Clinical Bed Manager

Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust provides child and adult mental health services, learning disability, wellbeing, older people's and eating disorder services across Norfolk and Suffolk.

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and want to reflect the diversity of our local communities within our teams. We welcome applications from all talented individuals with the relevant qualifications, skills, knowledge and experience

Job overview

It's a very exciting time to join us in Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (NSFT) as we continue our journey of improving and investing in our inpatient and community services as well as supporting and developing our staff.

We are looking for competent and experienced mental health or learning disabilities qualified clinicians or practitioners to join our developing Clinical Bed Management Service. Applicants should be able to work and make autonomous decisions, evidence effective written and verbal communication skills including negotiation, influencing and persuading and have experience of facilitating admission and discharge discussions, which are a pivotal part of the role. Applicants should be motivated and have the ability to work with other disciplines within and out-with the organisation.

The role of the Clinical Bed Manager involves ensuring the optimum use of NSFT's inpatient resources by performing triage duties, allocation of beds within the most appropriate inpatient pathway, facilitating all internal and external or Out of Area/Out of Trust hospital transfers and work as directed with Locality teams to ensure the patient has as clinically appropriate and positive an experience as possible when admitted and discharged from an inpatient facility. The Clinical Bed Manager will explore with every referrer, all available options for accommodating the referred patients mental health assessment, treatment and support needs.

Main duties of the job

• To work as the allocated Clinical Bed Manager in the central service office within a shift system that covers 7 days per week, undertaking all clinical triage duties or working directly into allocated localities to support ward based MDT's with complex individuals, supporting and expediting discharges wherever necessary.
• Following effective triage, ensuring appropriate bed allocation in the most suitable clinical environment in collaboration with the inpatient wards, taking into consideration issues such as capacity, acuity and ward staffing challenges.
• Where necessary and only after exhausting all other local options, seek permissions/agreement by senior management and then source and secure an Out of Trust/Out of Area inpatient bed. Work to minimise the patients stay and seek to repatriate the patient back to an NSFT bed at the earliest and safest possible opportunity.
• Facilitating all admissions, early discharges, and transfers (including step-up and step-down from PICU) across NSFT wards and related Out of Trust/Out of Area provider inpatient facilities.
• Working as a core member of the Clinical Bed Management service, the role will also include providing support and cover for colleagues within the team including Discharge Coordinators and the Out of Area Case Manager role.
• The Clinical Bed Manager will attend Locality and Trust-wide Flow Meetings as well as clinical meetings including Ward Rounds, MDT meetings, S117 and other Discharge Planning Meetings.

Working for our organisation

The Clinical Bed Management Service is a team of experienced and skilled mental health experts whose main aim is to ensure that NSFT's patient population can access the necessary assessment and care they require at the right time, in the right place from the right service. The Service is made up of Clinical Bed Managers and Discharge Coordinators supported by a dedicated Medical Director for Patient Pathways in Acute Care & Flow. We work across all adult and older adult inpatient pathways and collaborate with inpatient and community MDT's both within NSFT and sometimes external to the Trust if our patient is receiving their inpatient treatment elsewhere. Our Service is responsible for ensuring the efficient and effective use of the Trusts inpatient resources and for eradicating the use of Out of Trust/Out of Area hospital placements. This post is critical in the Trust meeting its related financial and out of area national targets.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the Job Description for more details on the duties of the Clinical Bed Manager Band 7.

We look forward to receiving your application for the Clinical Bed Manager post and will be happy to discuss the role and the wider Clinical Bed Management Service in more detail. We recommend you speak to someone in the Clinical Bed Management Team or Janice O'Hare who is assisting us with these exciting developments (Janice.O').

Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria

• Registered Mental Health Nurse or equivalent Mental Health professional qualification.
• Evidence of post qualification study and personal development.

Desirable criteria

• Mentorship Qualification.

Experience
Essential criteria

• An appropriate level of post qualified experience to post graduate level
• Experience of Crisis and Risk Management.
• Experience of providing professional leadership within clinical services.
• MDT working.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of variety of clinical areas, e.g. inpatient and/or community teams, Older people, CAMHS, working age adults.

Skills
Essential criteria

• Leadership skills/delegation.

YOUR APPLICATION

We can provide all our job application materials in alternative formats so that these are accessible to everyone. Should you require any documents within this job pack in an alternative format, please do not hesitate to contact us at

PLEASE NOTE: If you use a hotmail, msn or yahoo e-mail account, you will need to check your "junk" mail regularly as these email providers will divert any communication from this Trust/NHS JOBS straight into your " junk" inbox.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES Apart from its legal duties in relation to equality and diversity, the Trust recognises and actively promotes the benefits of a diverse workforce and is committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief.

As a part of the Disability Confident Employer Guaranteed Interview Scheme we interview all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the job vacancy (outlined in the Person Specification).. We encourage you to indicate your eligibility through TRAC jobs when applying.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post may be 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.

Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

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