Job summary
The post holder within the Emergency Department (ED) is a senior professional managerial role responsible for leading on efficient and effective delivery of clinical nursing expertise, departmental management expertise and advice in all aspects of the ED.
The Lead Nurse is accountable for the standard of nursing practice and the quality of patient care delivered by the ED workforce. With the other senior members of the Division of Medicine, the post holder will have a primary responsibility for improving patient flow within the ED and between ED and other admission routes.
To support the Matron in the development of the ED using quality improvement, innovation and evidence based practice.
Main duties of the job
The post holder provides a high level of clinical, managerial skills and professional knowledge to the nursing teams within the remit of the role. Reporting to the Matron, they play a pivotal role in delivery of high quality care, and supporting service improvement and monitoring standards within the ED. Please see Job description and Person Specification for more information.
About us
To act as a clinical lead in the delivery of safe and high quality patient care within the departmental environment. To support the delivery of Trust objectives. To lead on managerial issues within the Emergency Department as required. To manage the department on a day-to-day basis including:
- People management including performance, sickness/absence, values and behaviours, appraisals.
- To provide ongoing and timely staff feedback, both informal and formal.
- To provide staff support on a daily basis and in response to clinical incidences including de-briefings and individual and team support.
- Lead the team to develop a just culture for patient safety and quality improvement at all levels. Exploring workforce issues and developing new ways of working to deliver the high quality, effective and efficient care at all times
- Enhancing and optimising effective communication channels across the Emergency Department.
- Working effectively and collaboratively as part of the Lead Nurse Team to provide compassionate, fair, unified and consistent leadership across the Emergency Department.
- To ensure incident / complaint investigation outcomes are shared widely and actions completed are evidenced and monitored
- Support the Practice Development Lead and Matron regarding work in conjunction with the Clinical Educator to ensure Training & Development of all staff matches the needs of service.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Leadership
The lead nurse is responsible for:
- Providing direction and leadership to all nursing staff across the ED and ensuring advancement of practice and development of nursing within those areas.
- Ensuring delivery of high quality, patient centred services across ED in line with the NHS national agenda, the Trust's Strategic Direction, the Nursing & Midwifery Strategy and Royal College of Emergency Medicine Standards.
- Ensure the development of compassionate and sensitive patient care by staff in an environment where patient experience is central, consistent informed through patient and service user feedback.
Management and Administration
The lead nurse is responsible for:
- To work with the Matron and other senior staff to form a nursing management cadre to give leadership, management and direction to ED nursing staff.
- To consider strategic issues, innovation, service development and as part of the leadership cadre to develop and deliver strategies to meet challenges and develop the ED service making best use of the ED resources.
- Ensuring an effective nursing contribution to meet ED performance targets and quality indicators, whilst maintaining a focus on clinical excellence, safety effectiveness and positive patient experience across the ED.
Shift Lead Role
- To support the Matron by deploying, overseeing and coordinating the department staffing to deliver effective and timely care and to provide clinical and managerial support to ED and other areas.
- To manage an unpredictable and rapidly changing clinical environment with consistent changing priorities and no upper limits to client numbers, ensuring the escalation plan is followed and enacted.
- To be aware of procedures and practices to safety respond to major incidents and CBRNe.
Clinical
- To assess patients needs, planning, implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of a programme of care for patients as required and to support others to implement this.
- To ensure the highest quality of evidence based nursing care with the resources available.
- Maintain accurate and comprehensive records, including patient and other records and use of IT and patient tracking systems.
Patient Safety and Infection Prevention and Control
The lead nurse will:
- Ensure a patient-centred approach to the delivery of care, which is safe, reliable and consistent.
- Ensure collaborative working with receiving areas in supporting smooth patient flow working within the ED escalation plan at all times.
- Ensure compliance with best practice in infection prevention and control by all employees across their area of responsibility.
Quality and Governance
The lead nurse will:
- Contribute to Clinical Governance to improve clinical practice and patient safety across their area of responsibility.
