Sister/Charge Nurse

Job responsibilities

The Sister/Charge Nurse will lead and maintain a nursing culture which is open to change, new ideas, concepts and innovation.

This will be achieved by:

A commitment to patient centred values.

Participating in the development and delivery of a philosophy which involves and respects the rights of patients, carers and staff.

Demonstrating enthusiasm and creativity, energy and inspiration in leading the nursing team.

Demonstrating clear direction and leadership for nurses with regard to professional dimensions of care.

Striving for continuous improvements in the delivery of high quality patient focused care.

Assisting in the investigation of complaints in a pro-active manner to improve and review the quality of the service.

Facilitating and participating in Clinical Supervision within practice.

Demonstrating diplomacy and the ability to deal with colleagues and patients/carers in such a way as to avoid conflict.

Creating, maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships.

Ability to relate to all staff and patients in a confident manner, demonstrating good listening skills and ability to work effectively as part of the team.

Contributing to the implementation and monitoring of Nursing Charter Audits.

Undertaking the role of the senior nurse bleep holder when required.

Undertaking senior nursing responsibility in the absence of the ward sister.

Involvement in the delivery of new strategies which impact on the clinical environment and assists in promoting the nursing contribution.

Participating in the individual performance review process.

Contributing to the development of annual ward objectives and transfer of these into practice.

Maintaining an awareness of national and regional initiatives in relation to practice.

Supporting and contributing to the Trusts Shared Leadership process.

Acting as a positive ambassador for the Trust.

The Sister/Charge Nurse will combine theory and experience to demonstrate clinical competence in practice.

This will be achieved by:

Assessing health related needs of patients and their carers to identify and initiate steps to deliver effective and evidence based care.

Delivering direct care to patients within their case load in accordance with the Trusts process and NMC guidelines.

Formulating a plan of care with the patient and their families/carers and continually re-assessing and evaluating the patients condition and the effectiveness of care delivered.

Working collaboratively with staff in the planning of care for their patients.

Working in partnership with patients and their carers and the multi-disciplinary team to enable them to maximise their health and independence, utilising resources appropriately, offering guidance and support as necessary.

Overtly valuing patient centred care.

Undertaking skilled therapeutic nursing interventions.

Maintaining and utilising up to date knowledge of current nursing issues/practices.

Assisting in the development of practice, protocols and guidelines, which are evidence-based.

Ensuring correct usage, storage and maintenance of equipment.

Demonstrating clinical judgement and the ability to articulate why decisions are made.

Organising clinical workload to ensure that staff are competent and confident to care for the needs of patients.

Assisting in systematically monitoring the delivery of nursing care.

The Sister/Charge Nurse will contribute to a ward culture which is conducive to learning.

This will be achieved by:

Promoting patient/carer independence through relevant teaching and support.

Acting as a source of advice and support for other colleagues.

Undertaking own professional development to meet identified needs.

Developing and implementing frameworks for clinical supervision/ preceptorship.

Ensuring statutory training programmes are implemented, monitored and maintained.

Developing and maintaining ward educational resources.

Contributing to the preceptorship of colleagues.

Developing and implementing educational programmes for team, to support and promote professional development.

The Sister/Charge Nurse will incorporate high quality evidence based practice into patient-centred care.

This will be achieved by:

Promoting an evidence based/research culture.

Demonstrating an awareness of evidence based literature and developing this awareness in others.

Assisting in the continuous evaluation and audit of practice.

Contributing to the Trusts accreditation process.

Identifying gaps in knowledge and actively seeking to address these.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse
• Current NMC registration
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Evidence of competency in teaching and assessing
• Supporting Learning in Practice

Desirable

• First Level Degree

Experience

Essential

• Significant orthopaedic experience at Band 5

Desirable

• management and leadership training

Knowledge & Awareness

Essential

• Up to date knowledge of current nursing issues and practice
• Demonstrate innovation in practice
• Incorporate high quality patient centred care
• Demonstrate a high level of personal and professional accountability
• Awareness of professional responsibilities to self and others
• Awareness of current national changes in nursing / NHS

Desirable

• Evidence of commitment to research based practice or evidence of project work undertaken
• Experience as mentor/ preceptor

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Good interpersonal skills
• Leadership and management skills
• Able to communicate clearly (verbally and written)
• Adaptable and flexible
• Ability to problem solve
• Willingness to gain knowledge and develop professionally
• Role models the Trust values and behaviours

Desirable

• Ability to work effectively under pressure

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Ability to plan, asses, implement and evaluate patient care
• Prioritise tasks
• Excellent clinical skills
• Ability to lead a team
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships
• Motivate self and others
• Be able to provide high quality care in a highly charged environment
• Excellent organisational prioritisation, delegation and communication skills

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).