Band 6 Charge Nurse - Southmead Hospital, Bristol

Like all mental health inpatient units across the UK, an increase in the level of acuity and complexity of people's illnesses when they are admitted to us means that our nursing staff are truly on the front line of mental health care.
We are looking for an experienced nurse with a passion for providing a standard of care that can really change people's lives, just when life has become its most challenging. We welcome registered nurses with the resilience, determination and commitment to keep delivering the inpatient care that our service users deserve.
Joining us as a Charge Nurse - You will need to be a clinician with a passion for working to get the best out of other staff and leading a team. You will be confident and good at taking the initiative. You will provide reassurance to your team members and be able to provide advice or know where to find it., + To provide, and supervise the delivery of high standards of nursing care to service users, in accordance with up-to-date evidence-based professional practice and AWP policies.
+ To provide clear clinical leadership to Staff Nurses and Health Care Assistants working on the ward. Ensure the continuity of care for service users and full implementation of Trust policies. To supervise Band 5 staff and below in developing, implementing and assessing individual programmes of care. An integral part of the role is to undertake appraisals, clinical supervision and teaching. Responsible for specific "management duties" within the ward, which are commensurate with their grade, you will be expected to provide general management in the absence of the Ward Manager., To carry out clinical practice within the designated clinical areas, ensuring that high quality evidence-based nursing assessment, care planning, interventions and evaluations for patients is provided. This will include:
Undertaking a comprehensive, patient-focused, nursing assessment and prepare care plans in consultation with the service user to provide the best nursing care.
Carry out clinical audit to evaluate and improve clinical services in partnership with service users.
Ability to administer medicine within relevant Trust and legislative guidance e.g. NMC Standards for Medicines Management 2010, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, MHA 1983.
Ensure all others apply these, to support safe practice.
Demonstrate a working knowledge of the key elements of relevant mental Health legislation.
Be familiar with the NMC's 'The Code': Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives. Recognise own competencies and to address any limitations to ensure safe practice.
To implement and encourage others to implement research-based practice.
Supervise junior and unqualified staff.
Implementation of care and rehabilitation programme.
Evaluation of effectiveness of care provided in partnership with users.
Ability to undertake risk assessment and develop risk management strategies for Individual service users.
To use own specialist skills, knowledge and resources to provide mentoring opportunities for staff within designated areas and promote positive attitudes towards mental health. This will include:
Regular provision of advice and mentoring to staff.
Function as a preceptor and mentor to new staff enabling their full integration into the service.
Develop junior staff through teaching or training activities.
Support the provision of an appropriate learning environment for pre- and post-registered students, novice practitioners, and new team members as directed.
To maintain and develop professional knowledge, skills and expertise to ensure that practice reflects best practice, remains evidence based, is current and responsive to meet changing patient and NHS service needs, as outlined in the NHS Plan (2000).
Implement the legal rules, statutory regulations and professional responsibilities relating to practice as outlined in the NMC "Code of Professional Practice". Change to: the NMC's 'The Code': Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives.
Take responsibility for post-registration education and for continuing professional development as outlined in NMC Standards.
To receive clinical supervision in accordance on a contracted and regular basis from an identified Senior Practitioner, as per trust Clinical Supervision Policy.
To be aware of the need for appropriate management support and supervision from the people manager, and to maintain records of these meetings.
Maintain Health and Safety in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974).
We are proud to be fostering a diverse workforce that reflects our communities. A key commitment to this is improving staff representation from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, those from the LGBTQ+ communities, people with 'lived-experience' of mental health conditions and people living with disabilities,- we are a 'Disability Confident Employer' offering a guaranteed interview to Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria.
We encourage applications from people who wish to work on a flexible basis, recognising that flexibility may mean a range of different working patterns and hours, we do our utmost to work with our staff to meet their needs and the needs of our service users.
Please apply to join us, we would love to hear from you. Any personal details you supply to us are kept safe in line with the General Data Protection Regulations.
Adverts normally close for application a few minutes before midnight on the closing date and we will let you know if we are offering you an interview by email via our recruitment system 'TRAC'. We contact all applicants within 4 weeks after the closing date, so please check your emails regularly once you have submitted your application; you are welcome to contact us, via the TRAC system, if you have any queries about your application.
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Working for our organisation
We are AWP (Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust): a diverse organisation with over 5,000 dedicated staff providing inpatient and community-based mental health care.
We provide services from a range of locations to approximately 1.8 million people living in Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES), Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, across the county of Wiltshire and in parts of Dorset.
Our outstanding people promote mental health and wellbeing. The expertise and resources within AWP are dedicated to a person-centred approach for those who use our services and for all employees. We recognise that happy and fulfilled employees give better care.
At AWP we actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds; we are particularly keen to encourage applications from people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, those with disabilities and from the LGBTQ+ community. We want people to bring their unique blend of experiences, backgrounds, perspectives and knowledge to AWP, as diversity makes us stronger.