- Ensure that patient care is sensitive to the needs of a diverse population creating an environment, which takes account of individual patient wishes ensuring that all clinical staff treat the patients with respect and seek always to maintain their privacy and dignity.
- Work with the ED Nursing team to be the focus of front line resolution of patient problems involving the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) where appropriate to address these in a timely manner, monitoring and driving improvements.
Human Resources
The lead nurse will:
- Support the nursing staff within department to have an understanding of core workforce priorities and practices such as Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Discipline, Recruitment, Organisational Change, and are competent to deal with first- line people issues;
- Ensure effective performance reviews take place to support staff in identifying learning needs and where necessary to address poor clinical and non-clinical performance, identifying appropriate development which is evaluated and fit for purpose across the department.
- Identify and manage education, training and support needs of all staff within their Departments in relation to service needs.
Education and Research
The lead nurse will:
- Liaise with the ED Practice Development Leads and education and training team to promote and deliver training priorities.
- Pro-actively encourage involvement in nursing research and audit across ED ensuring that nursing practice is evidence based.
- Alongside the ED Practice Development Leads and Clinical Educator support induction, preceptorship, clinical supervision and mentorship.
Patient and Public Involvement
The lead nurse will:
- Establish and promote systematic patient and public involvement in the planning, review and development of the services.
- Ensure that patient-centred values are fully considered in any service change or development.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Leadership
The lead nurse is responsible for:
- Providing direction and leadership to all nursing staff across the ED and ensuring advancement of practice and development of nursing within those areas.
- Ensuring delivery of high quality, patient centred services across ED in line with the NHS national agenda, the Trust's Strategic Direction, the Nursing & Midwifery Strategy and Royal College of Emergency Medicine Standards.
- Ensure the development of compassionate and sensitive patient care by staff in an environment where patient experience is central, consistent informed through patient and service user feedback.
Management and Administration
The lead nurse is responsible for:
- To work with the Matron and other senior staff to form a nursing management cadre to give leadership, management and direction to ED nursing staff.
- To consider strategic issues, innovation, service development and as part of the leadership cadre to develop and deliver strategies to meet challenges and develop the ED service making best use of the ED resources.
- Ensuring an effective nursing contribution to meet ED performance targets and quality indicators, whilst maintaining a focus on clinical excellence, safety effectiveness and positive patient experience across the ED.
Shift Lead Role
- To support the Matron by deploying, overseeing and coordinating the department staffing to deliver effective and timely care and to provide clinical and managerial support to ED and other areas.
- To manage an unpredictable and rapidly changing clinical environment with consistent changing priorities and no upper limits to client numbers, ensuring the escalation plan is followed and enacted.
- To be aware of procedures and practices to safety respond to major incidents and CBRNe.
Clinical
- To assess patients needs, planning, implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of a programme of care for patients as required and to support others to implement this.
- To ensure the highest quality of evidence based nursing care with the resources available.
- Maintain accurate and comprehensive records, including patient and other records and use of IT and patient tracking systems.
Patient Safety and Infection Prevention and Control
The lead nurse will:
- Ensure a patient-centred approach to the delivery of care, which is safe, reliable and consistent.
- Ensure collaborative working with receiving areas in supporting smooth patient flow working within the ED escalation plan at all times.
- Ensure compliance with best practice in infection prevention and control by all employees across their area of responsibility.
Quality and Governance
The lead nurse will:
- Contribute to Clinical Governance to improve clinical practice and patient safety across their area of responsibility.
- Ensure that patient care is sensitive to the needs of a diverse population creating an environment, which takes account of individual patient wishes ensuring that all clinical staff treat the patients with respect and seek always to maintain their privacy and dignity.
- Work with the ED Nursing team to be the focus of front line resolution of patient problems involving the Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS) where appropriate to address these in a timely manner, monitoring and driving improvements.
