Mental Health Nurse

You will provide hands-on nursing care within a multidisciplinary weight management and metabolic health service for people with severe mental illness. Working autonomously and alongside the wider team, you will assess mental and physical health needs, manage a defined caseload, and develop, implement and review individualised care plans. You will monitor clinical observations, investigation results and medication side effects, responding to findings and escalating concerns appropriately. You will provide psychoeducation, lifestyle advice and behavioural support, helping service users build confidence in managing their health and taking medication regularly. You will administer subcutaneous medication safely and support ongoing engagement through effective therapeutic relationships. You will work across hospital and community settings, including occasional home visits, collaborating with dietetics, psychology, physiotherapy, pharmacy and medical colleagues, alongside partner services at Guy's and St Thomas'. You will contribute to service development, audit and quality improvement, provide training to colleagues, and have opportunities to participate in research and professional development. South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust provides specialist mental healthcare across hospital and community settings. We work with service users, their families and carers to deliver compassionate care that addresses both mental and physical health needs. Based at Maudsley Hospital, this post contributes to a specialist weight management and metabolic health service delivered in partnership with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. You will work alongside colleagues from a range of professional backgrounds to support people with severe mental illness and overweight or obesity. SLaM works closely with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King's College London and is part of King's Health Partners. These links provide opportunities to pursue research interests, access training and development, and contribute to improvements in clinical practice. Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of the responsibilities and requirements. Overall job purpose and responsibilities include:

• Provide specialist nursing care within the multidisciplinary weight management and metabolic health service.
• Undertake comprehensive assessments of mental, physical and social care needs, including structured mental state assessments.
• Manage a defined caseload, coordinating clinics and care in line with multidisciplinary treatment plans.
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate individualised care, adapting support to each person's needs and circumstances.
• Monitor physical health, medication side effects and clinical investigation results, taking appropriate action and escalating concerns.
• Conduct risk assessments, recognise changes in mental or physical health, and follow safeguarding and escalation procedures.
• Provide psychoeducation, behavioural support, lifestyle advice and support with medication adherence and self-management.
• Administer subcutaneous medication safely and maintain competence in medicines management.
• Build therapeutic relationships with service users and work collaboratively with families, carers and support networks.
• Communicate sensitive information with empathy, adapting communication to address barriers to understanding and engagement.
• Work across hospital and community settings, including occasional home visits.
• Maintain accurate clinical records and contribute to outcome measurement, audit, quality improvement and research.
• Provide education and training to nursing staff and other professionals on weight management in people with severe mental illness.
• Maintain professional registration and uphold nursing standards, clinical governance and information governance requirements.
• Champion the physical health needs of people with severe mental illness and contribute to the ongoing development of the service.
  
  We are looking for an enthusiastic Registered Mental Health Nurse to play a central role in delivering care within a specialist weight management and metabolic health service for people with severe mental illness ('TUNE-UP').
Delivered in partnership between South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, the service brings together multidisciplinary expertise to improve physical health and support people living with severe mental illness and overweight or obesity. You will need a first-level nursing qualification as a Registered Mental Health Nurse, current NMC registration and significant post-registration experience. You should have experience of assessing and treating people with severe mental illness and coexisting physical health conditions, providing psychoeducation and behavioural support, and working collaboratively with service users, carers and multidisciplinary colleagues. A passion for improving the care of people with mental illness is essential. Additional training in physical healthcare, experience in weight management or metabolic conditions, and current phlebotomy or ECG skills would be valuable. You will combine clinical expertise with empathy, sound judgement and strong communication skills, helping people engage with treatment, manage their health and overcome barriers to care.