Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust are recruiting for a passionate Band 3 Mental Health Support Worker to join their highly skilled team.
Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust is the largest non-teaching hospital trust in England. With strong local ties and serving around 675,000 residents in Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, they pride themselves on providing comprehensive acute and specialist services.
The Trust has one main site, Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, and looks after six peripheral community sites for outpatient activity.
The role of the RMN is to work in partnership with the multidisciplinary team to provide enhanced support to patients with complex mental health needs in the acute care environment. The RMN should provide therapeutic intervention and engagement, whilst also assisting patients to undertake their activities of daily living.
The Role:
Some patients may require 1:1 observation whilst in our acute hospitals. Levels of observation will be based on the presenting clinical risk of the patient and may be increased or decreased throughout their admission as appropriate. Observation levels will be reviewed on a regular basis, at least every 24 hours by qualified staff.
The purpose of supportive observation is to ensure the safe and sensitive monitoring of the persons behaviour and mental wellbeing, enabling a rapid response to change, whilst at the same time fostering positive therapeutic engagement between staff and the individual.
The role of the ECSW is to provide therapeutic support to patients with enhanced care needs to ensure their safety and provide holistic care whilst an inpatient. The ECSW will work closely with patients who are prescribed 1-1 care by utilising their communication and therapeutic engagement skills.
Key Principles:
Observation engagement should be provided in a kind and compassionate manner for all patients in accordance with their assessed level of risk and identified needs.
Observation engagement should be carried out in a way which minimises the impact on patients’ privacy and dignity as much as is possible, whilst keeping them safe.
Staff should always inform and explain decisions about observation engagement to patients, as part of our commitment to involving patients in their care.
Carry out care to the highest possible standard according to Trust Policies and Practice and Clinical Guidelines. This requires a thorough understanding of policies and guidance related to for example: infection control, hygiene and individualised patient needs.
1:1 observations can be provided within eyesight or arm’s length of the member of staff providing the therapeutic observation. The observing health professional must maintain visual contact at all times, observing the patient’s movements, actions, behaviour, mood etc. This will enable them to notice any warning signs, possible suicide attempts, aggression etc.
The patient must be escorted everywhere, including in some instances to the bathroom and toilet. Each patient’s care plan should reflect whether they are to be given bathroom privacy. In all cases the observing health professional must check the bathroom area for risk items such as razor blades, ligature risks etc before the patient enters.
The observing ECSW should try to occupy the patient with suitable activities if appropriate. However, it is important to bear in mind that the patient may be too ill to participate or may wish to remain silent.
Upholding the patient’s privacy and dignity must be balanced against the safety of the patient, the supporting health professional, and others. During times when the patient is at high-risk during continuous observation, it may be necessary to employ additional interventions, which should be reflected in their risk assessment and care plan. These could include:
- Ensuring that the patient is observed with their arms above the sheets, to prevent undetected self-harm.
- Undertaking observations with the light on at night, to detect and observe unless risk assessed and stated otherwise.
Staff must be observing without distractions e.g. not reading, eating food, or using mobile phones.
What ECSWs can expect from Ward Staff:
At the start of your shift:
- Introduction to the Registered Nurse (RN) and Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) caring for the patient.
- Provision of relevant paper notes, care plans, risk assessments and risk management plans.
- Provision of behaviour charts to be completed during the shift
- Introduction to the patient.
- Identification of the Nurse in Charge of the ward / department.
During your shift:
- Support to enable you to take breaks away from the patient.
- 15 minutes in a shift of up to 4 hrs.
- 30 minutes in an early or late shift.
- 2 X 30 minutes in a long day / long night shift.
- Updated information regarding your patient as it becomes available following ward round, medical review or any other changes affecting the patients care.
- Opportunities to provide the RN responsible for the patient with progress reports as required and before the end of your shift.
- Access to the RN in the event of any queries or concerns you may have regarding the patient and to provide progress reports.
- Immediate access to ward staff in the event of an emergency.
- Assistance from ward staff if you require support to complete your duties.
- Remain with the patient as described by the level of observation they have been assessed as requiring.
- Maintain regular clinical noting with regard to the patient’s presentation / mental health state, activity and interactions in the agreed format in patient’s notes.
- Alert ward staff immediately in the event of an emergency.
- Alert RN in the event of a deterioration in the patient’s mental or physical health state / presentation.
- Attempt to establish a therapeutic rapport with the patient through positive engagement.
- Support the patient through positive interaction for the duration of your shift, encouraging a balance between rest and activity which is consistent with their needs
- Encourage and document dietary and fluid intake.
- Contribute to a full range of routine care tasks such as supporting self-care and completing routine observations, eg washing and dressing, physical observations.
- Accompany the patient for social activity off the ward e.g. smoking, within the limits of any restrictions in place.
- Act as a reassuring chaperone by accompanying ward / portering staff with the patient when attending clinical investigations e.g. X Ray, CT Scan.
- Remain with the patient during investigations as required by their level of observation.
- You will be expected to attempt to de-escalate if a patient becomes aggressive towards staff/property.
- Provide the RN responsible for the patient with progress reports as required and before the end of your shift.
- Provide direct verbal handover to colleagues taking over from you at the end of your shift as well as providing a clearly written handover in the patient’s notes.
We are so grateful for the commitment and devotion of our Bank Staff, so are pleased to offer the following benefits:
- Weekly salary.
- Staffing Bank workers can contribute to their NHS pension.
- Priority of shifts over all agency workers.
Apply now for this fantastic opportunity by uploading your CV, and a member of our recruitment team will be in touch.
Bank Partners is an employment agency/employment business (as defined by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003) and is acting on behalf of its client in relation to this vacancy.