Overview

The PICU Outreach Senior Practitioner post is a newly established role in Oxleas; it has been set up with funding from the South East London MHLDA Quality Improvement Plan. The overall aim of this plan is to ensure that staff and service users in the inpatient services can be supported in the most effective way through a holistic and inclusive therapeutic care environment.A PICU (Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit) is a specialised unit to manage and treat patients who are suffering from mental illness who present with challenging, aggressive, or other risk behaviours such as absconding, where the risk is too high to be managed on acute mental health wards. The Tarn PICU is a 14 bedded unit, located in the Oxleas House Mental Health Unit in Woolwich. It is a male only unit that admits men between 18-65 years. It is the only PICU in Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. Female patients who require PICU admission or male patients who cannot be admitted to the Tarn PICU are placed in other PICUs (Out of Area or Private PICUs). The Tarn PICU receives referrals from services within Oxleas as well as outside Oxleas, such as prisons and other (non-Oxleas) hospitals.Role purpose

The post holder will be providing expert clinical leadership, advanced assessment and intensive case management for all patients on the PICU pathway. They will act as the Trust''s senior clinical resource for PICU-level care, ensuring safe, effective, and timely transitions into, through, and out of intensive care settings.Responsibilities

Provide highly specialised advice and clinical consultation on the management and care of patients with complex needs at risk of, or requiring, PICU admission.Clinically lead the gatekeeping process for all PICU referrals, undertaking advanced assessments to ensure placements are necessary, appropriate and the least restrictive option available.Collaborate with ward teams, multidisciplinary professionals, service users and carers to co-produce holistic, person-centred care plans aligned with assessed PICU needs.Work with PICU services to manage complex service users, developing and implementing individualised, person-centred care and risk management plans.Drive patient flow across the care pathway, including discharge planning and timely transfers between services.Support the implementation and embedding of new clinical care pathways, working with the Matron to integrate updated practices into team operations.Provide clinical consultation to ward teams on evidence-based strategies for managing acute behavioural disturbance to prevent PICU admission where possible.Lead multi-agency and MDT meetings with external providers and justice system partners to formulate and review robust care and risk management plans.Be flexible in travel across Oxleas sites and undertake in-person assessments at external providers as required.About Us

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care, mental health care, and related therapies. We operate across multiple sites in the South of England, including London. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services.Our Purpose is To Improve Lives By Providing The Best Possible Care To Our Patients And Their Families. This is strengthened by our values: We’re Kind, We’re Fair, We Listen, We Care.Job Details

Band 7Salary £53,751 to £60,651 per annum (pro rata where applicable)Permanent, Full-timeLocation: Oxleas House, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Stadium Road, London SE18 4QHJob Description – Responsibilities

Management responsibilities: cross-cover of same grade staff, support recruitment, assist with complaints process, uphold standards and manage resources efficiently.Leadership: provide visible leadership, act as clinical lead for PICU care, supervise junior staff, lead handovers and MDT discussions, support education and service improvement initiatives.Clinical: autonomously conduct advanced clinical assessments, develop care plans with service users and carers, apply advanced clinical knowledge, ensure safety and adherence to policies, manage challenging behaviours, and ensure staff and patient safety.Research: interpret national policies for PICU, lead audits and quality improvement projects, collaborate with Lived Experience Practitioners.Communication: ensure high-quality communication across services, document assessments and plans, use SBAR for risk communication, liaise with agencies, and participate in CPA reviews.Education, Qualifications and Experience

Essential: Current NMC qualification; Mentorship qualification; CPD evidence. Experience of working in a PICU setting as a clinical charge nurse or above; experience in research, evaluation, development and quality improvement approaches. Desirable: Non-Medical Prescribing, standalone Master’s module in Advanced Clinical Assessment, NHS leadership qualification; management/teaching/ service development experience.Skills and Abilities

Essential: Understanding of PICU challenges; advanced clinical assessment and complex formulation; effective MDT working. Desirable: knowledge of research/audit processes.Other

Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required. Certificate of Sponsorship may be considered for eligible applicants. UK registration required. This post is not currently open to applicants requiring sponsorship where not eligible under UK rules.On-call/unsocial hours: Not applicable for this post.

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