Emergency Department Senior Sister/Charge Nurse

Job responsibilities

Clinical/ Professional

To provide strong visible leadership to all staff within the Emergency Department and across the organisation, ensuring that nursing practice is up to date, evidence based and cost effective.

To act as a role model of expert clinical practice.

To monitor and ensure that nursing documentation is maintained to a high standard. Be a competent user of and participate in the ongoing development of the Electronic Patient Record.

To initiate care and treatment for all patients on an individual basis assessing care needs, planning, implementing and evaluating programmes of care using researched-based practice and agreed nursing models.

To work in close liaison with other members of the multi-disciplinary team communicating relevant information to families, ensuring the right to confidentiality of the patient and making sure that the information is realistic and up to date.

To participate in benchmarking, quality and audit initiatives within the department.

To use clinical expertise to manage clinical priorities appropriately.

Maintain a safe and acceptable environment for patients, visitors, students and staff, reporting and taking appropriate action on any Infection Prevention issues, hazards, incidents, faulty equipment or inadequate standards of cleaning. Coordinate the reporting of all such incidents for the area in liaison with the Clinical Nurse Manager and Divisional Risk Manager.

To ensure that all patients who use the emergency department service do so in a timely manner ensuring equality, privacy and dignity needs are met.

To challenge practice so that the best and most appropriate treatment is given to the patient.

Corporate

Promote the organisations Trust values and annual objectives, with particular reference to the Divisional business objectives, service strategies and developments.

To support, monitor and implement the performance targets for the department.

Contribute to the creation, implementation and evaluation of the Divisional service plans by reviewing ward performance against organisational objectives, identifying cost pressures and exceptions and proposing service developments to the Divisional Management Team.

In all aspects of work demonstrate an ability to work across organisational and professional boundaries, ensuring high quality of care.

Actively seek to improve and develop the emergency care process.

Finance

Monitor and control the use of ward resources by ensuring that costs are contained within allocated budgets whilst achieving maximum value for money on all expenditures and implement a robust system for exception reporting. Monitor and control the use of ward resources by ensuring that costs are contained within allocated budgets whilst achieving maximum value for money on all expenditures and implement a robust system for exception reporting.

Service Delivery

Monitor, maintain and improve service delivery against quality and functional specifications, encourage staff to share innovations and good quality practice when visited by external regulating bodies.

Participate in the development and implementation of Integrated Care Pathways for Same Day Emergency Care.

Benchmark departmental services against published best practices, whilst ensuring that they meet statutory standards and professional guidelines.

Identify and contribute to the Divisional Management Team innovative service development ideas and proposals in line with evidence-based practice and the principles of clinical governance.

Human Resource

Recruit and select departmental staff by defining future personnel requirements, determining specifications to secure quality people, and assessing and selecting candidates against Trust Values and organisational requirements.

Support the rotation of all staff through the 24-hour period.

Work collaboratively with the Human Resources Department to proactively manage poor attendance, lateness, capability and performance issues in line with Trust policies and procedures.

Monitor and evaluate sickness/absence trends and act accordingly in line with Trust policies and procedures.

Develop teams, individuals and self to enhance performance to achieve organisational objectives and divisional service strategies.

Plan, allocate and evaluate work carried out by teams, individuals and self. Undertake role mapping to establish the levels of competence for all grades of department staff. Develop and implement a performance appraisal system supported by a dynamic development programme to meet staff training needs.

Create maintain and enhance effective working relationships by involving and informing staff of service developments, performance against actual plans, and future plans honestly, timely and sensitively.

Ensure staff comply with Trust policies and procedures at all times and take appropriate disciplinary action to deal with staff who disregard these obligations in the course of their employment.

Develop and maintain a robust system for checking professional registration of nursing staff on appointment and annually thereafter comply with Trust policy.

Information Governance

Exchange information to solve problems and make decisions by networking with wards/departments within and outside the Division and the Trust.

Promote effective communication within the department, to patients, carers, visitors, members of the multi-disciplinary team and external agencies.

Receiving and reporting sensitive information, as appropriate taking into account rules of confidentiality.

Ensuring compliance amongst staff.

General

To manage the department in the absence of senior staff or as part of a planned development demonstrating effective time management and leadership skills. Seek advice where known expertise is available in a dynamic approach to problem solving.

Ensures the safe custody, maintenance and administration of drugs in accordance with Law and established Trust procedure.

To work with the multi-disciplinary team to ensure key performance clinical indicators for the Emergency Department are achieved.

Ensures awareness and manage aspects of clinical governance including escalation, report writing, presenting to Panels and implementing Recommendations at a local level with the support of the senior sisters.

Knows responsibilities within policies pertaining to Major Incident, CBRNE and other emergency bleep responses. Ensures that all other staff know their duties within these policies and carries the Departmental major incident bleep when required.

To actively participate in the selection, recruitment and induction of new nursing and CSW staff.

Strategic and Service Responsibility

Responsible for facilitating staff appraisals and supporting the achievement of PDP objectives, in line with the Trust appraisal system and with the Trust values.

Governance

To assist in the development of relevant standards, protocols and procedures in conjunction with the multi-professional team, ensuring that clinical practices are evidenced based and benchmarked against best practice.

Promote clinical excellence through initiating/participating in setting, maintaining and monitoring standards of care with the clinical governance framework and take part in audit, bench marking activities, incident reporting and complaints.

To assist in the investigation and take corrective action relating to untoward incidents, accidents and complaints in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.

Be aware of child protection guidelines together with strategies to safeguard vulnerable adults. Seek guidance and support form senior staff where necessary.

Comply with Departmental, Divisional and Trust policies and procedures.

Professional Responsibilities

To act within the Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Conduct.

To undertake further educational qualifications and training in order to increase professional knowledge and remain updated.

To be aware of local and national policies in relation to Emergency care.

To be aware of and operate within hospital policies and procedures regarding complaints, fire & major incidents etc.

To critically reflect on own performance through clinical supervision.

Participate in own Appraisal, developing and actioning a Personal Development.

Qualifications

Essential

• First Level Nurse
• Degree in Professional Nursing/Health Studies or equivalent
• Proven and current experience in the Emergency Medicine setting
• Current certification in ALS
• Clinical Competence in: IV Drug administration; Venepuncture & Cannulation

Desirable

• Post-registration A&E course or equivalent study
• Hold registered mentor or teaching/ education qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant post-registration emergency nursing experience
• Currently working as Band 6 level in an Emergency Department care setting
• Leadership and Management experience

Desirable

• Clinical supervision experience
• Experience of audit initiatives and other quality initiatives

Skills

Essential

• Ability to work across professional and organisational boundaries
• Ability to self-manage and prioritise own workload within the national 4-hour standard
• Awareness of evidence-based practice, and how to implement
• Knowledge and understanding of nursing/clinical audit
• Knowledge of change management
• Knowledge of specialty
• Able to work within a rapidly changing environment
• Able to support and develop departmental strategies
• Able to use computerised patient information systems, e.g. Lorenzo
• Able to set and monitor standards

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Ability to form professional interpersonal relationships
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Able to set/achieve individual/team objectives and meet deadlines
• Influencing and persuasion skills
• Effective time management skills
• Able to role model both clinically & managerially
• Flexible and responsive to change
• Problem solving skills
• Ability to prioritise
• Commitment to personal and professional development self & staff

Other

Essential

• Commitment to the on-going development of the emergency department service
• Up to date with current NHS priorities and nursing issues
• Ability to work under pressure, in response to a varied and unpredictable workload

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).