An exciting opportunity for a Clinical Nurse Specialist to join our Community Mental Health Services for Older People - Specialist Mental Health Services Older People (SMHTOP) and Crisis Function Team (CFT). The successful postholder will work across our Community MHSOP teams across Hertfordshire providing clinical nursing leadership.
Taking responsibility for making a significant contribution to the nursing input, providing clinical leadership, promoting high quality, evidenced based nursing care within the service. Participating in planning and coordination of assessments, treatment, risk management, safeguarding vulnerable children and adults, care coordination of service users as well as contributing to monitoring physical health, medication management, case discussions and service development.
The post holder will provide senior clinical governance and leadership for nurse ‑ led interventions such as Depot/LAI, Clozapine, Olanzapine, Physical Health promotion, Frailty Prevention and care coordination.
Work in partnership with the Clinical Matron to ensure consistent, high ‑ quality nursing practice and the safe use of high ‑ risk medications.
Lead audit, quality improvement, and incident learning, ensuring clinical documentation and pathways meet professional, legal, and organisational standards.
The post holder will be responsible for professional decision ‑ making, contributing to the investigation of safeguarding concerns, and oversight of safeguarding responsibilities for vulnerable children and adults.
The post holder will coordinate care for a defined caseload of service users, contributing to multidisciplinary case discussions, clinical decision ‑ making, and service ‑ related meetings, while supporting the ongoing development and effectiveness of the service.
In addition, the post holder will provide specialist advice, consultation, clinical and professional supervision to colleagues, students, and professionals from other services, supporting workforce development and collaborative working.
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) is an outstanding organisation with ambitions to match. We are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ from the Care Quality Commission, and our aim is to be the leading provider of mental health and specialist learning disability services in the country.
Our family of over 4000 members of staff provide health and social care for over 400,000 people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services, plus medium and low secure learning disabilities services.
The care we provide makes a fantastic difference to the lives of our service users, their families and carers - everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Our Trust values are:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
These values are at the core of who we are, everything we do, and how we do it!
Would you like to be part of the HPFT family? Would you like work with us to ensure our service users live the fullest lives possible they can? Would you like to be supported in your career to be the best that you can be?
To develop and deliver highly specialist, evidence ‑ based nursing interventions for service users, drawing on a wide range of theoretical frameworks and treatment modalities to meet complex mental health needs. To provide timely and accessible care through a combination of clinic ‑ based, community, and outreach models, in line with service priorities and recovery ‑ focused practice.
To offer highly specialist clinical advice and consultation to colleagues and external agencies regarding assessment, formulation, and treatment, working autonomously within professional, ethical, and organisational guidelines.
To offer senior clinical oversight, leading on crisis management, supporting complex decision ‑ making, and ensuring timely escalation of risk, safeguarding, and urgent clinical concerns in line with Trust policies.
To care ‑ coordinate a defined caseload of service users, undertaking highly specialist assessments and delivering integrated, person ‑ centred care in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
In collaboration with senior and junior colleagues, to contribute to the development of nursing practice across the service, including the provision of clinical supervision to nursing staff.
To actively engage in clinical supervision, appraisal, and continuing professional development, maintaining and enhancing advanced clinical competencies.
To work collaboratively and provide specialist nursing consultation to colleagues within HPFT and external partner agencies, supporting early identification, physical health monitoring, and the psychological management of mental health conditions, associated disabilities and frailty. To promote effective community ‑ based care, and minimise avoidable inpatient admissions in line with Trust objectives.
To take a leading role in service innovation and development, including supporting projects and initiatives with junior staff, to ensure the delivery of safe, effective, and high ‑ quality nursing care.
Responsible for workforce processes such as sickness management, and performance concerns in line with Trust policy, contributing to a safe, well governed and high performing Community MHSOP.
The post holder will take an active role in the management and resolution of service user and carer complaints, ensuring concerns are responded to in a timely, compassionate, and transparent manner. They will contribute to investigations, and ensure learning from complaints is embedded into practice to improve service quality and patient experience.
Clinical Responsibility
The post holder will provide a senior nursing perspective to the clinical work of the multidisciplinary team and the delivery of all aspects of Community MHSOP. They will contribute to referral triage and allocation, advising on the appropriateness of nursing ‑ led interventions, and will maintain a small caseload of highly complex and demanding cases requiring advanced clinical expertise.
The post holder will undertake highly specialist, holistic biopsychosocial assessments, using advanced clinical reasoning to formulate, implement, and evaluate evidence ‑ based treatment and care plans informed by appropriate theoretical frameworks, research evidence, and best practice guidance.
Using highly specialist knowledge and experience, the post holder will analyse and interpret complex presentations, patterns of behaviour, and relational dynamics, contributing expert nursing input to formulation, risk management, and treatment planning for service users, carers, and families.
