Job overview

This unique Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) role in Epilepsy is designed to work within the recently established Learning Disability Epilepsy Service (LDES), in Bexley. The role is such that  works closely with the Epilepsy Consultant, liaising with neighbouring neurology teams, and primary care. The post holder will carry a caseload, and supervise a specialist support worker. 

Key components of the role include:

• Provision of specialist assessment and intervention in the management of epilepsy and learning disability, in partnership with service users, their families, carers and other generic community health and social care providers. 
• Provision of advice and support to the wider learning disability nursing teams in Bexley, for epilepsy & health promotion.
• Ensure that people with learning disabilities have access to appropriate health care services.

Main duties of the job

• To accept referrals according to locally agreed guidelines.  To manage a highly complex clinical caseload ensuring high standards of care that is flexible to the needs of the service user. 
• When appropriate, provide direct nursing support and / or facilitate access to generic health services in accordance with individual needs.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of Policies, Procedures and Clinical Guidelines in the community setting particularly in areas associated with epilepsy.
• To be responsible for delivering specialist epilepsy assessment, (including risk screening assessment and management planning).
• Participate and when appropriate, run nurse led clinics for people with learning disabilities and epilepsy.
• Develop formal links and working relationships with local Adult Neurology, Paediatric and Acute Service in Bexley.
• Take the lead for developing links and working relationships with local and national voluntary epilepsy groups / organisations, to ensure access to relevant information and support for service users and their carers.
• Work jointly with other professionals within the Learning Disability Partnership and ensure prompt and appropriate delivery of services.

Working for our organisation

Oxleas offers a wide range of NHS healthcare services to people in community and secure environment settings. Our services include community health care such as district nursing and speech and language therapy, care for people with learning disabilities and mental health care such as psychiatry, nursing and therapies. Our multidisciplinary teams look after people of all ages and we work in close partnership with other parts of the NHS, local councils and the voluntary sector and through our new provider collaboratives. Our 4,300 members of staff work in many different settings including hospitals, clinics, prisons, secure hospitals, children’s centres, schools and people’s homes.

We have over 125 sites in a variety of locations in the South of England. In London we operate within the Boroughs of Bexley, Bromley Greenwich and into Kent. We manage hospital sites including Queen Mary’s Hospital, Sidcup and Memorial Hospital, Woolwich, as well as the Bracton Centre, our medium secure unit for people with mental health needs. We are the largest NHS provider of prison health services providing healthcare to prisons within Devon, Dorset, Bristol, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, Kent and South London. We are proud of the care we provide and our people.

Our purpose is to improve lives by providing the best possible care to our patients and their families.  This is strengthened by our new values:

• We’re Kind
• We’re Fair
• We Listen
• We Care