District Nurse (SPQ) (Cheltenham ICT)

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county.

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care. We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and we are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality teams in all areas of the Trust.

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Do you think you have what it takes to lead and manage a team of nurses striving to transform Community Care across the One Gloucestershire Integrated Care system (ICS), based in the Cheltenham locality? If you have extensive community nursing experience and you are looking for a new challenge and career development this might be the next job role for you.

In this ever changing, modernising, NHS environment we need nurses who are flexible, innovative and resilient enough to rise to the challenge of a very rewarding role. We seek nurses with compassion , who hold patient experience and high-quality care at the heart of their nursing practice.

In order to be considered for this post you will either have achieved or be almost completing your Specialist Practitioner Qualification (SPQ) in District Nursing.

As this is a community role, it requires a full driving licence and a vehicle to use for work purposes.

This role is offered on a permanent basis. The hours are full-time, 37.5 hours per week. Early Shift 8-4pm, Late Shift 12-8pm. Rostered weekend 1 in 4.

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In addition to being an expert in your field in possession of extended competencies, you will need to demonstrate excellent communication skills to illicit an accurate, holistic assessment of patient needs as part of a case management approach. We offer training and support to move towards greater engagement with our patient population.

As part of the role you will be required to work within a dedicated referral centre and will possess critical thinking & negotiating skills to aid the triage process. You will be responsible for managing a defined caseload of patients with delegated responsibilities to your Band 5 nursing team to support continuity of care for patients as part of the nursing model of care. Prior experience with electronic patient record IT systems (e.g. System One) is advantageous, however full support and training will be given.

You will be keenly aware of the importance of collaborative working and have some understanding of the services and other professions within the newly merged Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust including our own Therapy colleagues within the ICT (Integrated Community Team), GP surgeries, Rapid Response and Complex Care at Home ensuring the right care is delivered at the right time, by the right professional for patients.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for direct patient care delivery, professional leadership and operational management of the Community Nursing Service.

Direct management and leadership of a caseload of patients attached to affiliated GP practices.

Direct management and leadership of a team of nurses and unregistered colleagues in the delivery of outstanding community nursing care,

Acting as a pivotal part of the Multidisciplinary Team within the Integrated Community Teams.

The Trust is required to work in line with the Government’s UK Visa and Immigration Rules and Regulations. For more information about sponsorship for certain roles, please visit - https://www.gov.uk/browse/visas-immigration/work-visas

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

If you are aged 16-30, you may be eligible for financial and pastoral support from the King’s Trust, with who we are in partnership with to support your first 6 months in role. We will pass on your details to the King’s Trust who will be in touch with you if you are eligible. If you would rather not be contacted, please let us know.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Good luck with your application.