC competencies.

Search for Health needs including surveillance and assessment.

Stimulation of awareness of Health needs including strategic leadership, promoting and protecting health.

Influence on policies affecting health including developing quality and risk management, policy and strategic development.

Facilitation of health enhancing activities including developing services and programs working with and for communities.

A requirement to work occasional Saturdays and evenings to deliver such activities.

There are frequent requirements for concentration and the work pattern is unpredictable.

Occasionally within the course of employment attendance to court may be required to give evidence.

There is constant change management/process affecting community service delivery.

There is exposure to highly distressing or highly emotional situations, some potentially dangerous situations in the community, e.g. Drug & Alcohol Misuse, Violence and clients displaying mental health symptoms.

Specialist Community Public Health Nurses deal with highly emotionally charged clients to safeguard children. The frequency of exposure is variable.

Specialist Community Public Health Nurses are expected to be flexible and adaptable working in different bases to cover colleagues and service provision during sickness and study leave and utilising the resources available to them.

They are easily accessible to the public, receive and cope with frequent interruptions throughout the day.

During visits they may be required to work in unpleasant home environments, e.g. dirty, excrement, aggression.

Likelihood of movement of base due to changing practice.

To have specialist knowledge across the range of work procedures and practice underpinned by theoretical knowledge or relevant practical experience.

To encourage the uptake of immunisations.

To act as an advocate for clients, liaising with agencies within and outside the health service.

To participate in and initiate multi-agency, activities and meetings as required.

To work in partnership with children, young people and families to identify health needs that promotes and supports a healthy lifestyle. To take appropriate action in response to any deviation from the normal which may include referral to team members or other agencies?

To identify children in need and respond in line with national and local requirements.

To take responsibility for prescribing appropriate treatments in line with the Nurse Prescribing Formulary, Community Pharmacy Guidelines and Livewell Southwest Protocols. (Health Visitors)

To be the Lead Practitioner for families here there are identified Child Welfare concerns.

To be responsible for managing, organising and promoting the needs of the caseload and neighbourhood public health.

To take an innovative approach to practice in response to a changing service.

To actively participate in Clinical and Professional Governance and Team Meetings by regular attendance, contributing to the content and agenda and provide evidence of participation.

To be actively involved in the delivery of the NHS Public Health agenda as identified in the citywide Public Health Development Plan.

To actively seek and promote client participation in planning delivery and evaluation of services.

To be responsible for seeking to influence policy and strategic planning affecting service delivery.

To take a leadership role as service delivery requires, e.g. Specialist Interest Group, working parties.

To ensure that equipment used during delivery of a Health Visiting Service is maintained appropriately.

To participate in supervision and line management as per policy.

To participate in regular Clinical, Line Management and Caseload Supervision, as per Policies.

To participate in the recruitment and selection process of prospective employees, e.g. SCPHN, Student SCPHN, Skill mix team members.

To be a Line Manager to Band 2, 3, 4 and 5 as identified by the Team Manager

To provide supervised staff with Individual Performance Review (IPR) as per Livewell Southwest Policy.

To be responsible for management of annual leave, study leave and sick leave of supervised staff.

To manage disciplinary issues and complaints following Livewell SouthwestProtocols and procedures.

To supervise and facilitate student placements as required.

To contribute to Livewell Southwestrequirements for data collection and sharing of information.

To access annual Individual Performance Review, identify training needs and develop a continuing professional development plan.

To facilitate and provide practice based teaching and training to colleagues and identify opportunities for knowledge sharing within other organisations.

To have a professional responsibility to ensure that supervised staff access the training as identified in the Individual Performance Review.

To provide mentorship/ preceptorship to newly qualified or appointed staff.

To utilize the framework of Clinical Governance to learn from critical incidents and apply to practice.

To ensure that skills in audit and research are maintained.

To assist in Livewell Southwestresearch and audit, as required.

To maintain a personal professional portfolio of continuing professional development as required by the NMC.

Responsible for participating in audit and data entry thus demonstrating contribution to Livewell Southwesttargets.

To work within the clinical effectiveness framework using available evidence, research and audit to plan, implement and evaluate care.

To attend in service training required by the needs of the service and organisation

Knowledge

Essential

• Demonstrate knowledge current health issues relating to children and families.
• Demonstrate knowledge in:
• Children Act,
• Healthy Child Programme (0-19)
• Framework for Assessment,
• Child Protection policies and procedures,
• Evidence of research based practice,
• Evidence of continuing professional development,
• To have understanding of current Government Policies affecting living, culture/racism/disability.

Desirable

• Knowledge of requirements of those children, young people and families with complex needs.
• Comprehensive knowledge of Healthy Child programme.

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working with children and families.

Desirable

• Working with complex families.
• Demonstrate experience of working with child protection concerns.
• Able to work effectively in a multi-agency arena.

Skills

Essential

• Ability to work effectively with a multi-disciplinary team.
• Self-manage time.
• Reliable, empathetic, approachable, understanding, non-judgmental and tolerant.
• Adaptable.
• Diplomatic and flexible.
• Team Player.
• Leadership.

Desirable

• Able to lead and line manage a team of skill mix in delivering a service.

Qualifications

Essential

• Specialist Community Public Health Nurse Certificate, Diploma or Degree.
• NMC Registration.
• Relevant post registration course

Desirable

• Registered Nurse Prescriber with current NMC registration.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).