Registered Nurse in Primary Care - HMP Durham

Main Responsibilities

Registered Nurse in Primary Care

Location: HMP Durham

Salary: £22,128 to £28,746 per annum plus £1500 Golden Hello.

HMP Durham was built in the early 19th Century and has been undergoing a major refurbishment programme during the last 10 years. HMP Durham a reception prison accommodating remands and men serving short sentences of no more than 56 days.  The average length stay is 5 to 6 weeks . The establishment is serving the courts in the North East to the Scottish Boarder to Teesside and Northern Cumbria area. In February 2017, the operational capacity was 1,001.

With the high turn over the healthcare focus is on immediate needs  and safety this may include substance misuse issues, mental health, physical injury and acute illness, in addition to this opportunity to test for BBV,  immunisations and some aspects of health screening and promotion are provided.

Nursing provision is provided 24 hours a day 365 days of the year, The healthcare team is made up of a number of different providers that include mental health and substance misuse workers, doctors and pharmacy, G4S provide healthcare administration services, primary care and substance misuse nursing staff nursing staff. As a member of nursing team you would be providing reception screening procedures, emergency response, immunisation and screening services, medication administration and medication management procedures. In what at times can be a challenging, rewarding, humorous and at times frustrating environment.

*** Golden Hello Scheme ***

Are you a qualified nurse or healthcare professional looking for a new post in a dynamic, values-led and supportive organisation?

G4S Healthcare has introduced a ‘Golden Hello’ Scheme to reward candidates for choosing G4S Healthcare as an employer. The scheme applies upon the successful full time contracted recruitment of Qualified Nursing Posts.

Following all satisfactory pre-employment checks and commencement of employment, you will receive the payment in two instalments as follows:

• £750 on commencement of employment (once all satisfactory pre-employment checks have been completed)
• £750 on successful completion of 6 months service.

The payments will be non-pensionable and will be subject to tax and national insurance deductions.

Further information will be discussed at interview, should you be successful.

Job Outline: 

The post holder will contribute to the positive and aspirational workings of the nursing team, by promoting an agenda of recovery from the dependence on drugs and/or alcohol within the client group and which supports the goals of reducing re-offending, increasing re-integration into meaningful and sustained occupation and improving social and family relationships.

The purpose of this post is to provide clinical skills and interventions to substance misusing clients and to deliver them to the highest standard of care and in line with latest national guidelines and standards, G4S policies and procedures and statutory frameworks governing patient care in a prison setting. The Staff Nurse is a practice nurse as well as a clinical supervisor/leader for lower grade nurses and therefore carries responsibility for the provision of high quality, effective and safe treatment and recovery services for our service users. 

Key Responsibilities/Accountabilities

Management and Leadership

• To contribute to the workings of the multidisciplinary team responsible for the delivery of specialist substance misuse treatment and recovery interventions for drug and alcohol misusers.
• To innovatively support the continuing development of Prison Substance Misuse/IDTS Services within national guidelines, through the efficient and effective management of resources at their disposal.
• To contribute to development/negotiation of partnership working mechanisms with all key providers within the prison environment and to promote good partnership working relationships in all nurses.
• To be familiar with all aspects of security and safety, consistent with working within a custodial framework and will ensure that positive and effective communication links exist between themselves, prison staff, NON-CLINICAL DART TEAM’s staff, community teams/services and any other agency in meeting the needs of this client group.
• To work with the Senior Nurse to develop, implement and manage change processes from planning and implementation to evaluation/review of evidence based practice, using clinical governance frameworks that respond to need and effective management of risk.

