Canberra Health Services (CHS) is focused on the delivery of high quality, effective, person-centered care. It provides acute, sub-acute, primary and community‐based health services, to the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and surrounding region. More information can be found on the CHS website: https://www.health.act.gov.au/

Mental Health, Justice Health, Alcohol and Drug Services provides health services directly and through partnerships with community organizations. The services provided range from prevention and treatment to recovery and maintenance and harm minimisation. The participation of the people who use the service, including families and carers, is encouraged in all aspects of service planning and delivery. The Division works in partnership with a range of government and non-government service providers to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients.

The Division delivers services at a number of locations, including hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, community health centres, detention centres, other community settings including people’s home. These services include:

• Adult Acute Mental Health Services
• Adult Community Mental Health Services
• Alcohol & Drug Services
• Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
• Justice Health Services
• Rehabilitation and Specialty Mental Health Services

Adult Acute Mental Health Services incorporates the Adult Mental Health Unit (AMHU), the Mental Health Short Stay Unit (MHSSU), the Mental Health Unit 12B (12B MHU) and the Consultation Liaison (CL) Team across the Emergency Department and Canberra Hospital.

AMHU is a 40 bed inpatient unit for people experiencing moderate to severe mental illness. AMHU is a contemporary evidence-based service providing high quality mental health care, guided by the principles of Recovery. The service aims to provide collaborative care involving the consumer, their carers and other key services. MHSSU is a low dependency 6 bed inpatient unit in the Emergency Department for people requiring extended mental health assessment and or treatment initiation. 12B MHU is a 10 bed Low Dependency Mental health Unit.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

At this level it is expected that you will provide, under limited supervision, high quality clinical nursing, skills and care to achieve sound outcomes for people with mental illness.

It is also an expectation that you will contribute your expertise to the multidisciplinary team, provide supervision to staff at the RN1 level and support the Assistant Director of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Consultants and Nurse Unit Manager.

In this role you will be required to undertake professional development, supervision, participate in quality initiatives and contribute to the multidisciplinary team processes.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Provide leadership in the provision of high-level person-centred care to people with complex mental health needs consistent with the National Mental Health Standards and Mental Health Nursing Standards.
• Provide clinical nursing expertise and apply specific skills in support of the multidisciplinary team process and liaise with multidisciplinary community teams, General Practitioners, carers, and other agencies.
• Actively apply recovery-based intervention principles.
• Undertake as an active team member the monitoring and evaluation of initiatives to improve the quality of care provided to consumers, and ensure support and supervision are provided to student nurses and student enrolled nurses.
• Undertake clinical supervision and professional development activities and participate in clinical governance systems and processes through quality activities, care evaluation, outcomes measurement and membership of committees and working parties.
• Work within the requirements of the Mental Health Act 2015 and other relevant legislation.
• Provide clinical nursing leadership and be responsible for staff and consumers when in charge of a shift.
• Undertake other duties appropriate to this level of classification which contribute to the operation of the organisation.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

• Be registered or be eligible for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Desirable

• Hold or be working toward Post Graduate qualification in mental health nursing.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following.

Essential

Four (4) years (6840 hours) of post graduate hours of practice worked in direct or indirect roles (inclusive of 7 weeks annual leave per year)

Or

Completion of a relevant post graduate certificate (or working towards) and three (3) years (5130 hours) worked in direct or indirect roles

Or

Minimum of 2 yrs (1978 hours) RN experience if in possession of 2 or more years of prior EN experience within area of specialty

The successful applicant will need to be available to work on a seven day a week roster filling morning, evening, and night shifts.

Desirable

• Minimum of 1 years’ recent experience working as a Registered Nurse in an acute mental health facility
• Have an understanding of how the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) indicators align with this role
• Experience or knowledge of the CHS Exceptional Care Framework, Clinical Governance Framework, Partnering With Consumers Framework and all other related frameworks.
• Clinical leadership experience
• Current driver’s licence

Appointment to this position is conditional on being granted and retaining appropriate clearances.

• Pre-employment National Police Check.
• Comply with Canberra Health Services Occupational Assessment, Screening and Vaccination policy.

