NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Professional/Clinical

To provide strong visible leadership to all staff within the ward and across the organisation, ensuring that nursing practice is up to date, evidence based and cost effective.

To develop the ward teams, individuals and self to enhance performance, ensuring that staff training needs to meet organisational objectives are pursued through the principles of IPR and PDP and knowledge & skills framework, in accordance with Trust Policies and procedures.

To be responsible for own professional registration and ensure that all nurses working on the ward have valid NMC registration and practise in accordance with the NMC Code, Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives and in accordance to Trust policy, ensuring a robust system is in place to checking registered practitioners registration status.

Provide leadership for the implementation of the quality initiatives such as Essence of Care benchmarking, Productive Ward Project.

Ensure a strong team focus on high quality, clinically effective healthcare that meet our patients’ needs, is embedded in ward culture.

Create and maintain a strong culture of Infection Prevention & Control awareness & practice and ensure robust systems are in place to measure IP&C standards, celebrate & share good practice and develop & review action plans to address deficiencies.

Develop, maintain and review annually the ward’s philosophy so that this continually reflects the aims of the team, division and organisation.

Develop and lead a team that seeks to actively resolve compliant/concerns at local level ensuring appropriate escalation of complaints, clinical incidents or near misses.

Participate in patient acuity studies measuring patient dependency and nurse to bed ratio.

Foster and embed a patient safety culture and participate in national and local patient safety work streams or campaigns to improve the patient’s environment and experience such as Patient Safety Thermometer.

Develop and maintain cohesive multidisciplinary working relationships which focus on individualised patient care that facilitates a care management plan and a safe and timely discharge.

Manage Corporate Services

When holding the Hospital Bleep, co-ordinate hospital services including out of office hours, ensuring the appropriate deployment of staff.  Inform the Hospital Manager on call of relevant issues in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.  This may include bed management duties.

Manage Strategy

Promote the organisation’s Trust values and annual objectives, with particular reference to the Divisional business objectives, service strategies and developments.

Contribute to the creation, implementation and evaluation of the Divisional service plans by reviewing ward performance against organisational objectives, identifying cost pressures and exceptions and proposing service developments to the Divisional Management Team.

Contribute to the implementation and evaluation of Divisional service strategies and contracts by establishing systems to monitor performance at ward level.

Manage Finance

Secure effective resource allocation for wards activities and quality initiatives, including the updating of ward and departmental capital and revenue equipment replacement plans at regular intervals to maintain continuity of service.

Monitor and control the use of ward resources by ensuring that costs are contained within allocated budgets whilst achieving maximum value for money on all expenditures and implement a robust system for exception reporting.  Monitor and control the use of ward resources by ensuring that costs are contained within allocated budgets whilst achieving maximum value for money on all expenditures and implement a robust system for exception reporting.

Manage Services

Initiate and implement change and improvement in services and operational system to meet Divisional service strategies and contracts.

Monitor, maintain and improve service delivery against quality and functional specifications, encourage staff to share innovations and good quality practice when visited by external regulating bodies.

Participate in the development and implementation of Integrated Care Pathways within the clinical area.

Benchmark ward services against published best practices, whilst ensuring that they meet statutory standards and professional guidelines.

Identify and contribute to the Divisional Management Team innovative service development ideas and proposals in line with evidence-based practice and the principles of clinical governance.

Manage People

Recruit and select ward staff by defining future personnel requirements, determining specifications to secure quality people, and assessing and selecting candidates against Trust Values and organisational requirements.

Support the rotation of all staff through the 24 hour period.

Develop and implement ward based accessible clinical supervision for all staff.

Monitor and evaluate sickness/absence trends and act accordingly in line with Trust policies and procedures.

Work collaboratively with the Human Resources Department to proactively manage poor attendance, lateness, capability and performance issues in line with Trust policies and procedures.

Develop teams, individuals and self to enhance performance to achieve organisational objectives and divisional service strategies.

Plan, allocate and evaluate work carried out by teams, individuals and self.  Undertake role mapping to establish the levels of competence for all grades of ward/department staff.  Develop and implement a performance appraisal system supported by a dynamic development programme to meet staff training needs.

Create maintain and enhance effective working relationships by involving and informing staff of service developments, performance against actual plans, and future plans – honestly, timely and sensitively.

Ensure staff comply with Trust policies and procedures at all times and take appropriate disciplinary action to deal with staff who disregard these obligations in the course of their employment.

Develop and maintain a robust system for checking professional registration of nursing staff on appointment and annually thereafter comply with Trust policy.

Manage Information

Seek, evaluate and organise information for action by analysing data relating to utilisation of resources, identifying work flow patterns and making recommendations to effect changes to meet service demands within existing constraints.

Exchange information to solve problems and make decisions by networking with wards/departments within and outside the Division and the Trust.

Contribute towards the Divisional service plans by reviewing ward/department performance against Divisional objectives and service strategies, identifying cost pressures and proposing service developments to the Divisional management team.

Contribute towards the Divisional service plans by reviewing ward performance against Divisional objectives and service strategies, identifying cost pressures and proposing service developments to the Divisional Management Team.

Develop and maintain a robust mechanism for ensuring good communication is disseminated through the team and foster a culture of openness and candour to all patients, relatives and staff.  Measure the success of communication dissemination.

Manage Corporate Services

When holding the Hospital bleep, co-ordinate hospital services including out of office hours, ensuring the appropriate deployment of staff. Inform the Hospital Manager on call of relevant issues in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.  This may include bed management duties.