Specialist Community Public Health Practitioner - Health Visiting  

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust has been rated as Good by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

We are a responsive and innovative Foundation Trust that places our values of Caring, Safe and Excellent at the heart of everything we do. We take great pride in our staff and believe that investing in you is key to us achieving our vision of outstanding care delivered by outstanding people.

We work with a wide range of partner organisations to deliver care and support to people in their own homes and from a number of hospitals and community bases. We focus on delivering care as close to home as possible.

Are you interested in becoming a Health Visitor in a Trust where children’s services were rated as outstanding at our last CQC inspection?

Are you enthusiastic and dedicated to making a difference to pre-school children and their families?

If so, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT) have an exciting opportunity to help you develop your career by supporting you to undertake the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN)/Health Visiting.

What we can offer you:

• A supportive learning environment as a SCPHN HV student - with access to our community practice teachers and being supported in the team by practice supervisors.
• An innovative workforce working to provide great care to our children and families
• A full training and development framework during training and on qualification to support you in continual learning and development to be a leader within your role in the service
• Technology to support agile working
• Established preceptorship program after qualification
• Agenda for Change terms and conditions

What we are looking for:

• The ability to be innovative and adaptive to meet the needs of the children and families on our caseload
• A knowledge of the Healthy Child Program
• An interest in wider determinants of health to tackle public health needs and the drivers that influence our profession
• Excellent communication and listening skills
• The ability to work autonomously and yet be part of a wider team
• Emotional maturity in difficult or distressing situations
• Leadership qualities and the willingness to take responsibility and make appropriate decisions
• A high level of academic skills and the ability to cope with a very intense year with academic deadlines and the need to apply theory to practice
• A reflective learner able to build on previous experience and knowledge
• The ability to be innovative and adaptive to meet the needs of the children and families on our caseload
• A Registered Nurses (any discipline) or a Registered Midwives with an interest in addressing the health needs of children and families.
• The holder of a valid driving license with access to a car.

If that is you, then we would love to hear from you!

The universities we use:

OHFT sponsors SCPHN HVs in partnership with two local Universities. With us, you can choose to study at Oxford Brookes University (OBU) at level 7, or Bucks New University (BNU) at either level 6 or level 7. At BNU there is the option to move between level 6 and level 7 prior to the formative stage of the course.

If you are successful in your application and called to interview you will have an opportunity to discuss which course will best meet your requirements.

The course commences in Sept 2022 and is being offered on a full-time basis.

In your application please ensure:

• That your personal statement reflects your ability to articulate ideas to the academic standard required at level 6, degree level.
• That you indicate if you have commenced the course previously in another University and the reason you did not complete the course.
• That you write a 900 word personal statement exploring why you wish to be a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (Health Visitor) and link this to the evidence base in relation to the leadership skills and personal attributes required to be a SCPHN (Health Visitor).

IMPORTANT GUIDANCE for the personal statement:

Please ensure that you include the following criteria:

• Evidence your passion and inspiration for health visiting, referring to the Person Specification for this role and include evidence of the criteria expected.
• Incorporate the 6 C's.
• Link the discussion to the theme requested above.
• Demonstrate your ability to articulate at level 6
• Reference using the Harvard Referencing System (referencing key statements and literature) to indicate academic ability.
• Keep to a 900 word limit (plus or minus 10%) and state the word count.

Health Visiting/SCPHN training is a significant investment by Oxford Health Foundation Trust. 

Please note:

We invest significantly in our staff. If you voluntarily leave the Trust or move internally to a role that does not require the training or qualification, within 2 year of the date of the course completion, you will be required to repay the cost of the training according to a sliding repayment scale.

The organisation operates a sliding repayment scale, so that the amount you are required to pay is reduced by one twelfth at monthly intervals. Once you have completed 2 years’ service from the date of completion of the training you will not be required to repay any of the costs of the training should you voluntarily leave the Trusts employment. 

The Trust reserves the right on the employees resignation to require him/ her to repay the employer for the training costs that he/she owes by deduction from the final salary payment’’.

Benefits of working for Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust include:

• Excellent opportunities for career progression
• 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, with an increase to 33 days with continuous service
• NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
• Staff accommodation
• Competitive pension scheme
• Lease car scheme
• Cycle to work scheme

• New starters have a 6 month probationary period. This, together with the induction process aims to create a positive supportive working environment allowing new employees to learn key elements of their role over a reasonable timescale.
• Candidates not currently employed by the Trust who attend an interview for non-qualified Band 1-5 posts are required to undertake numeracy and literacy assessments.
• Appointment to this post is subject to the trust receiving satisfactory references covering 3 years of employment or study. Please ask your referees to respond promptly to reference requests.
• Employees are expected to undertake mandatory and statutory training related to their role.
• We positively encourage applications from all areas of the community, regardless of gender, race, faith, disability, age or sexual orientation and we encourage applications from users of mental health services. This is part of our commitment to equality and reflecting the diversity of our population.
• Oxford Health is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

To find out more or to apply for this role please click on the APPLY button.