Job overview
The enhanced care team provide specialised enhanced care to patients on the emergency floor and medical wards who require close supervision. Emergency departments have experienced an increase in patients presenting with mental health needs and the enhanced care team are an integral part of the multidisciplinary response to this, ensuring our patients receive safe, effective care.
We are a positive and welcoming team. There are regular opportunities for education and development and a range of staff benefits within the trusts well being programme.
Closing Date: 28th December 2025 at Midnight
Interview Date: 13 January 2026
Main duties of the job
The post holder will co-ordinate the Enhanced Care team on a daily basis ensuring that enhanced care nursing assistants are appropriately allocated to patients requiring continuous observations.
The post holder will work collaboratively with ward teams and Mental Health Liaison Team to ensure patients receive effective mental health care, in accordance with the principles of least restriction.
The post holder will be responsible for the planning, provision and review of enhanced care and will direct the enhanced care team to deliver therapeutic engagement and interventions to patients with mental health conditions or those experiencing psychological distress.
The post holder will provide clinical supervision to other staff, students and may undertake research, lead clinical audits in own specialist area. Ensuring the safety and well being of services users, and always working in a manner that promotes dignity and human rights through the adoption of person centered care principles.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.
We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical and Patient Care
Independently manage the enhanced care team to deliver individualised and personalised direct patient care working as part of the multi-professional team.
Working autonomously within the parameters of the role leading and supporting junior staff and wider care team to implement the delivery of quality nursing care, contributing to the physical, psychological, social, recreational and spiritual care in a recovery-focused way through therapeutic engagement and activities, and taking steps to address any issues that arise.
Leading on and undertaking activities to ensure that the fundamentals of care are met - nutrition, hydration, hygiene, comfort, emotional and social support.
Providing accurate information about care in an accessible format to patients and their relatives / Carers
Demonstrate appropriate practice and specialist advice in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care. This includes risk assessment, risk management planning, care planning and review of enhanced care.
Be responsible for assessing and recognising escalation of risk and assist in the management of emergencies for patients receiving enhanced care.. To interpret information and take appropriate action and to lead others to do the same.
To ensure that appropriate activities are delivered to patients under enhanced care in line with appropriate risk assessment.
Recognising and valuing service users as individuals, acknowledging the importance of maintaining the service user’s respect and dignity at all time and ensure that the care provided respects equality and diversity.
Act as an advocate for patients within the department, to ensure a patient orientated, recovery approach to the delivery of care and to meet standards within the NHS Plan and other relevant guidelines.
Ensure that patients’ receive high quality clinical care and a good patient experience, having regard for their customs, religious beliefs and doctrines.
Ensure the accurate monitoring and recording of enhanced care, identifying precipitating and protective factors for risk, individualised to the patient,
To advise on least restrictive practices and support the team to undertake safe and therapeutic physical interventions.
Please see attached job description.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. BSC/1st degree (health related) or equivalent qualification/training and experience
Desirable criteria
2. Specialist clinical, managerial training and CPD
Experience
Essential criteria
3. Post registration experience within mental health acute admissions, PICU or forensics.
4. Experience of teaching/assessing/ supervising others in a clinical setting.
5. Experiencing of co-ordinating a shift
Desirable criteria
6. Experience of working with patients with a dual diagnosis (mental health and drug/alcohol use)
7. Experience of recruitment and selection of staff
Skills
Essential criteria
8. Demonstrates specialist expertise underpinned by theory acquired through CPD
9. Ability to assess, plan, implement and evaluate specialist care delivered to patients/clients and give relevant advice/information to patients and relatives
10. Evidence of involvement and leadership in teaching and mentoring learners
11. An understanding of audit and research based nursing practice
Desirable criteria
12. Evidence of leadership within current workplace (eg. Involvement/leading QI project)
Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.