Clinical Activities

• To provide clinical interventions within Substance Misuse/IDTS Services and Primary Care Nursing Services. This may include providing primary care interventions such as general medication dispensing, generic health screening with reception units and basic wound care. Other clinical interventions required to be discuss with line manager.
• To be directly accountable and responsible for own nursing practice and to operate in line with NMC Code of Professional Conduct in relation to rules, regulations and policies on direct patient care.
• To work clinically within all areas of the Substance Misuse/IDTS treatment delivery system and to role model good practice to all Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers under their responsibility. This will include drug and alcohol assessment, co-working, care planning and review, medication titration and dispensing, BBV interventions, public health advice and discharge planning.
• Ensure the safe administration and storage of medication within NMC guidelines, local policies and procedures including the use of patient group directives (PGD’s).
• To be responsible for the delivery of high standards of nursing care to patients assessed and admitted to the service according to their clinical needs, and in accordance with up-to-date evidence based practice and relevant clinical protocols and policies.

Service and Policy/Protocol Development Activities

• To provide regular briefings to the Senior Nurse on service issues.
• To work collaboratively in developing and maintaining professional links and co-ordinating client care pathways with other internal and external providers.
• To contribute to innovative solution focused thinking related to service improvement.
• To contribute to the review and implementation of policies/protocols in relation to safe prescribing, referral, admission and discharge procedures.

Educational Activities

• To work with the Senior Nurse to ensure all Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers attend statutory training.
• To provide regular, up-to-date analysis of staff training needs and training completed.
• To contribute to ensuring that the service has a learning culture and the ability to train Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers in the working environment, with the intention of raising skills and competencies in relation to the treatment/care of the client group
• To promote regular learning within the team to ensure that Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers under their responsibility are briefed and trained in the latest evidence-based practice, G4S intervention manuals and protocols. 
• To participate in training initiatives as required both within G4S and the wider partnership community.
• To be willing to develop own skills / academic knowledge further
• To provide clinical supervision to Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers under their responsibility.
• To provide teaching and education to all staff and patients on issues related to substance misuse awareness, relapse prevention, blood borne viruses and tolerance/risk or overdose.

Research and Audit Activities

• To contribute to clinical and consumer audit and implement resulting recommendations.
• To contribute to team/service reviews.
• To contribute to the development of evidence based approaches to the service and to encourage reflective practice, accountability, Clinical Governance and to continuously appraise one’s own performance and to make these outcomes known to the line manager.
• Performance and Information Management Activities
• To contribute to the development and implementation of performance monitoring systems.
• To ensure all required activity data is collected and recorded by Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers under their responsibility for performance monitoring needs.
• To contribute to production of accurate monthly statistics on service activity and outcomes.
• Contribute to ensuring all clinical records are updated and accurate in a timely manner.
• Adhere and ensure all Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers under their responsibility adheres to all the requirements of data protection and Caldecott. 
• Improving the Patient Experience

Security Awareness

• To be responsible for ensuring self and Nursing Assistants / Health Care Support Workers under their responsibility:
• Comply with the prison security requirements.
• Assume personal responsibility for the security of issued keys.Demonstrate security awareness and familiarity with security procedures especially in relation to prescribed and non-prescribed medication, articles used to self-harm and potential weapons.
• Respond to any situation or circumstance that may indicate threat to security, completing security information reports when appropriate.
• Where it is deemed appropriate to escort visitors to healthcare and prisoners in accordance with prison security standards.
• Escort and chaperone of healthcare related visitors.

The Ideal Candidate

Essential Skills 

• 1st level RGN or RMN with current registration with the UK Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC).
• Evidence of Continuous Professional Development (CPD).
• Proven post nursing registration experience
• Experience of key working and care planning
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to lead and develop teams.
• Ability to provide and co-ordinate clinical and management supervision
• Ability to lead and facilitate decision-making processes

Organisational skills

• Assessment skills, including an understanding of risk assessments.
• Ability to work in partnership with other agencies.
• Ability to treat service users with respect and dignity at all times, adopting a culturally sensitive approach, which considers the needs of the whole person.
• Able to build constructive relationships with warmth and empathy, using good communication skills.
• Friendly and approachable.
• Good presentation of self, enthusiastic, flexible, innovative.
• Committed to customer care and first class service provision.
• Flexible attitude to working arrangements.
• Adaptable, friendly, polite, courteous and caring.
• Motivated and committed.
• Ability to work within a pressurized environment.
• Mentally and physically fit to undertake the role.