Staff Nurse

Job description

Job responsibilities

Key Areas/Tasks

Communication & Relationships Skills

• Communicate using a range of methods to ensure a caring, sensitive and empathetic manner to patients and their relatives.
• Communicate sensitive information about patients to other members of the health care team and with the consent of the patient to their relatives.
• Demonstrate excellent communication skills when dealing with difficult situations
• Provide clear and concise patient handover to other members of the team.
• Escalate concerns in a patients condition to senior members of the nursing team, medical staff
• Initiate referrals to other members of the healthcare team.
• To report ward and departmental affairs to the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse and to participate in discussions and ward meetings.
• Ensure that patients concerns are addressed through liaison with senior staff
• To communicate in a professional manner with all patients and visitors to the ward /department
• Promote equality and diversity ensuring that the individual needs of the patients and their families are recognised.
• Take personal responsibility for ensuring communication relating to patient discharge is accurate and kept up to date through the appropriate data collection tools

• It is expected that ALL employees of the Trust will take part in the appraisal process each year with the first appraisal taking place within the first 6 months from appointment

Knowledge, Training & Experience

• Registered Nurse.
• Diploma or Degree in Nursing

Analytical & Judgemental Skills

• The post hold will demonstrate the skills for assessing and interpreting specialist, acute and other patient conditions, initiating actions as appropriate.

Planning & Organisational Skills

• On a rostered duty can organise own workload and can delegate and supervise other members of the team working in the vicinity
• Can prioritise workload to manage the care for a group of patients
• When rostered in charge take action to ensure safe staffing levels on each shift
• When rostered in charge have an overview of all patients on the ward, receiving handover on all patients and able to give advice to other staff member

Physical Skills

• To have digital dexterity to manage fine movements regarding treatments and equipment such as cannulation, medication administration and clinical procedures.

Responsibility for Patient/Client Care

• Be responsible for the assessment of needs, development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of patient care in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) code of Professional Conduct and reflect the Trusts policies, procedures, standards and guidelines.
• To facilitate the admission and discharge of patients liaising with other agencies to ensure continuity of care between hospital and community.
• Ensure the delivery of holistic patient care recognising the individual needs of patients and their relatives.

Responsibility for Policy/Service Development

• To have a working knowledge of the policies and procedures of the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, and an ability to perform against those policies

Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources

• Responsible for the security, proper and safe use of all Trust equipment.
• To be responsible for the maintenance of equipment within the ward or department with regular checking of all equipment and ensuring that repairs are performed as soon as possible.
• Assist in the management of resources by participating in the selection, ordering and monitoring of departmental stock items, keeping within the financial constraints of the allocated budget.
• To ensure the safe keeping of patients property and valuables in line with Trust Policy.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Participate in clinical supervision and reflective practice
• Participate in teaching and supervision of student nurses and clinical support workers
• As a shift leader provide support, supervision and direction to clinical colleagues by acting as a professional, credible role model.

Responsibility for Information Resources

• Maintain accurate records relating to a patients condition.

Responsibility for Research and Development

• Undertake surveys as necessary to own work / complex surveys relating to the project.
• To ensure that nursing care activities are evidence based
• To participate in maintaining and monitoring standards of care to the optimum level

Freedom to Act

• Works autonomously. Required to act independently within appropriate guidelines, deciding when it is necessary to refer to their manager.

Physical Effort

• Will be required to be able to undertake a range of manual procedures including assistance with the movement of patients and equipment
• To be able to manoeuvre between patients quickly to ensure emergency situations can be attended in a timely fashion.

Mental Effort

• Concentration for writing care plans.
• Ability to interpret complex information when there may be frequent, unplanned interruptions throughout the shift.

Emotional Effort

• May be exposed to distressing circumstances around breaking bad news, dealing with bereaved relatives.

Working Conditions

• Office conditions / VDU use.
• Frequent exposure to body fluid and unpleasant odours during the delivery of direct patient care

Person Specification

Essential

Registered Nurse on NMC Register

Good communication skills

Experience of undertaking dressings

Experience as a student or registered nurse in an acute hospital setting

Able to recount and discuss the requirements for high standards of care

Ability to use a computer

Able to use own initiative

Ability to work as part of a team and work autonomously

Good communication skills

Reliability

Desirable

Recognised qualification in teaching or education

Has experience as a student or registered nurse in an Acute hospital setting.

Person Specification

Essential criteria

Essential

• Holds a valid UK NMC Pin

Desirable

• Respiratory experience

Essential criteria

Essential

• Holds a degree/Diploma in nursing

Desirable

• Acute Hospital Experience

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).

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust

Address

Royal Stoke Hospital

Newcastle Road

Newcastle under lyme

ST46QG

Employer's website

https://www.uhnm.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)