Children's Community Nurse

The post is a nursing role within Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) Children's Community Nursing Service (CCNS), focused on the clinical and associated public health nursing of children, young people and families.

The Children & Young People's (CYP) Community Nurse (CN) will contribute to the development of the local Children's Community Nursing Team and countywide CCNS together with the Team Lead and senior nurses, helping to ensure that policy and practice is developed and delivered in line with Trust and national best practice standards.

The post holder will have a key role in delivering specialist community children's nursing for the children and young people on the CCN caseload. They will provide up-to-date knowledge and skills for the nursing management and care of children in the community setting. They will liaise with clinical experts for the provision of specialist knowledge, skills and leadership as required.

As a Registered Nurse - Child, they will promote the health and wellbeing of children and their families and ensure the provision of high quality, safe nursing care to children and families on the caseload. They will work closely with other health professionals within the Trust and across the health economy, as well as with statutory and third sector agencies.

Deliver and help maintain excellent nursing care and practice standards within the CCNT, helping to review where needed.

Work together with the CCN Team Lead to help ensure the consistent delivery of safe quality nursing care for children on the caseload.

Help implement and write children's clinical policies and standards, maintaining other standards and clinical policies in line with SCFT requirements, helping to evaluate and adjust as required, in partnership with Team Lead, Matron, Heads of CCNS and other senior CCNs.

Help manage development and performance within the CCN team and ensure together with Team Lead that appraisals for junior staff are completed annually and ensure feedback on performance is given at regular intervals throughout the year.

Educate and support junior staff/peers offering leadership surrounding continual professional development and performance of best clinical practice.

Ensure health records are maintained and compliant with Trust policy and keep accurate, legible, contemporaneous records and written reports as required.

Assist the Team Lead, Safeguarding Team and Head of CCN Service in co-ordinating child protection processes in accordance with Trust policy whilst supporting junior staff in understanding and exercising the Trust safeguarding policy and Sussex procedures.

Maintain and help to analyse relevant service data which will demonstrate activity of the team and assist with identifying service needs and possible developments.

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust
• Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast

Our values — Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence —guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

The CCN is required to educate and clinically support staff to meet the needs of individual children acting as a specialist practitioner in the community setting. Where the practitioner holds a current 'Nurse Prescribing for Community Practitioner (V100)' qualification the practitioner may prescribe within the limits of their professional competency and Trust guidelines.

Practitioners at this level assume responsibility for planned teaching of nurses and health care assistants, associate practitioners and students, and will help ensure the mentorship and supervision of students.

The post holder will protect, safeguard and promote the well-being of children in accordance with 'The Children Act' (1989 & 2004) and 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' (HM Gov 2013).

Manage the delivery of quality nursing care, support, information and advice, for a delegated CCNT caseload, helping to ensure that appropriate resources are available to assist in providing this care.

Support and educate staff offering clinical specialist knowledge and skills for the delivery of nursing care for children in the CCNT caseload.

Maintain excellent communication channels with service stakeholders. Engaging in cross boundary partnership working including the child and family/carer, to help develop seamless care provision. This includes working with health care, social care and education as well as relevant charities including the local hospices.

Help develop, implement and review clinical protocols and standard operating procedures which assist in delivering safe care and best nursing practice.

Develop clinical skills and knowledge within the team, ensuring the relevant clinical skills required for management of safe nursing care are maintained.

Provide teaching regarding the use of equipment and treatment regimes in the community for children, families/carers and staff involved.

Ensure concise and accurate documentation of care interventions, including telephone advice and support are documented and recorded.

Act as a resource and role model of children's community nursing specialist practice to all other professionals and work colleagues.

Attend essential and relevant clinical practice updates in tertiary centres and special interest groups both within the Trust, locally and nationally to help develop and contribute towards establishment of clinical practice standards.

Participate in nursing research and audit projects pertinent to clinical community practice in conjunction with CCN service's quality and standards forum.

Ensure when aware of clinical incidents in practice that these are reported via the correct channels and assist with the implementation of relevant recommendations.

Regularly evaluate the clinical effectiveness of care and in consultation with Team Lead and senior nurses in the wider CCN service, make adjustments where appropriate in order to make the best use of team and SCFT resources.

Develop, implement, and evaluate guidelines/teaching tools for children/families/colleagues, healthcare professionals for use within the CCN service for care of identified health needs and promotion of well-being.

Take part in the on-call rota in order to provide 24hr direct nursing support for end of life care and on call system.

Take part in the 7 day working rota as the Service evolves.

Staff may be required to work anywhere in West Sussex and Brighton and Hove in order to meet the needs of the commissioned service.