Acute Liaison Nurse; LD | Calderdale and NHS Foundation Trust

Overview

This post provides a service to Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust. The post holder is responsible for managing a defined caseload to support patients with learning disabilities, and their carers access acute health services. The post holder assesses care needs, coordinates and implements complex care planning for patients with learning disabilities across unplanned, planned, day treatment and outpatient care, including liaison with community services.

The post holder will provide advice for Autistic patients and support complex situations as per referral criteria for the team. The post holder will support the Nurse Consultant in Learning Disabilities to deliver the Trust Learning Disability Strategy and other associated strategies (e.g., health equity).

• Act as clinical role model, ensuring clinical expertise and practice is enhanced for patients with learning disabilities
• Clearly present the patients’ point of view to others, including promoting and protecting the interest and dignity of patients
• Establish and maintain effective communication within the multidisciplinary team
• Take an active role in risk assessment, supporting implementation of strategies to minimise risk
• Recognise changes in patient conditions which require intervention of others, and refer on as appropriate
• Act as an innovative and enthusiastic role model, providing leadership, guidance and advice to staff on operational and professional issues
• Make assessments and develop complex planning to enable a patient to receive treatment; act as the coordinator/participant within the multidisciplinary teams responsible for care
• Maintain accurate records using the Trust’s documentation on EPR
• Ensure condition-related information is accessible to people with a learning disability and their carers
• Identify barriers to accessing acute healthcare services for people with a learning disability and plan actions to overcome them
• In complex cases directly assist and facilitate the coordination of care at preparation, attendance, admission and discharge stages; work within the NMC code of professional practice and Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Trust policies
• Ensure high standards of nursing care are provided and act when standards are not being maintained
• Participate in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating individualised programmes of care
• Establish and maintain effective communication within the multidisciplinary team, contributing to communication concerning the speciality
• Promote a no-blame culture by reporting incidents and near misses
• Be aware of team members’ skills and capabilities and delegate tasks appropriately
• Provide mentorship and preceptorship as required, supporting learning environments for students
• Take responsibility for own continuing professional development and performance, including identifying development needs and maintaining own portfolio
• Support development of other team members and the wider workforce across the Trust as required
• Manage verbal complaints and refer on when unable to resolve; encourage junior staff to proactively manage verbal/ potential complaints
• Participate in investigations of incidents and complaints, including preparing detailed reports to complainants and identifying themes and trends
• Share lessons learned with wider teams to improve patient care for people with a learning disability
• Recognise, manage and prevent areas of conflict, escalating when necessary
• Attend and participate in meetings as required, providing feedback and disseminating information
• Contribute to service development by introducing new ideas to improve patient care/experience for people with a learning disability
• Maintain budgetary awareness and support the ward/departments in budget and resource management to impact the Trust’s financial position
• Provide leadership and role modelling to nursing staff by delivering high-quality care and maintaining a safe working environment
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate care and treatment using specialist knowledge and skills, advising patients and relatives as appropriate
• Organise own workload and receive clinical supervision from the Nurse Consultant for…