The post holder will provide specialist nursing advice, guidance, and consultation to the multidisciplinary team and partner agencies, supporting high ‑ quality, coordinated clinical decision ‑ making.
Where clinically appropriate, the post holder will deliver flexible and proactive outreach interventions to support alternatives to inpatient admission, promoting engagement and continuity of care within community settings.
The role involves working with individuals and families experiencing high levels of distress and complexity, including exposure to emotionally charged or potentially hostile situations. The post holder will demonstrate advanced skills in recognising and managing risk, de ‑ escalating conflict, and maintaining safe therapeutic environments.
The post holder will act as care coordinator when required, taking responsibility for initiating, coordinating, and evaluating care plans, incorporating the views of service users, families, carers, referring agencies, and professionals within the wider care network.
The post holder will make high ‑ level clinical judgements and treatment decisions, taking account of therapeutic, historical, developmental, and systemic factors influencing individuals and families.
The role includes offering support to carers, identifying and assessing the need for a carer’s assessment in line with Care Act responsibilities and working collaboratively to ensure carers are supported through appropriate referral pathways, psychoeducation, and group interventions where appropriate.
The post holder will practise in a culturally responsive and inclusive manner, recognising and addressing the impact of culture, identity, inequality, and diversity on mental health and access to care.
The post holder will demonstrate expert safeguarding practice for adults and children, working in accordance with local and national legislation, inter ‑ agency protocols, and Trust policies.
Provide direct clinical governance oversight for all nurse ‑ led interventions within the service, including Depot/LAI, Clozapine, Olanzapine, and Physical Health promotion and Frailty prevention, and support the initiation, monitoring, and management of high ‑ risk and specialist medications, ensuring practice remains safe, evidence ‑ based, and compliant with local and national guidance.
Work in close partnership with the Clinical Matron to promote consistent, high ‑ quality nursing practice across all community teams and clinics, supporting aligned standards and shared clinical leadership.
Regularly monitor and review clinical activity, outcomes, and performance data to inform assurance, reporting, and ongoing service improvement.
Lead and contribute to audit, quality improvement activity and incident learning, ensuring actions are implemented and embedded to improve patient safety and experience.
Ensure that documentation, care planning and clinical pathways within the nurse ‑ led clinics meet professional, legal and organisational requirements.
Provide expert clinical guidance to staff, escalating risks appropriately and supporting robust governance processes across the service.
Monitor and ensure adherence to Trust policies relating to medicines management, infection prevention and control, physical health monitoring, and national quality standards.
The post holder will take a leading role in medicines management, working with the medicines management team to ensure safe prescribing, monitoring, storage, and adherence, including oversight of medical devices and clinical equipment in line with Trust standards.
Leadership and Staff Management Responsibility
The post holder will provide visible clinical leadership, supervision, and professional support to junior staff, newly qualified practitioners, and students, promoting high ‑ quality, evidence ‑ based, person ‑ centred care.
The post holder will provide and/or facilitate a range of supervision, including clinical, management, professional, and safeguarding supervision, ensuring staff are supported to deliver safe and effective care. They will ensure supervision is regular, documented, and reflective, in line with Trust policy and professional standards, and will escalate concerns appropriately where risks to practice or safety are identified.
The post holder will act as a Preceptor and/or provide oversight of the preceptorship process for Newly Qualified Nurses, supporting their transition into practice. This includes offering structured guidance, supervision, and developmental support to build competence, confidence, and professional resilience in line with Trust preceptorship frameworks.
They will offer expert clinical advice and mentorship, supporting staff development and workforce capability through supervision, coaching, and role modelling of best practice.
The post holder will practice in accordance with the NMC Code, maintaining all post ‑ registration requirements, professional standards, and continuing professional development.
As a Band 7 Clinical Nurse Specialist, the post holder will demonstrate advanced clinical leadership and deputise as required to ensure continuity of care, effective clinical prioritisation, escalation, and risk management.
They will contribute to operational and strategic service development, supporting transformation, quality improvement, and innovation in line with HPFT values and priorities.
The post holder will contribute to recruitment and retention processes, including participation in shortlisting, interviewing, and induction of new staff. They will support workforce planning by identifying skills gaps, promoting professional development opportunities, and fostering a positive learning culture within the team.
The post holder will play a key role in clinical governance, promoting and monitoring compliance with medicines management, infection prevention and control, and health and safety standards, and supporting audit, assurance, and continuous quality improvement to enhance patient safety, experience, and outcomes.
In line with managerial responsibilities, the post holder will actively promote and support staff health and wellbeing, including both physical and mental health. They will be open, approachable, and proactive in discussing wellbeing needs, monitoring staff health where appropriate, and directing staff to available organisational support services.
