Occupational Health Specialist Nurse
Job Description
Job summary
Do you enjoy the challenge of working in a busy service where no two days are the same? An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Occupational Health and Wellbeing Specialist Nurse to join our professional and supportive SEQOHS accredited team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. The post is based at The Working Well Centre, Worcester, but will also involve cross site working, including travel to Coventry and Warwick in order to support the health and wellbeing needs of our workforce.
Working autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team, you will deliver a comprehensive, confidential and high-quality occupational health service to managers and staff across the organisation and external clients. This role requires advanced clinical decision-making skills, strong leadership capability, and the ability to manage a complex caseload.
You will contribute to service development, clinical governance, and quality improvement initiatives while ensuring compliance with professional standards and organisational policies. You will also support with the day to day operational running of the service.
Previous applicants need not apply.
Main duties of the job
Undertaking comprehensive evidence-based OH assessments, provide risk-based interventions and offer expert OH advice in the management of sickness absence cases. Also, you will support the development of junior members of the team by sharing your expertise and support the development of others' competencies in OH&WB. In addition to your clinical responsibilities, opportunities to participate in policy and process development, auditing and other governance related activity, will ensure job variation and opportunity for growth.
The ideal candidate will be highly confident, have excellent communication skills, proficient IT skills and a flexible pro-active approach to be able to manage a varied and demanding workload.
About us
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us. Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Being open and honest
Ensuring people feel cared for
Showing respect to everyone
We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
DBS Checks and Costs
Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose:
To support and contribute to the effective provision of a high quality Occupational Health and Wellbeing Service to the Trust and other public sector and private organisations. The postholder may liaise with other agencies in the planning programmes of care and/or health education programmes.
To promote and maintain a systematic, holistic approach to occupational health and wellbeing provision, its implementation and evaluation.
To participate in identifying and maintaining a safe working environment and preventing ill health that may be associated with work. Receive, interpret and manage highly complex health information from employees, managers and/or HR which may lead to restrictions being placed on an employees job role, such as addictions, blood borne viruses or RIDDOR reportable incidents; providing highly specialised advice regarding work health assessments and fitness for work assessments in line with professional standards, legal obligations and local policy.
Undertake formal clinical audit programmes and evaluation, supporting the strategic direction of the service and provide assurance regarding the quality of clinical care and advice.
To provide clear visible professional advice to employees within the Trust and external clients.
Provide management and professional leadership to Occupational Health Nurse Advisors and the wider multidisciplinary team within the Occupational Health department.
To assist the Head of OH and Wellbeing in leading and advancing clinical practice in line with DH guidelines and legislation.
To provide all aspects of Occupational Health clinical practice. Assessing patients/clients, planning and implementing care, providing specialist advice and maintaining associated records in accordance with departmental protocols.
Key Duties:
Coordinate daily clinics and provide professional leadership, advice, support and guidance to the Occupational Health Nurse Advisors. Act as a professional role model and provide strong, facilitative, and effective clinical leadership.
Manage own caseload of management referrals for the purpose of sickness absence management through assessment and planning of Occupational Health care of an individual. Provide specialist expertise and advice on highly complex cases such as those with multiple complex health or neurodiverse conditions for which managers require coaching and guidance to be able to support the employee in the workplace. Develop highly specialised programmes of care to employees to mitigate health issues within the workplace.
Work autonomously as a specialist practitioner and be able to use own initiative and act independently, to take action when required. Will be required to work alone as well as within the team.
Maintain and safeguard accurate confidential clinical records including the recording of clinical outcomes and observations, tests results, and the secure storage of patient identifiable information on the OH management system Cority in in accordance with Data Protection Act and Caldicott Principles, information governance and relevant legislation.
Undertake complex fitness for work assessments, using evidence-based practice to provide highly specialist appropriate advice and support to managers, employees and HR whilst considering relevant legal requirements e.g. Equality Act. This will require the analysis of a range of possible options.
Assess any employee following an inoculation injury, undertaking a risk assessment for blood borne viruses and appropriate action in accordance with the DH guidelines.
Act as an expert adviser on specific programmes of work as required, for example employee infection prevention or health surveillance interventions/programmes
Contribute to strategic OH work, including attendance at key meetings representing OH e.g. Health and Safety, Infection Prevention and Control.
Participate in Health and Wellbeing initiatives.
Take a senior role in the development and provision of a high profile and pro-active Occupational Health Service that will meet SEQOHS accredited standards.
Assist in the development of the departments business plans and strategy.
Undertake defined projects as agreed with the Head of OH and Wellbeing to support the delivery of high quality clinically effective care.
Assist the Head of OH and Wellbeing to monitor, review and develop Occupational Health policies and procedures to ensure they meet legislation and DH recommendations and reflect standards of best practice.
To support the Head of OH and Wellbeing/Deputy OH Manager and deputise as necessary.
Use high level specialist knowledge to develop and deliver training programmes to address specific health and wellbeing issues.
Communication and relationship skills:
Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious information with clients where there are significant barriers to acceptance which need to be overcome, requiring a high level of interpersonal and communication skills and ensuring advice is in line with legal standards e.g. fitness to drive, safeguarding
Communicate effectively within the multidisciplinary team, with departments and organisations to ensure services are well planned and co coordinated. Establish and maintain effective communication channels with all colleagues, managers and other professionals.
Respond to verbal / electronic/ written and telephone enquires in a helpful manner, prioritising messages and taking responsibility for ensuring the appropriate member of the clinical team is informed where action is required.
Maintain and respect patient confidentiality at all times. To escalate cases to Head of OH and Wellbeing / Occupational Health Physician when appropriate.
Planning and Organisational skills:
The postholder will plan ...
