Job responsibilities
The post holder will be responsible for the provision of high quality family centred health visiting services to a defined population employing the principles of health visiting (CETHV 1977) within the London Borough of Newham, to maintain and improve health and life chances for children and families through health needs assessment, health promotion and the initiation and participation in public health strategies.
The post holder must ensure that personal information for clients, members of staff and all other individuals is accurate, up-to-date, kept secure and confidential at all times in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK general data protection regulation (UK GDPR) and the UK law duty of confidentiality. The post holder must follow the record keeping guidelines established by the Trust to ensure compliance with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2005.
The health visitor is in a unique position to provide services, planned and opportunistic, with the local population in primary prevention, at home, in the child health clinic and other settings such as childrens centres, GP practices as part of the Early Help integrated neighbourhood model through family hubs.
The post holder will manage an individual / corporate caseload he/she works as part of a locality team in collaboration with statutory and voluntary agencies to promote the health and wellbeing of the local children, young people and their families to deliver personalised and culturally sensitive care
The post holder is accountable to the Integrated Team Manager and reports to the Clinical Team Leader.
The post holder has line management responsibilities for members of the skill mix team
The post holder may be required to work evening and occasional weekends in order to meet service requirements.
Key Responsibilities:
1. To provide a health visiting service to all children and their families based on the national 4, 5, 6 health Visiting model and evidenced by the Healthy Child Programme 0-5 years (HCP 2023).
2. Responsible for developing health promotion and public health programmes in accordance with identified needs, organisation and National directives
3. Facilitate and co-ordinate health promotion programmes in partnership with statutory and voluntary agencies within established groups Identify and assess deviations from normal health, growth or development in children and refer promptly to, or mobilise appropriate services and resources
4. Work within the London borough of Newham 0-19 Childrens Health service safeguarding policies; participate in, and develop, early intervention initiatives designed to detect and prevent child maltreatment and neglect, attending relevant meetings and case conferences as required
5. Maintain professional accountability for children in need, in accordance with the NMC Professional Code, current legislation and the London safeguarding Children procedures and the London Borough of Newham 0 19 Childrens Health service safeguarding Policies and Procedures.
6. To prepare reports for and participate in child protection conferences, Team around the family, court attendances and multiagency planning meetings as required.
7. Develop, implement and evaluate health plans in response to the identified needs of the individual, family and community in partnership with clients. This includes planning with families who have complex health and social needs in partnership with parents/ carers.
8. Through collaborative working, participate in the identification of local health needs and the development of strategies to meet them.
9. Participate in immunisation programmes in accordance with Patient Group Directives
10. To actively participate in clinical supervision and child protection supervision
11. To prescribe medication according to nursing formulary and London Borough of Newham Childrens Health policy and attend regular updates
12. Promote and support breastfeeding, identify and support those at risk of postnatal depression, encourage smoking cessation and support families in their parenting, implementing parenting programmes using advanced communication and counselling skills.
13. Support clients with mental health issues and take part in psychological assessment reviews, using counselling skills, parent advisor and assessment tools including Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) Anxiety Disorder (GAD2).
Management and Leadership:
1. Assist in the monitoring, development and review of quality measures and performance indicators.
2. Support team members, and participate in staff appraisal and performance review ensuring that training needs are identified and met and that all team members attend clinical and child protection supervision.
3. Participate in the recruitment and selection of high-calibre staff into the service.
4. Lead and support community staff nurses (band 5), community nursery nurses, Clinical support workers and other support staff, and conduct appraisal professional development and supervision.
5. Participate in performance management with support from the Clinical Team Leader as required
6. Responsible for the management, safekeeping and retrieval of records.
7. Address and minimise clinical and non-clinical risks within the work environment and undertake risk assessments as required in accordance with the Risk management Policy.
8. Collect accurate data and submit reports and statistical information as determined by the London Borough of Newham 0 19 Childrens Health service.
9. Ensure effective and efficient use of resources.
Effective Communications and Working Relationships
1. Maintain accurate, legible and contemporaneous client records, and ensure the confidentiality and security of all written, verbal and electronic information.
2. Maintain effective communications with families, children, young people, Colleagues and other professionals e.g. midwifery, GPs, Practice nurses, Childrens Centre, family hubs, early years and Early Help staff.
3. Participate in the joint planning, implementation and evaluation of a coordinated service for the benefit of the client and community.
4. Make referrals when appropriate in response to identified needs.
5. Demonstrate commitment to the team approach by attending team forums and other meetings as required.
6. Communicate with individuals and client groups where English is not their first language in liaison with Language line.
7. Chair and take minutes at professional meetings on rotational basis.
8. Work across localities to maintain equity of service in the absence of colleagues innegotiation with management.
Education, Training, Mentorship:
1. To Participate in, and plan, induction programmes for new staff, and provide planned learning programmes, mentorship, teaching and assessment for students on placement.
2. To attend professional /clinical supervision and facilitate clinical supervision groups for nurses
3. To Successfully complete mentorship training and keep updated as required.
4. To act as a mentor and/or preceptor for community staff nurses, community nursery nurses, newly qualified health visitors and any other new staff members.
Data & Records management:
1. Work with the record keeping and safe data management guidance to maintain data management and quality assurance systems and processes in relation to London borough of Newhams Children and young peoples service
2. Responsible for the efficient processing and secure storage of all electronic/paper records and electronic information in relation to clients. Maintain clear desk policy.
3. Maintain everyday oversight of the services data, working with the clinical team leader and the wider team to collect, collate, input and quality check data, ensuring that it is entered into the Central Information System in a timely manner and regularly reviewed for completeness.
4. Develop a good understanding of the specific clinical and performance review requirements of the service to demonstrate productivity and quality.
Infection Control:
Staff are responsible for protecting themselves and others against infection risks. All staff regardless of whether clinical or not are expected to comply with current infection control policies and procedures and to report any problems with regard to this to their managers.
All staff undertaking client care activities must attend infection control training and updates as required by the London borough of Newham 0 -19 Childrens Health service.
Professional:
1. Adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Code, Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (2015) and maintain own level of professional/clinical/teaching competence as required by the NMC.
2. Maintain registration of the required qualification for the post in accordance with the NMC Code (2015).
*The above mentioned duties are neither exclusive nor exhaustive and can be amended from time to time after consultation with the post holder.
*The post holder may be called upon to carry out such other appropriate duties as maybe required by the Line Manager / Head of Service within the grading level of the post and the competence of the post holder.
