Sister/Charge Nurse (XR06)

Job responsibilities

As Junior Sister, you will play a key role in ensuring the provision of safe, effective, and compassionate care. You will support the Senior Sister in delivering clinical leadership, day-to-day management and guidance for the nursing team, while also participating in direct patient care. You will help drive high standards, support service development and contribute to maintaining a positive team culture.

You will be a registered general nurse with a minimum of two years recent or current experience in a gynaecology, womens health or acute surgical care setting and be able to demonstrate effective leadership and excellent communication skills.

You will be supported and expected to continue your professional development, including the acquisition of additional clinical skills. Experience in managing staff, coordinating workloads, undertaking audits, and contributing to service improvement is beneficial.

JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY

The jobholder will play an essential role assisting the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse with the 24-hour continuing responsibility for the effective and efficient management of the ward / department. They will contribute to the provision of professional, clinical, managerial leadership and supervision for the nursing team. The jobholder is responsible for helping to develop and maintain a ward or departments philosophy that has the patient at the centre of compassionate safe and quality care delivery. By assisting with managing the administrative and financial aspects of the ward, the jobholder will support the cost-effective use of resources.

As an experienced nurse the jobholder will assist in co-ordinating activities on the ward or department ensuring effective communication is maintained at all times, providing support to qualified and unqualified nurses within the ward/dept. He/she will play a key role in the assessment of patient care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.

The jobholder will act as a role model, promoting quality evidence-based practice, developing the nursing team and ensuring effective management of the ward/department in the absence of the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.

The role of the band 6 sister is pivotal in the success of the team. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate good leadership qualities, have an ability to motivate team members, have evidence of supporting change management, as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills. A commitment to professional development and the development of the team is essential.

Successful candidates will be offered the opportunity to develop their leadership and management skills as well as clinical skills specific to this area with a structured development programme.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Leadership

Support Senior Sister / Charge nurse in providing 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

Assist in the line management of the nursing team, including individual and team performance, attendance, management and workforce planning

Help to 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

Help to manage the use of bank and agency

Support the senior sister / charge nurse to Investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events

Support in the delivery of 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 Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in their absence

Clinical

Act in accordance to the Nursing and Midwifery Councils Code: Professional Standards Practice and Behaviour (March, 2015)

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

Help to 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 Senior Sister / Charge Nurse 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 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

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

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

Help to ensure all staff have an individual performance development plan and a yearly appraisal

Help to 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

Help to 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 is not an exhaustive list of roles and responsibilities, and these may be subject to change with professional and service developments

SPECIAL WORKING CONDITIONS

i) PHYSICAL EFFORT:

Frequent standing, sitting, walking, kneeling and crouching to attend to patient needs

Responding to changes in the 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/Dept activities in absence of Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.

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

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

Calculating drug doses.

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.

Dealing with staffing issues/performance issues.

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 infections.

Skills & behaviours

Essential

• Compassionate and caring. Capable of lateral thinking. Motivator of self and others. Positive approach to change. Assertive courageous
• Flexible, Adaptable, Team player, Role model
• Demonstrates personal and professional behaviour and integrity at all times
• Able to manage and identify stress in self and others
• Self-confidence, uses this to lead, involve and challenge others appropriate
• Learns from incidents and complaints
• Uses initiative to resolve issues within their own control. Able to deliver feedback effectively
• Remain professional at all times
• Demonstrates problem solving and analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills. Conflict resolution
• Excellent written and verbal skills. Ability to organise and prioritise own and others workload. Leadership and management skills
• Ability to communicate effectively within a multi-disciplinary team
• Ability to teach, supervise and assess qualified and unqualified staff. Preceptorship skills
• Organisational skills. Time management skills. Quality improvement skills
• Ability to prioritise workload and met deadlines whilst paying attention to detail. Ability to work under pressure. Clinical leadership. Appraisal skills

Desirable

• Skills and knowledge required to lead and develop team members
• Recruitment and selection

Experience

Essential

• Significant post registration experience at staff nurse level or equivalent
• Working with a wide range of professionals including medical, nursing and management colleagues
• Audit and standard setting
• Local and national nursing agenda.
• Current issues in health and social care
• Standards of professional practice
• Understands the business of the ward
• Understanding of relevant national service guidance pertinent to the service
• Understanding of organisational structures
• Commitment to clinical audit, research and evidence based practice
• Awareness of budget management
• Awareness of Human resources policies and guidance as pertinent to the management and leadership of the clinical team
• Insight into clinical speciality
• Insight into current issues in nursing/professional issues

Desirable

• Change management/improvement projects.
• Clinical Experience within the specialty.
• Awareness of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust guidelines and policies

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse (RN Adult for adult clinical areas or RN Child for childrens areas (Level 1 or 2)
• Recognised teaching/assessing qualification
• Evidence of continued professional development

Desirable

• Understanding of training needs in relation to post

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for post

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).