Clinical Nurse Specialist /Community Mental Health Nurse

The post holder will make a significant contribution to the delivery of specialist nursing care within the multidisciplinary team. Key responsibilities include participating fully in the referral and allocation process, undertaking comprehensive assessments, delivering evidence-based treatment, managing clinical risk, safeguarding vulnerable children and adults, and providing care coordination for service users. The successful candidate will also contribute to multidisciplinary case discussions, service development, and other service-related meetings. In addition, the post holder will provide consultation, supervision, and support to colleagues, students, and other staff within the team, promoting best practice and the delivery of high-quality patient care. This is an excellent opportunity to work within a specialist service dedicated to supporting individuals with eating disorders, while contributing to the ongoing development and improvement of care pathways and outcomes for service users.Main duties of the job Provide specialist nursing and psychological assessments, including the monitoring and interpretation of physical health parameters, for individuals referred to the Adult Community Eating Disorder Service. This involves the appropriate integration of complex information from multiple sources, including clinical assessments, psychological and neuropsychological measures, self-report tools, rating scales, structured observations, and interviews with service users, family members, carers, and other professionals involved in care. Deliver services across community and mental health settings, ensuring that assessments and interventions are responsive to the needs of service users. Develop and implement highly specialist, evidence-based interventions for individuals with eating disorders, utilising a range of therapeutic approaches and theoretical frameworks tailored to individual needs. Provide timely and accessible care through both clinic-based appointments and outreach models, promoting engagement and continuity of care. Offer highly specialist advice, consultation, and guidance to colleagues and external agencies regarding assessment, formulation, risk management, and treatment planning, working autonomously within professional and organisational guidelines. Act as Care Coordinator for a defined caseload of service users, undertaking highly specialist assessments and coordinating integrated, person-centred care plans to support recovery and positive outcomes.,

• Provide a nursing perspective to the clinical work of the multidisciplinary team and contribute to the delivery of all aspects of the service. Advise on the suitability of referrals for a nursing-led approach and maintain a clinical caseload of highly complex and challenging cases.
• Undertake highly specialist, holistic assessments of referrals to formulate and implement evidence-based treatment and care plans, utilising appropriate theoretical and conceptual frameworks.
• Apply advanced clinical knowledge and experience to identify, analyse, and interpret highly complex presentations and behavioural patterns. Develop comprehensive formulations to effectively prioritise, engage, and intervene with service users, their carers, and families.
• Provide highly specialist nursing expertise, guidance, consultation, and advice to the multidisciplinary team, contributing to the development of treatment formulations and care planning.
• Support alternatives to inpatient admission wherever possible through flexible, specialist outreach interventions and assertive engagement within service users' homes and community settings, reducing the risk of disengagement from treatment.
• Deliver effective, person-centred care packages that provide the most appropriate therapeutic response for service users and their families, working collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues and partner agencies.
• Work therapeutically with service users and families experiencing highly complex and emotionally challenging circumstances, including situations involving hostility, conflict, distress, or verbal aggression. Demonstrate the skills required to assess, manage, and de‑escalate risk effectively.
• Act as Care Coordinator where required, taking responsibility for the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care plans. Ensure the views of service users, carers, family members, referring agencies, and other professionals are fully considered within the care planning process.
• Support eligible service users in accessing social care resources, including personal budgets, direct payments, and other relevant support services.
• Make highly skilled clinical decisions regarding treatment options, drawing upon evidence‑based practice, therapeutic models, and an understanding of complex developmental, psychological, social, and family factors that influence presentation and recovery.
• Undertake carers' assessments and facilitate carers' groups to provide education, support, and guidance for relatives and carers affected by eating disorders.
• Deliver care that is culturally sensitive, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of service users and their families. Recognise and address the impact of race, culture, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, and other protected characteristics on engagement, treatment, and recovery.
• Demonstrate specialist knowledge and experience in safeguarding adults and children, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, local safeguarding procedures, and inter‑agency protocols.
• Undertake timely assessments and interventions, including comprehensive risk assessments and risk management planning. Provide specialist advice and consultation to other professionals regarding the assessment and management of clinical risk.
• Take a leading role in medicines management within the service, working collaboratively with the Medicines Management Team to promote safe prescribing practices, medication adherence, and the safe use, storage, and monitoring of medicines and medical devices. Contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, audits, and governance processes.
• Provide clinical supervision, consultation, and mentorship to colleagues, students, and trainees.
• Participate actively in multidisciplinary meetings, case reviews, safeguarding meetings, and professional forums to support high standards of clinical care and patient safety.
• Maintain professional registration and ensure compliance with relevant professional standards, Trust policies, and regulatory requirements. Registered Nurse ( Mental Health/Learning Disability)

Desirable criteria

• MSc in specific therapeutic treatment modality e.g. systemic practice, cognitive behavioural therapy.
• Post graduate clinical and therapeutic qualification related to the community. Sound experience of working in a range of settings relevant to the post
• Experience of nurse independent prescribing for relevant service user group
• Experience of working with service users presenting with emotional/psychological difficulties and challenging behaviour with their families and wider networks in situations of crisis and emotionally demanding environments.
• Experience and knowledge of implementing safeguarding procedures for children and adults
• Experience of teaching and training in practice, Knowledge of recent developments in mental health/learning disability provision for specific service user group including government initiatives for working with a range of service users with challenging antisocial behaviour in education and the community
• Knowledge of current developments in research and its application with the specific service user group, Ability to teach and train others using multi‑media materials suitable for presentation within public, professional and academic settings
• Facilitating clinical supervision
• Skills in the use of complex methods of assessment and treatment of individual, couples, families and groups frequently requiring sustained and intense concentration.
• Prescribing medication for a group of service users, reviewing effectiveness and side effects. You must have appropriate UK professional registration. Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission
• Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout

#J-18808-Ljbffr