All employees are required to:

• adhere to the Canberra Health Services Values and the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct
• act in accordance and comply with all relevant Safety and Quality policies and procedures.
• Comply with all relevant clinical and/or competency standards.
• Be available for weekend and/or after-hours work.

CHS is leading the drive to digitally transform health service delivery in Australia through the implementation of a territory wide Digital Health Record. Computer literacy skills are required which are relevant to this role as you will be responsible for completing required documentation and becoming a proficient user of the Digital Health Record and/or other Information Technology systems; once proficient, you will need to remain current with changes, updates, and contingencies.

These are the key selection criteria for how you will be assessed in conjunction with your resumé and experience.

1. Proven ability to deliver high-level, person-centered care to consumers with complex mental health needs, including during the acute phase of illness. Demonstrated application of the National Mental Health Standards, Mental Health Nursing Standards, national priorities, and contemporary service delivery models to support consumer participation in care and improved health outcomes.
2. Demonstrated capacity to provide clinical nursing leadership, allocate resources effectively, and foster a positive and safe care environment.
3. Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and effectively in oral, written, and non-verbal forms, with strong negotiation and consultation skills. Proven capacity to engage collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, families, carers, and external agencies to ensure continuity of care and integrated service delivery.
4. Comprehensive knowledge of contemporary issues and trends in mental health practice, with a proven commitment to ongoing professional development and clinical supervision. Demonstrated experience in contributing to governance systems, quality activities, outcome measurement, and education initiatives that promote evidence-based practice and service improvement
5. Demonstrated knowledge of, and commitment to, safety, quality, and Work Health and Safety (WHS) standards, with a strong focus on delivering a positive patient experience. Proven ability to model behaviors consistent with Canberra Health Services’ values of reliability, progressiveness, respect, and kindness in all aspects of practice.

How to Apply:

Please submit a written response of no more than two (2) pages addressing the five (5) selection criteria, together with your current resume and a statement of service.

The following work environment description outlines the inherent requirements of the role and indicates how frequently each of these requirements would need to be performed. Please note that the ACT Public Service is committed to providing reasonable adjustments and ensuring all individuals have equal opportunities in the workplace.

Administrative	Frequency
Telephone use	Frequently
General computer use	Frequently
Extensive keying/data entry	Occasionally
Graphical/analytical based	Occasionally
Sitting at a desk	Frequently
Standing for long periods	Occasionally

Travel	Frequency
Frequent travel – multiple work sites	Occasionally
Frequent travel – driving	Occasionally

Physical	Frequency
Distance walking (large buildings or inter-building transit)	Frequently
Working outdoors	Occasionally

Psychosocial demands	Frequency
Distressed People e.g. Emergency or grief situations	Frequently
Aggressive & Uncooperative People e.g. drug / alcohol, dementia, mental illness	Frequently
Unpredictable People e.g. Dementia, mental illness, head injuries	Frequently
Restraining e.g. involvement in physical containment of clients/consumers	Occasionally
Exposure to Distressing Situations e.g. Child abuse, viewing dead / mutilated bodies; verbal abuse; domestic violence; suicide	Occasionally

Specific hazards	Frequency
Working at heights	Never
Exposure to extreme temperatures	Never
Operation of heavy machinery e.g. forklift	Never
Confined spaces	Occasionally
Excessive noise	Occasionally
Low lighting	Occasionally
Handling of dangerous goods/equipment e.g. gases; liquids; biological.	Occasionally
Slippery or uneven surfaces	Occasionally

Manual handling	Frequency
Lifting 0 – 9kg	Frequently
Lifting 10 – 15kg	Choose an item.
Lifting 16kg+	Occasionally
Climbing	Never
Running	Never
Reaching	Occasionally
Kneeling	Occasionally
Foot and leg movement	Occasionally
Hand, arm and grasping movements	Occasionally
Bending/squatting	Frequently
Bend/Lean Forward from Waist/Trunk twisting	Frequently
Push/pull	Frequently
Sequential repetitive movements in a short amount of time	Occasionally