Human Resources
The lead nurse will:
- Support the nursing staff within department to have an understanding of core workforce priorities and practices such as Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Discipline, Recruitment, Organisational Change, and are competent to deal with first- line people issues;
- Ensure effective performance reviews take place to support staff in identifying learning needs and where necessary to address poor clinical and non-clinical performance, identifying appropriate development which is evaluated and fit for purpose across the department.
- Identify and manage education, training and support needs of all staff within their Departments in relation to service needs.
Education and Research
The lead nurse will:
- Liaise with the ED Practice Development Leads and education and training team to promote and deliver training priorities.
- Pro-actively encourage involvement in nursing research and audit across ED ensuring that nursing practice is evidence based.
- Alongside the ED Practice Development Leads and Clinical Educator support induction, preceptorship, clinical supervision and mentorship.
Patient and Public Involvement
The lead nurse will:
- Establish and promote systematic patient and public involvement in the planning, review and development of the services.
- Ensure that patient-centred values are fully considered in any service change or development.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience in a senior nursing role within an Emergency Department
- Management of a team
- Staff appraisals
Desirable
- Managing staff performance
- Managing sickness and absence
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered General Nurse/ Registered Children's Nurse (as relevant to role)
- ENP qualification (relevant to role)
- First level degree or working towards health related studies
- Leadership qualification or relevant evidence of leadership experience
- Mentorship in practice or equivalent qualification
- Current Adult and Paediatric Life Support Resuscitation training
- Child Protection training
- Safeguarding Adults training
Desirable
- ALS/EPLS/ATNC/TNCC or working towards
- Qii training
Behaviours
Essential
- Demonstrate positive verbal and written communication skills with multi-disciplinary team/client/relatives
- Professional attitude
- Positive attitude to work
- Able to manage own time
- Ability to lead a team
- Able to cope in difficult situations
Practical Skills
Essential
- Well -developed communication skills
- Teaching and presentation skills
- Able to accommodate the demands of an acute environment
- Computer and keyboard skills
Knowledge
Essential
- Provide evidence of promoting an environment of innovation and continuous improvement
- Evidence of involvement in service development and quality improvement
- Demonstrate an understanding of leadership skills and the provision of an environment which encourages empowerment
- Current legislation relating to emergency care
- Current nursing issues that affect practice
- Risk management
- Infection control
- Complaint management and conflict resolution
- Knowledge of major incidence management
- Change management
- Shift and team management
- Key performance quality indicators
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Extensive experience in a senior nursing role within an Emergency Department
- Management of a team
- Staff appraisals
Desirable
- Managing staff performance
- Managing sickness and absence
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered General Nurse/ Registered Children's Nurse (as relevant to role)
- ENP qualification (relevant to role)
- First level degree or working towards health related studies
- Leadership qualification or relevant evidence of leadership experience
- Mentorship in practice or equivalent qualification
- Current Adult and Paediatric Life Support Resuscitation training
- Child Protection training
- Safeguarding Adults training
Desirable
- ALS/EPLS/ATNC/TNCC or working towards
- Qii training
Behaviours
Essential
- Demonstrate positive verbal and written communication skills with multi-disciplinary team/client/relatives
- Professional attitude
- Positive attitude to work
- Able to manage own time
- Ability to lead a team
- Able to cope in difficult situations
Practical Skills
Essential
- Well -developed communication skills
- Teaching and presentation skills
- Able to accommodate the demands of an acute environment
- Computer and keyboard skills
Knowledge
Essential
- Provide evidence of promoting an environment of innovation and continuous improvement
- Evidence of involvement in service development and quality improvement
- Demonstrate an understanding of leadership skills and the provision of an environment which encourages empowerment
- Current legislation relating to emergency care
- Current nursing issues that affect practice
- Risk management
- Infection control
- Complaint management and conflict resolution
- Knowledge of major incidence management
- Change management
- Shift and team management
- Key performance quality indicators
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.
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).
Additional information
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.
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).
