Primary Care Liaison Nurse

Job responsibilities

The Primary Liaison Nurse will work across all health centres / practices in Plymouth, enhancing the ability of them providing and meeting the health needs of the learning disability adult. Promote a broader understanding of the health and social needs of people with learning disabilities and their right to effective services and health care.

The liaison nurse will support GP practices to provide annual health checks to adults with learning disabilities as defined in the Directed Enhance Service (DES) Learning Disabilities. Through supporting practice nurses and GPs offering health checks, ensuring the health needs are clearly identified in GP records

The liaison nurse is to provide DES learning disabilities training to practices undertaking the DES and set up systems for a rolling programme ensuring all relevant primary care staff are trained to work with people with learning disabilities and have the skills to deliver care for them

Primary liaison nurse to provide an advisory role to each individual practice. To increase awareness and promote mainstream services for LD population

Promoting Primary Care staff attendance to Learning Disability education provision

To promote healthy lifestyles through the provision of accessible health promotion materials through delivering health promotion groups to people with learning disabilities based on identified needs and priorities identified by DoH

To increase understanding, within Primary Care of the health needs of people with learning disabilities. Promote health through empowering service users to make informed choices about their health needs and the treatment and care they receive to increase access to mainstream services

Work flexibly across services for people with learning disabilities and at the interface between primary, public health care services and secondary

Enable everyone involved in the care and support of people with learning disabilities to acquire and maintain the attitudes and values necessary to improve health and social cohesion

To maintain and extend own professional competence and sustain authority and professional expertise through practice and continuing professional development

Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the health needs of people with learning disabilities and apply skills

Assists with particular reference to specialist consent advice, in the development of standards and guidelines for optimal nursing and medical care

To lead the development of care pathways into mainstream services, addressing national health targets

To identify and lead the development and delivery of health education/promotion for people with LD inline with generic services

Support and advice GP surgeries on Best Interests and Capacity assessments in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act.

To support professionals with problematic practice issues such as venepuncture, desensitisation & cancer screening

5.1. Managerial

To organise, prioritise and manage own time in relation to the needs of the practice registers and offering health action planning

To act as a role model within the speciality field

The post holder may have a delegated health action planning caseload working as part of a primary care team supporting individual GP practices offering health action plans

Support the provision of effective communication between all members of the multidisciplinary team, carers, parents and person with a learning disability accessing mainstream services

Assist in ensuring the safety of the department, and the risk management process by actively participating in clinical audit, clinical risk and quality issues, including the managing and reporting of incidents

To contribute to the setting and monitoring of standards and quality of care

To contribute to the appraisal process

The have good knowledge and understanding of the Plymouth NHS Safeguarding Adults Policies, Safeguarding Childrens Protection Policies, Deprivation of Liberty and Mental Capacity Act

5.2. Communication and Working Relationships

To promote active participation of service users and their families/carers in the healthcare process, working within the public patient involvement agenda

To assist in the development and monitoring of local standards in partnership with people with learning disabilities, patient and liaison service (PALS) and carers group

Liaise with other healthcare professionals to ensure that work is neither overlooked nor duplicated

Build and sustain effective communications with other roles involved in the Local Health Community as required to ensure good team working and collaborative working practices in particular primary care teams, public health and community learning disability team to ensure the learning disability clients obtain the appropriate support and access to services

Work collaboratively within a multi-disciplinary team

To undertake benchmarking against recognised national standards

Assist clinical areas in recognised potential barriers to primary access and other communication issues in relations to individuals with learning disabilities, and provide advice and support as required

Act as a mentor to students and colleagues, participating in induction programmes, guiding practice, and assessing competence to develop staff

5.3. Professional Development responsibilities

Carries out and evaluates Audit and/or Research and Development into Accessing Mainstream health services for people with learning disabilities and into selected aspects of primary care which is compatible with and advances the aims of the Plymouth strategic learning disabilities health care targets

To participate in regular clinical supervision sessions in order to receive professional support and time to reflect upon practice

Ensure that full and complete nursing records are maintained in accordance to NMC standards

Pursues a programme of continuous education in line with needs of the Directorate and current requirements of the NMC. To meet PREP requirements, identifying own learning needs and ensure own professional development is maintained by keeping up to date with practice developments

Updates professional knowledge through the attendance at meetings of specialist professional associates and relevant conferences

To ensure that own clinical and theoretical skills are maintained and ensure awareness of current developments particularly those relating to current role

5.4. Education and Training responsibilities

To develop programmes of education and training for all health professional and disciplines of staff, both formally and informally, on the health needs of people with learning disabilities

To develop a rolling training programme and resources for people with learning disabilities, their carers and all local mainstream NHS services to ensure

To co-ordinate the development of accessible easy to read health materials with colleagues from Plymouth LD Partnership, Self Advocacy groups and Carers to support individual practices/primary care teams

Advises staff on health action planning and communication when supporting a patient with learning disabilities accessing health services

To participate in Mandatory training and Induction Programmes

Qualifications

Essential

• Current entry on NMC register or equivalent clinical registration.
• Knowledge of adult protection services
• Mental Capacity Act

Desirable

• Evidence of dynamic continuing professional development linked to demonstrable clinical competencies
• Possession of a relevant degree or studying towards
• Experience of working within GP Practice or other Primary Care service.
• Assessing and mentoring qualification

Experience

Essential

• Minimum 3 years post registration experience
• Minimum of 2 years experience of working within community multi-disciplinary team setting/relevant clinical environment
• Experience of leadership within a service or department
• Experience of co-ordinating and managing patient care

Desirable

• Previous experience of research and audit
• Teaching, supervision and managerial experience
• Previous experience of change management and problem solving.
• Experience of handling and reporting clinical incidents and complaints.
• Project management experience or being part of project development.

Knowledge

Essential

• Understanding of professional and current issues supporting people with learning disabilities in all health care settings
• Understanding of the wider NHS and local agendas.
• Government health targets/benchmarks and frame works
• Understanding of resource management, health and safety, clinical risk and quality issues
• Awareness of equality and diversity
• Clinical governance

Specific Skills

Essential

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Able to problem solve and initiate change
• Able to work across professional team and organisational boundaries
• Ability to delegate and prioritise
• Ability to manage various demanding agendas at the same time
• Excellent assessment and care planning skills
• Excellent total communication skills
• Ability to travel across Plymouth
• Skilled negotiator
• Analytical skills
• Computer literate
• Able to devise and deliver teaching package.

Desirable

• Excellent managerial, leadership and organisational skills
• Understanding/experience of audit/research process
• Current Driving License
• Excellent learning disability clinical skills
• Excellent teaching, training and preceptorship skills

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).