This is an exceptional opportunity to be part of an expanding clinical team that uses Telehealth Technology to prevent hospital admissions for those patients with chronic long term conditions. Working in partnership with Liverpool CCG and other health and social agencies, we have delivered this programme to over 10,000 patients so far.

The post holder will be responsible for the telephone assessment of health and clinical needs, utilising professional clinical judgement. You will be providing clinical decision making, effective case management and advice and support for people over the phone from our Telehealth call centre.

Applications are welcome from candidates who are RGN (Adult) qualified with NMC Registration and are able to demonstrate the following:

• A significant knowledge, understanding and experience of both health and social care services
• Experience of clinical leadership
• A working knowledge of EMIS and other NHS software packages would be an advantage

The post would offer applicants an exciting opportunity to become part of the NHS health technology agenda

Shortlisting date is planned for 29th June 2022

The post holder will be responsible for the telephone assessment of health and clinical needs, utilising professional clinical judgement. This requires generalist and specialist skills to assess and deliver care to patients with chronic illnesses in a call centre environment. The post holder will provide assessment, medication advice, and health information supporting individuals to access the appropriate level of care including advice to manage their symptoms at home. The post holder will be responsible for the supervision, teaching, and mentoring of other staff which may include students and health care assistants (HCA’s)

Mersey Care is one of the largest trusts providing physical health and mental health services in the North West, serving more than 11 million people.

We offer specialist inpatient and community services that support physical and mental health and specialist inpatient mental health, learning disability, addiction and brain injury services. Mersey Care is one of only three trusts in the UK that offer high secure mental health facilities.

At the heart of all we do is our commitment to ‘perfect care’ – care that is safe, effective, positively experienced, timely, equitable and efficient. We support our staff to do the best job they can and work alongside service users, their families, and carers to design and develop future services together. We’re currently delivering a programme of organisational and service transformation to significantly improve the quality of the services we provide and safely reduce cost as we do so.

Key Duties

• To act as a professional role model at all times
• To develop and maintain expertise, practice and competence in the role of nurse advisor.
• To provide skilled and effective assessment of patients presenting clinical need, through telephone consultation, with the support of the clinically based software, throughout which the clinical advisor is required to be accountable for using professional judgement at all times
• To apply critical analysis to a range of complex information during the care process to provide accurate advice and health information to patients in order to empower them to act upon advice given.
• To actively work independently and is responsible and accountable for managing own approach to workload, risk assessment and risk management.
• Competent communication skills are required to negotiate and provide support to patients. To utilise advanced listening and probing skills over the telephone when there no non-verbal cues.
• Establish and maintain positive working arrangements and communications with other agencies/services within the community to facilitate effective response and delivery of care.
• Assist with setting objectives and performance targets in conjunction with team members.
• Assist the Clinical Manager and Administrator on audit within the service.
• Work with other agencies/health care professionals to identify pathways/services to prevent patients’ admission to hospital.
• To actively refer to appropriate clinician as necessary for advice but maintains accountability and responsibility for decisions made.

PROFESSIONAL

• To remain responsible for own self-reflection and personal development requirements to meet individual education and developmental needs in line with service requirements.
• To maintain high professional standards, within the NMC Professional Code of Conduct.
• Continue to extend the scope of own professional practice by improving and enhancing knowledge and competence.
• Develop standards of care, in conjunction with colleagues and demonstrate and encourage good practice.
• Meet the requirements of the Clinical Governance Agenda.
• Be responsible for ensuring all interventions/recommendations are recorded and documented.

EDUCATION

• Act as a mentor for other team members.
• Participate in Clinical Supervision.
• Participate in educational activities that support the development of the team and the induction of new staff.
• Knowledge of community services would be desirable.

Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults

All Trust employees are required to act in such a way that at all times safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults. Familiarisation with and adherence to Trust Safeguarding policies is an essential requirement of all employees, as is participation in related mandatory/statutory training.

