Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Practice

• To work in accordance with the NMC / HCPC Code of Professional Conduct, Trust Policies and Procedure
• To act as a clinical expert in the care of a specified group of patients, providing effective leadership, acting as a positive role model and demonstrating advanced specialist practitioner skills to support the multi-disciplinary team.
• Is clinically and professionally up to date with current trends and developments in clinical speciality.
• To set agreed standards of Perioperative Care and to monitor them and take action to improve if necessary.
•  Good verbal and written communication skills so that professional advice, care guidance and instructions are well understood by patients, their relatives and/or carers, and members of the multi-disciplinary team.
• To work effectively as part of the multi-professional, interdisciplinary team.
• To be fully involved in the health education of patients and relatives, taking every opportunity to promote a healthy lifestyle.
• To promote a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to care, ensuring continuity of care.
• In conjunction with senior nurses/colleagues within the Care Group, to develop clinical policies and protocols relevant to the area, ensuring that practice is evidence based
• To participate in benchmarking & quality audits, and observations of care.
• To facilitate the cascade of information ensuring awareness of Care Group, Division, Trust and NHS initiatives, supporting staff discussion and responding to feedback
• To ensure the effective and efficient use of patient resources, (for example trolleys/ transfers to in-patient beds), at all times.

Education and Training

• To ensure the development and provision of a good quality clinical learning environment that supports staff/students and continuing professional development.
• To be a resource to staff, responsible for the orientation, supervision and ongoing development, working collaboratively with the Practice Development Team.
• To be responsible for ensuring that a professional support system is developed and implemented for all practitioners within the department.
• To act as a mentor to students undertaking further education, as requested.  Ensuring a positive learning experience and facilitating the development of their clinical skills.
• To contribute to the wider educational programmes within the Care Group, ensuring attendance at and contributing to the delivery of educational activities to the multi-disciplinary team within the Care Group.
• To promote and encourage the application of research and evidence-based practice.
• To ensure all staff are participating in department audits and that results are acted upon.
• To work with all senior practitioners in the department to support the Care Group strategy, allowing nursing / perioperative expertise to be developed and shared.

People Management and Performance

• Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
• Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.
• Ensure the team is compliant with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.
• Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated, and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.
• Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.
• Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.
• Review skill mixes at regular intervals to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation / allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date
• Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassmen

Management

• To be responsible for the organisation and management of the department / clinical area on a 24-hour basis
• To have an overall view of the intensity of the workload and the experience of the staff and act to utilise the department’s establishment to ensure adequate cover to always achieve a high standard of care
• To adopt an appropriate management style in accordance with changing circumstances.
• To provide effective leadership and is pro-active in the management of change, supporting staff through times of change.
• To facilitate the professional development of all staff.
• To ensure the formal reporting, recording and investigating of adverse incidents in line with Trust policy and keep Matron informed of any untoward incidence or complaints.
• Provide Matron with assurances on compliance with key quality nursing/departmental initiatives. Ensure regular 1:1 with Matron.
• To ensure compliance with Health and Safety regulations and be responsible for the implementation of safe working practices, including ensuring training, maintenance and/or replacement of equipment as necessary
• Responsible for ensuring confidentiality and safekeeping of records with regards to patients and staff in line with Caldecott guidelines
• To carry the Unit bleep / Wi-Fi phone as required, resolving local problems / conflicts, keeping managers/others informed
• To always maintain positive team dynamics within own unit / department and across the Division.
• Promote and maintain good working relationships with other departments and the multi-disciplinary team.
• To be actively involved with any plans in relation to service development, service improvement, and the resolution of any on-going problems.
• To actively support the process of risk management and health and safety – upholding relevant policies to promote this and ensuring incidents are reported appropriately and helping identify ways of preventing errors and incidents to both patients and staff.
• To ensure compliance with the Trust’s Equality and Diversity Policy, supporting the delivery of the Trust’s Race Equality Scheme and the Trust’s duty to positively promote race equality and equality of opportunity for disabled people ensuring services are responsive to the needs of equality groups.
• To be aware of wider Trust objectives, regional and national policy and their impact on local service delivery.