Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) is supporting the first Mental Health Nurses’ Day[i] on 21st February 2019 – an initiative which aims to attract much-needed talent to this speciality organised by the RCN Mental Health Forum – by highlighting career opportunities for mental health nurses.
According to statistics from the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the number of mental health nurses fell from 90,693 to 88,821 between 2014 and 2018[ii].
LPT has several vacancies for Band 5 Bank Mental Health/Learning Disabilities staff nurses, roles which are ideal for mental health nurses looking for a change of area or more flexibility to better manage their work life balance. The benefits offered include excellent training and development opportunities and the chance to gain experience working in a variety of environments across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
The Trust has recently launched a nursing career framework which highlights the career pathways that their nursing staff can take up. It is also in the second year of a major five-year transformation programme of co-designing improvements for all-age mental health and learning disability services.
Temporary posts for mental health nurses are available too, which will be posted on the Trust Bank, which provides cover across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The temporary staffing system offers posts to all bank nurses with the relevant skills, assessed competences and qualifications, who can then decide to apply for a particular shift. It is often a great option for those looking for more work/life balance.
LPT is also looking to recruit a Band 5 Community Mental Health nurse based within the City East Community Mental Health Team providing care for people over the age of 65 years and Band 6 Mental Health Practitioner to join the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Team at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit at Glenfield Hospital.
What are the benefits of a career in mental health nursing at LPT?
Vicki Noble is Senior Mental Health Practitioner and Clinical Lead at Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust. She provides mental health assessments for individuals going through the criminal justice system and the role is predominantly based in police custody and in courts. She highlights the great opportunities for development and training at the Trust.
Vicki says, “Leicester was my destination of choice purely because of the nurse training courses that were on offer. I recommend LPT for anyone wanting to start out their career or those looking for a fresh challenge in mental health nursing. Being able to make a difference every day to patients inspires me in my day to day role.”
Vicki was new to the area when she first joined but couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now. She says, “Leicester was the optimal choice for me due to its central position in the heart of England. The great transport links including motorways and railways make any large town or city easily accessible from Leicester. Leicester is currently under a massive transformation, not just within the Trust but also as a city, making it a great place to shape your career and the future of the NHS.”
Louise Short is Acute Patient Manager at the Bradgate Mental Health Unit in Glenfield Hospital. Her role involves managing seven ward matrons and overseeing the day to day running of the unit operationally, including monitoring budgets, workforce and recruitment needs.
Louise started working in Leicester after she qualified 16 years ago and has progressed quickly in her career. She explains, “I first came to the Bradgate unit as a newly registered nurse. The Unit is really supportive for helping people learn and progress. I quickly stepped into senior roles as a deputy manager on the ward taking over the post as matron on one of the wards.”
Louise loves working in mental health because everyone is very passionate about wanting to make the patients better, healthier and happy. She says, “I find it really rewarding for the way it personally makes you feel when your patients recover to their best of their ability”.
Louise adds, “Leicester is a really great city. We have fantastic universities, and demographically and geographically we serve a big populace that is extremely multicultural. There is ample opportunity in all avenues of healthcare; you can go into any field of nursing or healthcare that you wish”.
LPT is part of a recently launched recruitment campaign Y/Our Future that unites five major health and social care employers – University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, LOROS Hospice, Rutland County Council and Leicester City Council – to recruit doctors, nurses and health and social care workers to work in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
Y/Our Future aims to promote Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland as a leading career destination for health and social care professionals, with great career and lifestyle opportunities.
For more information on the vacancies visit: https://www.your-future.co.uk/
[i] https://www.rcn.org.uk/magazines/bulletin/2019/february/mental-health-nurses-day
[ii] https://www.rcn.org.uk/magazines/bulletin/2019/february/mental-health-nurses-day