Physical Health Specialist Nurse
South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a dynamic and experienced band 7 Physical Health Specialist Nurse to join our Corporate Physical Health Team on a full-time basis, working Monday - Friday 09:00 - 17:00.
The post will involve working flexibly across our inpatient acute wards at Maudsley Hospital, New Douglas Bennett House, Bethlem Royal Hospital and the Ladywell Unit at University Hospital Lewisham.
Closing date: 04 May 2026
Main duties of the job
* Lead and support multiple inpatient teams towards the delivery of safe, effective and evidence based physical health care across our inpatient services.
* Promote health inclusion in primary and secondary care and support service users to access community health services and national screening programmes.
* Work closely with Matrons, Ward Managers, Clinical Service Leads, General Managers and medical colleagues to deliver on quality and improvement, consistent with CQC standards, national guidelines, Trust values and strategic objectives.
* Hold experience and expertise in assessing and supporting service users with comorbid serious mental illness (SMI) and physical health conditions, and the ability to use this experience to develop the skills of MDT colleagues.
* Be a strong and visible advocate for the importance of physical healthcare for people with SMI, and skilled in engaging service users, carers and colleagues in delivering that care.
* Develop and deliver training, education and development opportunities for staff across all professional backgrounds, building effective working relationships and trust.
* Deliver in house training on the management of medical emergencies designed by the Trust Resuscitation Officer and Trust Learning and Development Team.
* Drive evaluation, research and audit to improve quality and assurance.
Job responsibilities
Key responsibilities:
* Provide treatment and preventative healthcare services, as and when requested, working within the policies and procedures of the organisation.
* Support teams to deliver local and national objectives for physical health care in mental health services.
* Ensure that all documentation is accurate, up to date, of good quality and within professional requirement standards of record keeping.
* Collect and collate information about individual clinical activity on the Electronic Patient Record.
* Meet as appropriate with care/management teams to report on progress and contribute to the development of services across the inpatient acute care pathway.
* Work to assure the quality of physical health care being provided by the Trust through achieving high operational standards.
* Maintain professional standards and attitudes towards the care and treatment of service users and their families.
* Maintain knowledge and proficiency in Infection Prevention & Control, medical device management and physical health care through continuing education, engagement and training.
* Work collaboratively with inpatient MDTs to develop and maintain effective working relationships.
* Supervise junior colleagues or trainees.
Clinical individual
* Maintain a system to ensure that all inpatients with SMI in the post holders designated clinical area are offered physical health screening.
* Support the assessment and management of service users physical health care needs through feedback, discussion, and reviews with the clinical team.
* Understand the barriers around access to physical health checks for people with SMI and help to troubleshoot and provide solutions.
* Maintain effective relationships and clear lines of communication with other professionals, providing specialist advice and support where appropriate.
Professional conduct, teaching, training and research
* Undertake all duties in line with Professional Codes of Conduct and maintain professional registration requirements for the post.
* Work in accordance and within the principles, policies, procedures and guidelines of all aspects of clinical governance.
* Attend and actively engage in monthly supervision, team meetings and annual appraisal meetings.
* Identify development and training needs with manager in accordance with Trust guidelines. Remain up to date with changing practices and wherever possible make full use of all training and educational opportunities.
* Lead on specialist teaching, consultation, and support to other professionals and agencies. Actively support a high‑quality learning environment for staff and students.
* Participate in the monitoring, evaluation and audit of physical healthcare data.
* Work with others to undertake and promote research‑based practice and use that knowledge in your everyday practice.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* First level nursing qualification (RGN) or dual registration (RGN/RMN)
* Current professional registration with a statutory body: The Nursing and Midwifery Council UK
* Clinical Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor training (NMC 2018)
* Teaching/training qualification
* Evidence of post‑graduate professional development e.g. MSc, PGDip etc.
* Post‑graduate training in the assessment and management of physical health conditions
* Training in clinical supervision
Experience
* Experience and ability in the assessment and treatment of people with serious mental illness (SMI) and co‑morbid physical health conditions
* Significant post‑qualification experience of working as an RGN in inpatient acute settings
* Experience and ability to take clinical responsibility for physical health care delivery in a specified clinical area
* Experience teaching / training others.
* Experience in clinical audit, governance and assurance processes/frameworks
* Experience of monitoring the physical health of people with serious mental illness (SMI)
* Experience of working in Primary Care
* Experience in clinical supervision
Knowledge & Skills
* Fundamental skills in managing diabetes, hypertension, delirium, wound care and infection including sepsis.
* Evidence of competency in clinical judgement and risk assessment
* Ability to take on new concepts / forward thinking
* Clear understanding of aggravating and maintaining factors in physical health and comorbid mental disorders
* Evidence of skill in the use of a variety of approaches that patients find supportive.
* Phlebotomy qualification and current skill
* ECG qualification and current skill
* Ability to offer support to colleagues from different professional backgrounds
* Research informed and understanding of evidence – based methods of assessment and treatment
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
£56,276 to £63,176 a yearper annum inclusive of HCAS
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