Equality and Diversity

It is the responsibility of every member of staff to understand our equality and diversity commitments and statutory obligations under current equality legislation including the Equality Act 2010 and to:

• Act in ways that support equality and diversity and recognises the importance of people’s rights in accordance with legislation, policies, procedures, and good practice.
• Valuing people as individuals and treating everyone with dignity and respect, consideration and without prejudice, respecting diversity and recognising people expressed beliefs, preferences and choices in working with others and delivering appropriate services.
• Recognise and report behaviour that undermines equality under Trust policy.
• Be consciously aware of own behaviour and encourage the same levels of behaviour in colleagues.
• Acknowledge others’ different perspectives and recognise the diverse needs and experiences of everyone they come into contact with.
• With the support of managers develop an equality and diversity objective through the personal development review process.

Health and Safety

All staff will be expected to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing, safety and security and assist in maintaining a healthy, safe and secure working environment for everyone. They must not intentionally misuse or interfere with anything provided in the interests of health and safety e.g. misuse of equipment. It is a legal requirement that all employees attend training provided by the employer and report to their manager without delay, any accidents, incidents, and defects in equipment, place of work or system of work which might endanger safety, health or security of which he/she becomes aware.

Data Protection

It is a requirement of employment within Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust that all staff must comply with the obligation of confidentiality to person identifiable information. The Data Protection Act 1998 safeguards the handling of information held in both electronic and manual filing systems and it is the duty of all staff employed by MCFT to uphold the principles of the Act.

Freedom of Information

Act The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires all public organisations to provide any member of the public, upon receipt of a written request, with the information they require, subject to certain exemptions. Every member of staff employed by MCFT must take responsibility for any request for information that they receive and respond in line with MCFTs Freedom of Information Policy and guidance.

All staff employed by MCFT must adhere to the standards of record keeping outlined in MCFT’s Records Management Policy and guidance documents.

Appropriately qualified medical and non-medicalprescribers will be supported by the Trust to maintain their competence and undertake relevant continuing professional development as identified in their Performance Appraisal. You are responsible for evidencing competence in relation to your prescribing. Qualified medical and non-medical prescribers are required to maintain the necessary standard of practice and failure to do so may result in the removal of prescribing responsibilities.

Generic Responsibilities for all staff:
All post holders will agree to:

• Commit to the vision of supporting Mersey Care in becoming a leading organisation in the provision of community services, mental health care, addiction services and learning disability care, and in doing so fully utilise their skills and experience to support the objectives of the Trust.
• Role model the values of the Trust – Continuous Improvement, Accountability, Respectfulness, Enthusiasm and Support– in all activities and interactions with employees, service users and other stakeholders
• Challenge the stigma associated with mental health and learning difficulties.
• Comply with the Duty of Candour, defined by Francis as: 'The volunteering of all relevant information to persons who have or may have been harmed by the provision of services, whether or not the information has been requested and whether or not a complaint or a report about that provision has been made.’
• Work across professional and organisational boundaries to improve services for all.
• Maintain their specific knowledge base and develop new skills.
• Value the contribution of the patient / service user voice.
• Operate within any organisational codes of practice or those from a relevant professional body.
• Respect equality and diversity across all areas of working practice and communications with staff, service users and other stakeholders.
• Take responsibility for the accurate and timely collection and recording of data and ensuring all personally identifiable information is protected and used only for the purposes for which it was intended.
• Comply with all health and safety legislation and local policies and procedures.
• Adhere to all organisational policies.
• Have knowledge and understanding of technology in the workplace which is sufficient to maintain their efficiency and also how technology can empower service users in a digital environment
• Comply with the NHS Constitution in relation to the staff responsibilities that it sets out for NHS employees.
• Attend a one day Just and Learning & Civility and Respect training work shop
• Be an ambassador for Just & Learning and Civility & Respect following the training
• Positively advocate the just and learning culture within your team
• Be a confident supporter and implementer of the Trust CARES Values including Civility & Respect within your team.
• Support their team/services to create a positive environment for Just and Learning Culture
• Participate in Just and Learning Culture events.
• Bring Just and Learning Culture updates/information to the attention of team members and other MCT colleagues they work with.
• Support and encourage the sharing of concerns about the safety and quality of care with senior leaders with the aim of improving safety and quality.
• Actively participate in creating an open culture within your team so that concerns and difficulties can be discussed safely and respectfully.
• Speaking up in the event that they are exposed to incivility between colleagues in the workplace #iwillspeakup.
• Listening and understanding others who have concerns and taking a collaborative approach to work towards a solution to improve civility and respect.