As Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults the post holder will work within Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust to ensure that comprehensive and robust arrangements are in place for safeguarding adults within our services.
The post holder will :
Provide expert advice about Safeguarding Adults as stipulated in primary legislation, government strategy and national, regional, and local guidance, ensuring policies and procedures are in place and implemented.
Develop and maintain processes and procedures for safeguarding adults at risk for Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust ensuring that prevention of abuse and safeguarding systems are in place and constantly developed to minimise risk.
Identify, take responsibility and ensure actions are in place to meet the health of vulnerable adults across the Trust. This will involve cross organisational and partnership working at an operational level.
Undertake an expert clinical leadership role in relation to safeguarding adults as part of inter-agency working
Be actively involved in the strategic planning and service developments in relation to inter-agency working for the safeguarding of adults in accordance with national and local requirements.
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Clinical, Patient and Family Care
- Support patients and families as required during the safeguarding process
- Analyse information and provide recommendations for incorporation into clinical practice.
- Actively work with clinical teams, using specialist knowledge and experience
- Make decisions in conjunction with colleagues which directly influence patient care. Assist others in decision making.
- Gain consent for the safeguarding process, assess mental capacity and risk assess as appropriate and also when agreed as part of partnership working with the Safeguarding Referral teams (Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton).
- Responsible for ensuring the Deprivation of Liberty process is applied and clinical staff are competent and trained to manage this process.
- Support staff involved in all aspects of individual cases and in their participation in the full safeguarding process, including attending meetings and in presenting their evidence in relation to a case.
- Ensure appropriate support systems (for clinicians reporting and/or investigating instances of suspected abuse) are in place.
- Ensure the LeDer process is followed and learning is disseminated within the acute trust.
Education, training and development
- Promote adult safeguarding at all levels and with all staff groups
- Ensure the development, implementation and monitoring of a robust training programme for all staff groups
- Provide expert up to date advice, training and supervision to professionals working with adults within the hospital on issues relating to the protection and safeguarding of adults which includes the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty
- Disseminate the learning from all alerts, cases, strategy meetings, serious concerns and serious case reviews and assist in the development of actions and implementation of recommendations for the Trust through key quality and governance meetings
- Use available evidence and audit skills to evaluate, develop and improve standards of practice in relation to adult safeguarding
- Offer clinical supervision and reflective practice opportunities for staff in relation to clinical practice and adult safeguarding
- Identify own learning and development needs in line with recognised best practice
Managerial
- Ensure that the Head of Nursing for Safeguarding, Executive Chief Nurse/Director of Nursing and/or Medical Director are updated and kept informed about potential problems and options in a timely fashion.
- As Lead Nurse for Safeguarding Adults provide professional advice on safeguarding adults to other professionals within acute hospital, the police, care homes and relevant voluntary agencies as required
- Attend as appropriate adult protection strategy meetings and case conferences with health professionals
- Attend appropriate sub group meetings in association with Safeguarding Adult Boards.
- Establish and maintain effective networks with other lead safeguarding adults professionals
- Incorporate an integrated governance dimension into all safeguarding and adult protection work to include complaints and serious incidents
- Stimulate enhancements and innovation in safeguarding practice
- Plan, develop and evaluate systems to collect and analyse data in relation to safeguarding adults in the Trust
- Monitor incidents of safeguarding adults work related to the organisation and report regularly to the Trust on progress and case closures
- Produce reports including recommendations when relevant
- Take appropriate action to ensure that decisions and recommendations of individual cases are followed through
- Contribute to the delivery and monitoring of national and local safeguarding adults policies and procedures
- Produce and implement internal written policies and procedures and review at regular intervals and in relation to any new guidance
- Undertake reviews in cases of death or serious injury to an adult in collaboration with colleagues
Multi-Agency Working
- Manage and develop a robust system of liaison between the acute hospital, safeguarding referral teams within the relevant local authorities, the police, primary health and social care organisations in and with other Named Professionals for safeguarding adults to enable collaborative and effective multi- agency working to safeguard adults
- Contribute to complex enquires/allegations, which may have legal, ethical and professional implications
- Attend relevant meetings both internal and external to the organisation representing the Trust, with or on behalf of their line manager where complex multi-stranded issues may be discussed being able to communicate the Trust viewpoint and vision clearly.
- Work with multi agency colleagues to negotiate positive outcomes for patients and staff, to identify and disseminate trends and to share learning
- Interpret national policy and guidance into Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust’s strategies and policies
- Lead the implementation of recommendations from public and local enquires and ensure guidance from the Department of Health and other key sources is disseminated
