Mental Health Speciality Clinical Nurse ED

Location: Wellington / Hutt Emergency Department

Contract: Permanent, Full Time (1.0 FTE)

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is firmly grounded in the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and is committed to building a health system that serves all New Zealanders.

About the Role

We have an exciting opportunity for a Mental Health Speciality Clinical Nurse (SCN) to join our team based in the Emergency Departments (ED) at Wellington and Hutt Hospitals.

In this senior clinical role, you will provide rapid mental health triage, assessment, and intervention for people presenting to EDs with mental health concerns, including current MHAIDS service users. Working closely with ED and MHAIDS teams, your role is to ensure timely and effective care planning and coordination, facilitating linkages with community, primary, and specialist mental health services as appropriate.

You will bring expert mental health nursing knowledge, clinical leadership, and the ability to work autonomously while remaining embedded in a collaborative team environment. A core focus of your role is on early identification and intervention, improving outcomes for tangata whaiora and whānau through culturally responsive and person-centred care.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide comprehensive, rapid assessments of mental state, risk, and urgency.
• Develop and implement crisis response plans and deliver immediate interventions as needed.
• Engage with whānau/support networks to enhance assessment and planning.
• Support safe and timely transfers of care to appropriate MHAIDS or community services.
• Offer consultation and advice to ED staff regarding mental health presentations.
• Collaborate with the MH-ED Nurse Educator to deliver training and mentoring to ED teams.
• Provide support to MHAIDS clinicians seeing clients within the ED.
• Contribute to quality improvement, safety, and service development initiatives.

About the Team/Service/ Location

The MH-ED SCN is part of the wider team working within the Emergency Department. You will work alongside ED clinicians to ensure a safe and coordinated response to mental health presentations. This is a dynamic and highly rewarding role that sits at the vital interface between physical and mental health care.

We are committed to diversity, inclusion and pro-equity practice, and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

About you

You will be a senior mental health nurse who demonstrates advanced clinical decision-making, cultural competency, and the ability to work across service boundaries. You will also have:

• Registration with Nursing Council of New Zealand (NCNZ) and a current Annual Practising Certificate.
• Working toward or holding a Level 4 PDRP or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and a commitment to equitable health outcomes for Māori.
• Proven ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment.
• Commitment to ongoing professional development.

Working at Health New Zealand

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora is dedicated to ensuring excellent healthcare for the people of New Zealand. We embrace a workforce that is diverse and inclusive so that we are better positioned to understand and service our community. We welcome applications from our diverse Māori, Pacific, disabled, and rainbow communities. 

How to Apply

To apply please click “apply now.”  All applications must be submitted through our online careers’ portal by 26th May. If you have any questions about the role, please contact Marianne.Lovgren@tewhatuora.govt.nz

We will review applications as received and may proceed with the recruitment process, before the closing date of this advert.