HealthJobsUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To ensure safe and effective clinical practice.

To be responsible and professionally accountable for the assessment of care needs; development of personalised plans of care, and implementation and evaluation of care without supervision.

Lead a team and co-ordinate the clinical area in the absence of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse and reinforce the values and standards of compassion, dignity and respect in care, leading the delivery of clinically excellent care. 

Ensuring the planning and delivery of care are aligned to professional values of care, compassion and respect, act as a change agent, developing clinically effective practice through the effective utilisation and integration of evidence-based practice.

 Support the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in ensuring a culture of protecting patients from harm and deprivation of basic rights ensuring a safe and effective service with continuous quality improvement. 

Promote a clean and safe environment for staff, patients and visitors by ensuring compliance with legislation, policies and protocols including health and safety, healthcare-associated infection prevention, clinical governance, including risk management and critical incident reporting and root cause analysis.

Demonstrating safe and effective care including; timely administration of medicines; effective observation of patients and demonstrating effective communication with the multi-professional team regarding patient care.

To enhance the patient's experience 

Ensure an effective and efficient patient’s journey by planning and coordinating the episode of care including the smooth transition to other settings, promoting safe and effective discharge and optimising communication with inter-disciplinary and inter-agency teams as required.

Ensure a culture of continuous quality improvement through the use of audit, patient feedback and reflection on practice by self and other members of the team.

In the absence of the Senior, Sister / Charge Nurse co-ordinate nursing/midwifery interventions, advises on clinical decisions and monitors the quality of patient care provided through using expert clinical knowledge relevant to their field of practice, underpinned by theory and experience. Act as the advocate for the patient ensuring safe and harm-free care is always uppermost in every decision.

Be highly visible within the ward/department, communicating regularly with patients, relatives and/or carers to promote transparency of service for patients and staff; foster a caring environment where equality and diversity issues are respected and patients are enabled to be partners in their care.

To manage and develop the performance of the team and self 

Act as a positive role model, adhering to expected standards of behaviour, and promoting a supportive ethos to empower staff to contribute to the delivery of high-quality person-centred care.

Lead by example, developing self and other staff and influencing the way care is provided in a manner that is innovative, open and responds to individual needs in line with the NHS duty of candour.

Support the appraisal process by ensuring that personal development plans are developed for a defined nursing team and that they are consistent with the team’s / ward’s and organisation’s objectives, succession planning and workforce development and support professional revalidation. 

Contribute to any management of change within the ward / clinical environment supporting a continuous improvement cycle.

In the absence of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse take all reasonable care of health and safety at work for you, your team and others and co-operate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements.  Report incidents and near misses promptly and appropriately and take effective action to minimise future risk.

 Support the learning and development of junior staff including supporting staff to achieve registration or revalidation.

Support the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in creating and maintaining a learning environment that ensures effective learning opportunities for staff and students including appropriate orientation and induction programmes, a range of clinical support strategies (mentoring, coaching, clinical supervision, action learning and peer review).

Delegate aspects of care to others and accept responsibility and accountability for such delegation.

In the absence of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse manage the nursing/midwifery team, ensuring compliance by self and others with professional standards, legislation, and national and organisational policies.

Participate in recruitment and selection within own practice setting.

Participate in the management of sickness and absence within own practice area for a defined nursing team.

Participate in performance management of the defined nursing team.

Support the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse with E-rostering, ensuring full compliance with KPIs.

To ensure effective contribution to the delivery of the organisation’s objectives

Contribute to the development of an organisational culture that supports continuous learning and development, evidence-based practice and succession planning.

Support the implementation of the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Strategy for the organisation.

Within the clinical area support the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in ensuring knowledge and implementation of the organisation’s quality and safety agenda.

Seek opportunities for personal and team development supporting the research agenda of the organisation.

Develop and maintain a working knowledge of local, national and professional strategy and policy, ensuring that organisational goals are reflected in personal objectives and in the ward/department development plans.