Ward Manager

Job responsibilities

Quality

To provide clinical leadership, giving advice and support to staff as required and acting as the child or young persons advocate at all times.

To monitor and evaluate clinical standards within the department ensuring that clinical practices are evidence based and benchmarked against best practice locally, regionally and nationally.

To undertake and oversee Datix reports in your department, demonstrating what lessons have been learnt through quality improvements made.

To ensure multi-disciplinary clinical audit is embedded at ward level, ensuring that the child or young persons care reflects the Trusts quality strategy, and that it meets clinical governance standards.

To ensure that all care programmes are family centred, accurately documented and that the standard of record keeping reflects the NMC and Trust guidelines for records and record keeping.

To work with staff to resolve problems for children, young people and their relatives and facilitate prompt remedial action where this is required ensuring staff develops the required skills to manage complaints.

To liaise with the Matron and department operational managers to ensure lessons learnt from complaints and feedback inform relevant governance processes.

Management

Ensure all ward staff have adequate support to enable them to focus on their core responsibilities.

To monitor nurse staffing levels and discuss the impact that exceptions may have on the delivery of safe care with the Matron / Divisional Managers / Chief Nursing Officer. To ensure rosters are produced in accordance with the KPIs.

To investigate and take corrective actions following untoward incidents, accidents and complaints, in accordance with Trust policies and procedures and in collaboration with the Trust Governance Lead, and where applicable the child, young person and their family.

To ensure the departments responsibility with regards to the Trusts Being Open and Duty of Candour Policy are met, and leading on the Duty of Candour Communication as appropriate.

To ensure a debrief session and appropriate support is arranged for staff following any serious incident.

To ensure that all staff adheres to Trust policies and procedures at all times. This includes staff compliance of all health and safety policies and the Data Protection Act 1974, which relates to electronically stored personal data.

To participate in disciplinary cases with the Matron and Human Resources, investigating issues / concerns and taking actions as necessary.

To develop good working relationships with other ward / departments / agencies within and outside the Trust, ensuring that all stakeholders understand, respect and recognise the Trusts philosophy and operational policies and standards for the care of children/young people.

To provide a visible, accessible and authoritative presence in the Trust to whom other staff, patients and their families can turn to for assistance, advice and support.

To participate in reviewing, developing and supporting the workforce through the appraisal system.

To participate in the recruitment, selection and retention of staff.

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.

Research and Service Development

To participate in the development, implementation and evaluation of the paediatric strategic and business plan.

To understand new health care related developments ensuring that childrens nursing practice is evidence based, cost effective and regularly benchmarked against best practice.

To understand all national initiatives and assist in the implementation in order to influence patient care and service delivery.

To be aware of and support local research projects as applicable.

Corporate Governance / Risk Management

To develop, implement and monitor systems to manage risk in the clinical area which will include the collection and analysis of statistical data.

To receive incident report forms and initiate the investigation into each incident in line with the Trusts Incident Management Policy, using root cause analysis techniques where applicable.

To ensure the Matron and the Trust Patient Safety Manager are informed of all serious incidents which require investigation in line with Trust policy and report these using the systems in place.

To undertake appropriate investigations of serious incidents with assistance from the Matron and develop action plans where appropriate to support changes in practice.

To ensure lessons learned from incidents and complaints, and examples of best practice and compliments are shared widely.

To ensure the departmental training needs are met thus ensuring compliance with national and local standards.

To ensure that risk management and governance processes are embedded in the department culture.

To maintain service delivery and quality standards, whilst ensuring that equipment in service and staff practice comply with health and safety standards at all times.

To review local and national quality reports and other National guidance and ensure recommendations are integrated into department policies and guidelines.

To participate in the development of policies and guidelines within the Womens and Childrens Division.

To represent the Paediatric Department at external meetings as appropriate to the role.

Professional/Clinical

To be an expert Childrens Nurse working flexibly throughout the acute paediatric service within the current shift system.

Accepting professional responsibility for continuity and uniformity in the provision of care which is of the highest standard.

Keeping up to date with clinical and professional developments and enabling staff to contribute to proposals and change in practice.

Contributing professional expertise to the formulation and setting of local procedures and practices which are evidence based.

Maintain accurate records.

Undertaking specific responsibilities relating to clinical development as defined by the Matron or General Manager.

To act as a good role model at all times.

To monitor professional and staff performance and review practices to achieve high standards of care.

To assist in the setting of standards and to monitor systems to ensure set standards are met.

To evaluate the impact and results of new policies, procedures and practices.

To promote evidence based paediatric care and promote a safe environment.

To promote a positive and supportive culture in the workplace, able to challenge negative behaviours.

To promote dignity and equality and value diversity in patients and staff.

To provide dynamic and visionary leadership, giving expert, professional advice, guidance and support to staff and service users.

To challenge traditional boundaries and introduce new ways of working if applicable.

To maintain responsibility for personal and professional development of self, enhancing individual performance to deliver organisational objectives, maintain valid NMC registration and practise in accordance with NMC Guidance.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Children's Nurse
• Recognised Teaching and Assessor Qualification

Desirable

• Degree
• Undertaken a management or leadership course
• EPALS Trained

Experience

Essential

• Relevant Post-Registration experience
• Evidence of management/ leadership skills and autonomous practice
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Recent experience in Paediatric Nursing in an acute setting
• Expert knowledge of children's illness

Skills

Essential

• Teaching and Assessing Skills
• Effective communicator
• Leadership and motivation skills
• Computer literate
• Ability to motivate self and others
• Ability to supervise and demonstrate potential to lead
• Organisational and negotiation skills
• Knowledge and Skills of the Audit process

Personal Qualities

Essential

• Diplomatic
• Assertive and confident
• Personal and professional maturity
• Recognition of own limitations
• Demonstrates enthusiasm

Desirable

• Counselling skills

Other

Essential

• Ability to work both on own initiative and within a team
• Flexibility

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).