About this role
Job summary
As a Band 5 Mental Health Nurse in the Place of Safety, you will play a vital role in providing compassionate, person-centred care to individuals detained under the Mental Health Act, often at their most vulnerable. You will work within a specialist, secure environment where rapid assessment, risk management, and therapeutic engagement are key to supporting safe and effective care pathways.
What It Takes:
Strong clinical judgement and the ability to work calmly in high-pressure situations Excellent communication skills, to build rapport quickly with distressed individuals A thorough understanding of mental health legislation and safeguarding The ability to work collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team, often including police, AMHPs, and crisis services A resilient and empathetic mindset, committed to patient dignity and recovery
Why Work With Us at the Place of Safety:
You'll join a supportive and dynamic team dedicated to making a real difference during a critical point in someone's mental health journey. We invest in our staff through continuous professional development, reflective practice, and a strong focus on staff wellbeing. You'll gain unique experience in crisis mental health care and be part of a service that values your voice, skill, and commitment.
Main duties of the job
To contribute to the ongoing S136 assessment process at theHealth-Based Place of Safety (HBPOS) collaborative riskassessment and care planning in line with policy standards. Thiswill be as an individual and as part of the multi-professional team.2. Provide a comprehensive initial assessment of a detained persononce admitted into the HBPoS and to communicate to therelevant medical colleague and AMHP.3. To provide safe and high-quality care to all service users,ensuring that both their immediate mental health and physicalhealth care needs are met in a timely manner.4. Participate fully in quality assurance initiatives, with particularemphasis on a 'patient first' approach.5. Take on a range of management duties at the request of and inthe absence of Senior staff 6. Initiate and participate in audit/research projects associated with the work of the service.
About us
North London NHS Foundation Trust (NLFT) is committed to improving mental health care across North London to deliver excellent services to our local people.Our Five-Year Strategy:
We will provide consistently high-quality care closer to home.
With our partners in North London and each borough we will ensure equity of outcome for all
We will offer great places to work, providing staff with supportive environment to deliver outstanding care.
We will be more effective as an organisation by pioneering research, quality improvement and technology.
In order to meet the needs of the Trust you may be required from time to time to work at different locations to your normal place of work. This may mean that you are required to work at any location that fall under Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey or Islington. The Trust reserves the right to require staff to work at such other places or locations as it considers reasonable and necessary on a temporary or permanent basis.
Job description Job responsibilities
The post-holder will:1. Have the clinical skills to deliver person centred care and assessments withsensitivity and compassion, respecting the dignity and diversity of patients,relatives, carers, visitors, and colleagues.2. Have a knowledge of the acute mental health pathway including Crisis SinglePoint of Access, Crisis Teams, Crisis Houses, Psychiatric Inpatient wards,Specialist Community Mental Health Teams and third sector services.3. Be accountable and take direct responsible for carrying out initialassessments including risk assessments. Be able to discuss theseassessments and put forward recommendations to senior colleagues todevelop, implement, evaluate, and document specialist care.4. Demonstrate skills and knowledge of working within a Trauma-informedapproach and utilising least restrictive principles in the management ofservice users experiencing an acute mental health crisis.5. Undertake PMVA techniques to prevent and manage escalation in terms ofpatient harm to self and others.6. Work closely with the NCL wide crisis services and maintain good working5JD Sept 2023 PHpractices with all other CRTs as a means of ensuring least restrictive practiceand outcomes.7. Be able to formulate and make appropriate recommendations for decisionsto Senior Colleagues.8. Identify and be responsive to the diverse cultural social and spiritual needs ofall.9. Demonstrate a high standard of record keeping and documentation.10. Work with colleagues to develop and promote the servicesphilosophy/framework of care delivery and strategic objectives, takingresponsibility for specific areas of policy and delivery.11. Work with colleagues to develop clinical expertise and high standards ofclinical practice, and deliver care that is evidence-based, reflecting currentbest practice and research.12. Participate in structured clinical supervision/appraisals in accordance with theTrusts policies and procedures. Be responsible for the formal supervisionand appraisal of junior staff. You will also be responsible for the informalsupervision of non-mental health nurses and others, including doctors andsecurity staff, who are working with patients with mental health problems.13. Demonstrate clinical excellence and high standards of nursing practice toother staff.14. Demonstrate sound understanding of the legal and ethical issues in caring forthe mentally ill. In particular, demonstrating sound understanding of theMental Health Act (2007), and its use in a non-mental health setting e.g., ageneral hospital.15. Report serious and untoward incidents within the department in accordancewith the Trusts policies and procedures.16. Post holder will co-ordinate shifts on a regular basis.
Person Specification
Education Essential
Registered NMC Mental Health Nurse
Skills and Abilities Essential
Able to demonstrate an understanding of the personal and clinical needs of individual service users, their relatives and carers. Ability to negotiate and influence. Ability to effectively run the ward as and when necessary
Experience Essential
Experience of working within a mental health setting (as a student for newly qualified staff) Identify, initiate and manage effective practice in a patient centred way Working knowledge of MHA 1983. Knowledge of implementing clinical Policies and Procedures. Willing to carry out PMVA
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 North London NHS Foundation Trust
Address Highgate Mental Health Centre
Dartmouth Park Hill
London
N19 5NX
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.northlondonmentalhealth.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)