Detailed job description and main responsibilities

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
 Act as ward coordinator on a shift by shift basis
 Provide support to the Ward Manager in the management and development of staff 
and their clinical skills
 Provide leadership to team members and act as a role model
 To supervise and instruct junior colleagues and be a resource for them in the ward 
area
 Alongside other staff provide efficient communication which will ensure 
dissemination of information to all staff
 Act as an effective role model and resource/advisor to colleagues in the delivery of 
nursing care
 Demonstrate robust and effective management and organisational skills
CLINICAL
 Perform comprehensive assessment of patient nursing needs
 Plan, implement and evaluate care delivery according to changing health needs and 
varying levels of complexity
 Collect, collate, evaluate and report information, maintaining accurate patient 
records
 Involve patients and carers/relatives in the planning and delivery of care
 Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure patient needs 
are met, especially ongoing care needs and discharge arrangements
 Establish and maintain effective communication with patients and carers/relatives
 Hold relevant skills for this level
 Recognise and respond appropriately to urgent and emergency situations, and 
support staff members 
 Collect, collate and report information, maintaining accurate records in line with 
NMC and Trust Policies and Caldicott principles
 Demonstrate competency in using specialist equipment and display a sound 
knowledge of the care
 Promote and maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and families 
in line with the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy and Policies
 Instruct nursing staff in the correct use of equipment, cleaning after use, removing 
from use, and labelling of any faulty or broken items before returning to Medical 
Equipment Library/Medical Engineering, ensuring the Nurse in Charge is informed
 Coordinate cardiac arrest events on the ward
MANAGERIAL/LEADERSHIP
 Deputise for the Ward Manager in the management and organisation of the ward
 Accept delegated line management responsibilities for other team members 
including performance, development and appraisals
 Support the Ward Manager to maximise the best use of clinical resources, 
implementing best practice in patient flow, admission and discharge
 Participate in the recruitment and retention of staff
 Support the Ward Manager with the monitoring of performance of staff ensuring 
that learning needs are identified through personal development and PACT
 Promote the development of services within the ward area and assist the Ward 
Manager to implement changes/improvements
 Ensure the effective and efficient use of physical and financial resources, fulfil the 
responsibility of the authorised signatory
 Supervise and instruct junior colleagues and be a resource for them in the clinical 
area
 Act as an effective role model and resource/advisor to colleagues in the delivery of
nursing care
 Ensure staffing levels and skill mix are adequate to meet the acuity of patient needs 
and match the agreed staffing levels
 Lead role as link nurse
 Ability to create rosters and understand the nursing establishment required
 Have an awareness of budget setting and control
 Participate in organisational cost improvement programmes
 Encourage and disseminate to staff Trust quality objectives and HNS objectives
 Manage staff attendance
 Ensure staff appraisals and mandatory training meet the Trust objectives
ORGANISATIONAL
 Provide leadership 
 Have a good awareness of Trust strategic objectives
 Undertake investigations in relation to incidents, accidents and complaints
 Assist the Ward Manager in ward audits and the development and implementation 
of any ward action plans
 Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and clinical guidelines for self and 
others, participate in the development of local policies and procedures
 Continually monitor standards of care and lead improvements when required
 Assist in patient and public involvement activities in the ward area which lead to 
service improvement
 Promote people’s equality, diversity and rights, and take action when your own or 
other’s actions undermine these rights
PROFESSIONAL
 Keep up to date with clinical developments relevant to the specialty and current 
issues within nursing and healthcare
 Promote and maintain safe and therapeutic environment for patients in line with 
the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy and Policies
 Maintain a personal development plan and assist in the formulation and updating of 
personal development plans with junior colleagues (OurPACT)
 Maintain active status on NMC register and ensure revalidation happens in a timely 
manner
 Adhere to Trust Policies and Procedures and ensure self and others participate in the 
development of same
 Undertake Clinical Supervision if required and support its use with other staff
 Maintain up to date skills and knowledge
 Maintain good awareness of current professional and healthcare issues
 Maintain a professional portfolio
 Continually monitor standards of care and lead improvement work, through audit 
and research
 Promote equality and diversity and rights, taking action when individual or other 
people’s actions undermine these rights.
QUALITY
 Contribute to the development and maintenance of Clinical Quality and ensure that 
nursing care and clinical practice are research and evidence based and actively 
reflects the Trust’s standards
 Assist the Division in achieving the Trust Quality Indicators including minimising 
patient harms. This includes the prevalence of unavoidable pressure ulcers, medicine 
errors and incidences of infections.
 Maintain an active involvement in patient and family centred strategies
 Investigate all incidents, accidents and complaints, reporting them appropriately 
using relevant systems
 Monitor and report when standards of cleanliness and availability of supplies falls 
below an acceptable level
 Deploy staff with appropriate skills to ensure safe patient care
 Deploy staff to other areas when required to support patient safety
 Evaluate care delivered.
4. EDUCATION AND TRAINING
 To provide clinical care taking the opportunity to lead and teach by example in the clinical 
setting.
 To act as a clinical expert leading best practice and professionalism.
 To identify and manage a comprehensive teaching programme which is flexible and adaptable to 
the needs of all grades of staff and student nurses.
 In collaboration with the management team identify the individual learning needs of all staff 
through personal development plans / appraisal systems.
 Participate in and facilitate innovations in collaboration with the MDT and product 
representatives.
 Regularly undertake formal teaching sessions on post-registration pathways related to the clinical 
speciality internally and externally.
 Liaise with other disciplines to facilitate and promote local study days.
 To establish and maintain an active learning environment in all aspects of critical care. To coordinate, maintain and participate in formal critical care education programme in conjunction with 
the Critical Care Directorate education team, ensuring all staff members fully participate in 
delivery of educational lectures.
 Encourage reflective practice including ongoing development.
 To maintain and improve own knowledge base by attending appropriate courses and undertaking 
research-based projects.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All employees must adhere to policies and procedures relating to Information Governance, 
Confidentiality and Information Security

RISK MANAGEMENT
The Trust is committed to approaching the control of risks in a strategic and organised manner. 
The post holder must be aware of their individual responsibilities as detailed in the Trusts Risk 
Management, Health & Safety and Incident policies, and those under the Health and Safety at Work 
Act. This includes the reporting of any untoward incident, accident, potential or actual hazard 
identified.
SAFEGUARDING
All staff are required to be familiar with the arrangements for safeguarding children, young people 
and vulnerable adults and support the organisation in promoting the welfare of children, young 
people and vulnerable adults.
Staff working directly with children, young people and vulnerable adults will have a responsibility to 
ensure safeguarding and promoting their welfare forms an integral part of their duties.
Staff who come into contact with children, vulnerable adults, parents and carers in the course of 
their work and/or have access to records will have responsibilities to safeguard and promote the 
welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Staff who come into contact in the course of their duties, with parents, carers or other significant 
adults or children, young people and vulnerable adults should always be mindful of safeguarding and 
promotion of the welfare of these individuals.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
The Trust is a Health Promoting Hospital. The Trust expects that when you are presented with 
opportunities to improve the lifestyle of our patients you seek help from appropriately trained 
clinical staff to ensure patients are supported and assisted in making the necessary lifestyle changes. 
This is in accordance with best practice as described in the DoH white paper “Choosing Health –
Making Healthy Choices Easier”.