Clinical Nurse Specialist

The post holder will take responsibility for making a significant contribution to the delivery of high-quality nursing care within the service. The post holder will provide senior clinical governance and leadership for nurse-led clinics, including Depot, Clozapine, Olanzapine, and Physical Health Clinics. Work in partnership with Matrons to ensure consistent, high-quality nursing practice and the safe use of high-risk medications. Lead audit, quality improvement, and incident learning, ensuring clinical documentation and pathways meet professional, legal, and organisational standards. The post holder will be responsible for professional decision-making, including the investigation and management of safeguarding concerns, and oversight of safeguarding responsibilities for vulnerable children and adults. The post holder will coordinate care for a defined caseload of service users, contributing to multidisciplinary case discussions, clinical decision-making, and service-related meetings. In addition, the post holder will provide specialist advice, consultation, and clinical supervision to colleagues, students, and professionals from other services, supporting workforce development and collaborative working. Undertake the Duty Manager role as required to ensure safe and effective service delivery, including crisis management and risk escalation., Deliver specialist, evidence-based nursing interventions for complex mental health needs Provide flexible care across clinic, community, and outreach settings Care coordinate a caseload, completing holistic assessments and care plans Offer expert clinical advice and consultation to MDT and partner agencies Undertake Duty Manager responsibilities, supporting risk management and service safety Lead on safeguarding, crisis management, and complex decision-making Support alternatives to admission and promote recovery-focused care Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, and leadership to staff Contribute to service development, quality improvement, and innovation Ensure high standards of governance, documentation, and medicines management Work collaboratively across services to enhance patient outcomes and continuity of care

Ability to manage complexity, risk, and crisis situations confidently Strong leadership and ability to role model best practice Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including in challenging situations Compassionate, person-centred approach to care Ability to work autonomously and use professional judgement Effective team working and collaboration across services Skilled in care coordination and holistic care planning Commitment to quality improvement, innovation, and evidence-based practice Strong organisational skills with ability to prioritise workload Resilience and emotional intelligence when working with complex needs Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusive practice,

• Recognised teaching qualification or NMC-approved preparation to support learning and assessment in practice, with evidence of ongoing update.
• Evidence of CPD
Desirable criteria
• Independent Nurse prescriber qualification or commitment to complete training
• Post graduate clinical and therapeutic qualification related to the community, Demonstrable experience of working across a range of settings relevant to the post, delivering high quality, person centred care
• Sound knowledge and experience of safeguarding, including the identification, assessment, and management of safeguarding concerns for both children and adults in line with local and national guidance.
• Experience of teaching, training, and supporting learning in practice, including peer supervision and the supervision of colleagues within a multidisciplinary team environment.
Desirable criteria
• Experience of independent prescribing for the relevant service user group, or equivalent experience within scope of practice.
• Experience of therapeutic practice in different cultural contexts
• Record of publication in professional journals., Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex, highly technical, and clinically sensitive information in a clear, age appropriate, and accessible manner to service users, families, carers, and professionals within and beyond the NHS
• Ability to communicate distressing, unwelcome, or sensitive information with empathy, professionalism, and reassurance, supporting service users and their families to understand and make informed decisions.
• Ability to work flexibly across service and organisational boundaries, adapting communication style to meet the needs of different services, professional groups, and settings., Ability to apply specialist assessment and intervention skills across a range of contexts, including work with individuals, families, and groups, where required by the role.
• Cultural competence, with the ability to work effectively with racially and culturally diverse communities, including delivering care within service users' home environments
• Ability to manage risk and safety in complex situations, including recognising early warning signs of aggression and using de escalation strategies to maintain safety
• Ability to respond effectively to highly stressful and emotionally demanding situations, including those involving severe mental ill health, safeguarding concerns, and organisational pressures., Up to date knowledge of relevant legislation, ethical issues, strategic frameworks, and current clinical guidance relating to complex presentations, and their implications for practice and professional accountability.
• Knowledge of recent developments in mental health and/or learning disability services for the specific service user group, including national policy and government initiatives addressing challenging or anti-social behaviour in education and community settings.
• In depth knowledge of medications relevant to the service, including indications, monitoring requirements, side effect profiles, interactions, and risk management, with the ability to provide senior clinical oversight and advice to the multidisciplinary team.
• Working knowledge of a range of therapeutic modalities, enabling effective collaboration with colleagues in the care of service users.
• Ability to facilitate clinical supervision, supporting reflective practice, professional development, and safe care delivery.
Desirable criteria
• Experience of using AI-enabled or digital tools to support audit, quality improvement, workforce productivity, or service development., You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is rated by the Care Quality Commission as an Outstanding provider of mental health and learning disability services. Feedback from our staff about working for the Trust is very positive and, in the NHS national staff survey, we regularly see a high percentage of staff saying their role makes a difference to our service users and that they would recommend the Trust as a place to work. Our people tell us they feel supported though a great development, wellbeing and work-life balance offer and a highly compassionate, values-driven culture. We are equally proud of our staff, who live our values of being welcoming, kind, positive, respectful and professional so that together we provide great care and great outcomes for our service users and carers.