Dementia Clinical Nurse Specialist

The post holder will:

• Undertake person-centred assessments for people referred with suspected dementia or cognitive impairment.
• Gather and interpret clinical history, collateral information and cognitive assessments.
• Consider mental and physical health, medication, functional ability, risk and psychosocial factors affecting cognition.
• Use advanced clinical reasoning to formulate findings and contribute to multidisciplinary diagnostic decisions.
• Identify where further investigation, specialist opinion or onward referral is required.
• Assess capacity, consent, risk and safeguarding concerns and respond appropriately.
• Communicate findings and recommendations sensitively to the person, carers, families and professionals.
• Provide specialist advice to the Harrow Memory Service, Older People's Mental Health Services, GPs, Primary Care Networks and partners.
• Work collaboratively with health and social care professionals to support effective assessment pathways.
• Provide teaching, supervision and specialist advice to strengthen dementia assessment practice.
• Contribute to multidisciplinary discussions, service development, audit and quality improvement.
• Promote lawful, inclusive, least-restrictive, person-centred practice.
• Maintain accurate and timely clinical records in line with professional and organisational requirements.
  
  We are looking for an experienced, compassionate and highly motivated Band 7 Dementia Specialist Nurse to join Harrow Older People's Mental Health Services.
This is a senior clinical role working across the Harrow Memory Service, Older People's Community Mental Health Team, primary care and the wider health and care system. The post holder will help improve the quality and coordination of care provided to people living with dementia, their carers and families. The successful candidate will provide specialist assessment, advice, care planning and clinical leadership for people with complex mental health, physical health and social care needs. They will work across organisational and professional boundaries to reduce fragmentation, support earlier intervention and provide a consistent point of specialist clinical advice. The role combines autonomous clinical practice with education, consultation, partnership working, quality improvement and service development. We welcome applications from registered nurses who can demonstrate the specialist dementia knowledge, clinical competence and leadership capability required for this Band 7 role. Applicants will be assessed on their relevant skills, experience and demonstrated outcomes rather than a specified number of years in practice.

CNWL (Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust) provides integrated healthcare across London, Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. We work in partnership with service users, carers, staff, local communities and partner organisations to shape and improve our services. We serve diverse communities and are committed to providing inclusive, high-quality care that reflects the needs of the people who use our services. We value diversity and continue to promote equality, inclusion and understanding across our workforce. CNWL is recognised for high-quality, innovative healthcare, with our staff contributing to the development of national healthcare practice, strategy and policy.