Job Description:

Band 6 Health Visitor:

Job Responsibilities:

• To consistently demonstrate in all relationships with families, colleagues and partner professionals, the Trust Values and the 6 Cs of nursing of commitment, competence, courage, communication, compassion and care in the role of Health Visitor. To develop a workload profile identifying those groups within the population with specific health needs.
• To work closely with the primary health care team, participating in activities that address the health needs of the general practice case load, families using local childrens centers early education clusters, and other health partners.
• To formulate and agree with familys packages of care appropriate to need, where necessary opening active health and well-being files. To monitor all open files in accordance with the records management policy, closing when package of care is complete.
• To carry out health promotion and disease prevention activities, meeting and reporting on agreed key performance indicators where appropriate.
• To give evidence-based advice on health issues to members of the local population in a way which promotes behavioral change and builds on strengths.
• To work to current NICE guidelines on antenatal and postnatal mental health to identify, support and referral of women at risk of developing postnatal depression, and those who are mild to moderately depressed.
• To maintain quality standards of care using audit and other monitoring systems to evaluate the service.
• To identify vulnerable children in need of protection and refer to Social Care and Health following the Board policies in all cases of suspected or actual emotional, physical, sexual abuse and neglect. To follow up domestic violence notifications in line with Trust policy.
• To attend team around the family meetings, case conferences, undertake and fulfil the responsibilities that are appropriate to the role of the Health Visitor as agreed in the multiagency child protection plan.
• Work in partnership with families to plan and arrange appointments for clinics and home visits.
• To develop and maintain effective working relationships with the families, primary healthcare team and other professionals working in both the statutory and voluntary organisations.
• To ensure all equipment used by professionals in clinic settings are maintained and fit for purpose.
• To order equipment for client use as identified following a healthcare assessment. To advise on safe fitting and appropriate use.
• To promote and support immunisation programmes offered nationally to service users.
• To ensure all written records are kept to the required NMC standard, to be able to write letters of referral to other services and to produce complex reports for court hearings relating to child protection.
• To deal with and support families through difficult family situations such as illness, domestic violence, bereavement and child protection.
• To have ongoing responsibility for the management of a caseload, including electronic recording, data inputting and reports.
• To provide professional advice on issues relating to Health Visiting and promote an understanding of health needs among other agencies.
• To access safeguarding, caseload and clinical supervision in order to ensure a resilient workforce which prioritises excellent safe, compassionate care.
• To participate in Nurse prescribing undertaking a full assessment of minor conditions appropriate to the role of the Health Visitor, and where indicated prescribe from the formulary appropriate to level of training, and access continuing professional development in prescribing.
• To convey complex information to other professionals and to clients and to work with other professionals and clients in difficult circumstances such as child protection, terminal illness or bereavement.
• To plan, organize and run clinics/group.