About this role
Job summary
Please note: at this stage, the role is open only to colleagues currently employed within Kent and Medway NHS Trusts, the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Medway Community Healthcare or working on the Staff Bank within these organisations. Nursing and AHP vacancies are also open to Student Nurses and Newly Qualified Nurses/AHPs.
Are you a Registered Nurse with a passion for long-term condition management and a desire to develop specialist skills in a rewarding and growing area of practice? This is an exciting developmental opportunity to join our Kent-wide Epilepsy Service as a Band 5 Development Nurse, working alongside experienced Specialist Epilepsy Nurses to build the knowledge, confidence and clinical expertise needed to become an autonomous Band 6 practitioner.
You will be supported to develop specialist skills in the assessment, treatment and ongoing management of people living with epilepsy. Working under the guidance of a Specialist Epilepsy Nurse, you will gain hands-on experience delivering holistic assessments, creating personalised care plans and supporting patients to manage their condition with confidence.
This is a unique opportunity to be part of a highly valued service that supports people throughout their epilepsy journey, including those planning a pregnancy, newly diagnosed patients and those with complex needs.
Main duties of the job
This role has been specifically designed to support your progression into a Specialist Epilepsy Nurse position. From the outset, you will have a structured professional development plan, created jointly with a Specialist Epilepsy Nurse, with clear objectives, milestones and dedicated support to help you achieve specialist competencies within 12 to 18 months.
Throughout your development, you will gradually build autonomy while managing your own caseload under supervision. You'll receive tailored learning opportunities, specialist training and ongoing mentorship to develop the clinical, communication and leadership skills required to thrive in this specialist field. A key part of the role will be empowering patients to self-manage their lifelong condition and helping them achieve the best possible quality of life.
We're looking for someone who is enthusiastic, motivated and committed to developing a long-term career within epilepsy services. In return, we'll invest in your growth, support your learning journey and provide a clear pathway to Band 6 progression once all competencies and development objectives have been successfully achieved. This is more than a job; it's an opportunity to build a specialist career while making a lasting impact on the lives of people living with epilepsy.
About us
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is currently undertaking a significant programme of transformation to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.
Rated 'Outstanding' by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.
We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.
We know life outside work matters.As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.
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Job description
Job responsibilities
As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [email protected], quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.
The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.
Still have questions? The recruiting manager would love to hear from you, their contact details can be found in the job advert.
We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.
At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.
Find out more about the community difference here.
Good luck! We cant wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.
Person Specification
Qualifications, training and experience
Essential
- You will have a Level 6 Degree or equivalent qualification, or equivalent knowledge acquired through experience plus a diploma in nursing
- You'll need to have recent experience of healthcare gained through education, work experience or previous employment. This role is ideal for a newly qualified graduate nurse
- You will be a registered health care professional with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
- Full UK/EU driving licence
Knowledge and skills
Essential
- You will need to have a customer focussed approach
- Provide patients, clients and their families with the best possible experience
- You will need to be able to be able to use IT systems and databases
- You will understand where to signpost clients and families to alternative services to support behaviour change and improve health.
- You will have knowledge of up-to-date clinical practice by using up- to- date skills and adhering to evidence-based procedures and clinical effectiveness frameworks. You will fully understand the role and remit of a health care worker
- You will know when you are within your own limits and when to escalate
Desirable
- Having an awareness of developments within the NHS would be an advantage
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).
Employer details
Employer name
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Whitstable and Tankerton Hospital
Whitstable
CT5 2HN
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.kentcht.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)