Senior Sister/Charge Nurse (XR07)

Job responsibilities

Leadership

Provide leadership to the clinical team

Support and inspire staff to provide efficient, effective, safe, quality care to patients

Deliver a positive patient experience

Promote the building of effective teams and collaboration between teams

Anticipate problems and take preventative or mitigating actions, or have contingency plans available

Work with Matron to lead the development of department nursing practice, reflecting the Clinical Service Unit and Trust business plans

Work with the Matron and or Head of Nursing to suggest and develop new roles/ways of working

Delegate and empower staff whilst maintaining overall, continuing responsibility and accountability

Line manage the nursing team, including individual and team performance, attendance, management and workforce planning

Ensure the effective deployment of staff is mapped against the flow of patients to provide safe and effective care

Support and participate in local and trust wide recruitment events

Manage the use of bank and agency

Investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events

Deliver an effective, safe, quality service within budgetary envelope

Raise and respond to concerns with regards to risk, danger, malpractice or wrongdoing by following the LTHT whistle blowing policy and supporting processes

Deputise for Matron in their absence

Clinical

Act in accordance to the Nursing and Midwifery Councils Code: Professional Standards Practice and Behaviour

Fulfils the requirements as directed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to maintain and revalidate registration

Supervise department staff with regards clinical practice and patient experience to promote the delivery of excellent clinical standards

Provide a visible clinical lead and role model to the nursing and wider team by delivering high quality compassionate care as an expert practitioner

Ensure that documentation standards are maintained in accordance with NMC and LTHT guidelines, whether written or computerised.

Promote and maintain positive working relationships between all staff, internal and external to the Trust, involved in the care of patients

Set, monitor and seek to continuously improve standards and the quality of patient care, including those standards defined in local and national guidance

Maintain a safe working environment

Ensure the safe use and efficient management of equipment and supplies

Promote compassionate evidence-based practice, wherever possible

Work with Matron to ensure that clinical governance processes at department level encompass measures to ensure the quality of the fundamental and essential aspects of care

Balance clinical risk and clinical decision making against context

Work with the Infection Prevention and Control Team and Facilities to monitor the environment to maintain and raise standards

Undertake duties on other wards or departments as and when required by the service

Act in such a way that safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults at all times. Is familiar with and adheres to the LTHT safeguarding policies.

Quality Improvement

Has a responsibility to improve the quality and safety of our services. It is expected that in fulfilling a clinical leadership role you will be proactive in promoting and using the Leeds Improvement Method Contribute to quality improvement programmes as required

Provides a contextual information and or viewpoint to support quality improvement by contributing to professional conversations representing the department and speciality view

Keep up to date with and communicate service developments, advances and research.

Through the use of audit, local research, metrics and feedback continually seek to identify practice that needs improvement. Implement and evaluate any resultant improvement plan.

Actively promote patient involvement and feedback within service improvements to promote a positive patient experience

Maintain and sustain the momentum of improvements until they are firmly embedded into the values and culture of the clinical area

Education and Training

Participate in personal appraisal and mandatory training at the required time periods

Ensure all new starters, inclusive of temporary staff, have a local induction to the clinical area

Ensure all staff have an individual performance development plan and a yearly appraisal

Ensure all nursing and clinical staff maintain mandatory and priority training requirement.

Support and facilitate re-validation for registered nursing staff, and self.

Promote a learning and development culture to the improve staff skills, knowledge and competence

Ensure the induction and development of staff

Promote a positive learning environment within the clinical area to support the development of knowledge and skills in learners.

Support and facilitate work-based inter-professional learning

This does not provide an exhaustive list of roles and responsibilities, and these may be subject to change with professional and service developments

Experience

Essential

• Extensive post registration experience.
• Significant experience within a leadership role or equivalent
• Experience of managing and leading a team.
• Audit & Standard setting
• Service development and/or change management.
• Local and national nursing agenda/ Understands the business of the ward.
• Understanding of relevant national service guidance pertinent to the service
• Awareness of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust guidelines and policies.
• Understanding of organisational structures.
• Understanding of Human resources policies and guidance as pertinent to the management and leadership of the clinical team
• Knowledge and understanding of current issues in health and social care
• Commitment to clinical audit, research and evidence-based practice
• Understanding of performance management strategies
• Understanding of the local and national nursing agenda
• Understanding of budget management
• Current issues in health and social care/ Standards of professional practice

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Leadership and management skills
• Effective communication skills
• Teaching and assessing skills
• Preceptorship skills
• Organisational skills
• Time management skills
• Quality improvement skills
• Understanding of evidence-based practice research conscious
• Team player
• Learns from incidents and complaints
• Conflict resolution
• Managing stress
• Uses initiative to resolve issues within their own control.
• Role model.
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to act professionally at all times
• Demonstrates influencing and negotiation skills
• Self-confidence, uses this to lead, involve and challenge others appropriate
• Displays high motivation and commitment to success
• Demonstrates problem solving and analytical skills
• Ability to prioritise workload and met deadlines whilst paying attention to detail
• Ability to work under pressure
• Recruitment and selection knowledge
• Able to deliver feedback effectively
• Clinical leadership
• Appraisal skills
• Education and training
• Management
• Can demonstrate an understanding of current issues in health and social care.
• Standards of professional practice
• Compassionate and caring.
• Capable of lateral thinking.
• Motivator of self and others.
• Positive approach to change
• Assertive / courageous.
• Flexible.
• Adaptable.
• Able to identify and manage stress in self and others
• Ensures personal and professional behaviour and integrity at all times

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (RN Adult for adult clinical areas or RN Child for childrens areas) (Level 1 or 2)
• Recognised teaching/assessing qualification
• Degree in Nursing or related subject or equivalent professional experience
• Evidence of effective professional and leadership development
• Evidence of continued professional development Willing to undergo training as necessary

Other Criteria

Essential

• Ability to organise and prioritise own and others workload
• Skills and knowledge required to lead and develop team members
• Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for the post.
• Ability to drive due to cross site working.

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.

UK Registration

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