Senior Sister/Charge Nurse (XR07)

Job description

Job responsibilities

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

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 ward/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 trustwide 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 ward 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 ward/dept 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 ImprovementHas 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 MethodContribute to quality improvement programmes as required

Provides a contextual information and or viewpoint to support quality improvement by contributing to professional conversations representing the ward and or 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 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.

CORE BEHAVIOURS AND SKILLS

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

Ability to act professionally at all times

8. CORE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

Understands the business of the ward

Understanding of the local and national nursing agenda

Understanding of relevant national service guidance pertinent to the service

Awareness of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust guidelines and policies

Understanding of organisational structures

Commitment to clinical audit, research and evidence based practice

Understanding of budget management

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

COMMUNICATION & WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

Matron

All grades nursing staff

Allied Health Professionals

Medical staff

Facilities staff

Social Care

Volunteers

12. SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS

i) PHYSICAL EFFORT:

Frequent standing, sitting, walking, kneels and crouches to attend to patient needs

24 hour continuing responsibility for Ward or Department

Responding to changes patient condition

Patient care (e.g. drug administration)

Shift working

Moving & Handling of patients and equipment on a daily basis.

Patients 10-120kg (with lifting aids)

Equipment medical equipment, specialised mattresses (weight 1-20kg)

ii) MENTAL EFFORT:

Continuous mental effort/concentration required in relation to responding to and meeting patients nursing care needs (e.g. for 8-12 hour shift)

Co-ordinating Ward/Department activities. Unpredictable workloads

Responding to changing circumstances (e.g. changes in patient condition, prioritisation of workload)

Calculating drug doses

Dealing with complex and changing care needs of patients within an acute hospital environment (includes communication with relatives/carers)

Robust verbal and written communication skills required at all times

iii) EMOTIONAL EFFORT:

Exposure to difficult situations including death and dying, distressed patients and relatives/carers

Dealing with complex workload

Staff Management

iv) WORKING CONDITIONS:

Temperature should be controlled, but may experience hot or cold work environment

Smells dealing with body fluids

Violence & Aggression may experience violence and aggression from patients and/or relatives/carers

Infection Control exposure to patients with infection

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive post registration experience.
• Experience of managing and leading a team
• Significant experience within a leadership role or equivalent
• Experience of managing and leading a team
• Audit & Standard setting
• Service development and/or change management

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Compassionate and caring
• Positive approach to change
• Excellent written and verbal skills
• Skills and knowledge required to lead and develop team members

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (RN Adult for adult clinical areas or RN Child for childrens areas) (Level 1 or 2)
• Degree in Nursing or related subject or equivalent professional 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).

Employer details

Employer name

Leeds Teaching Hospitals

Address

St. James's University Hospital

Beckett Street

Leeds

LS9 7TF

Employer's website

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