ITU is an 11 bedded combined High Dependency and Intensive Care unit that cares for patients who are critically ill providing all aspects of nursing care and multidisciplinary rehabilitation after critical illness.
The jobholder will play an essential role assisting the Ward Manager/ Senior Nurse with the 24 hour continuing responsibility for the effective and efficient management of the intensive care unit. They will contribute to the provision of professional, clinical, managerial leadership and supervision for the nursing team. The jobholder is responsible for helping to develop and maintain a ward or departments philosophy that has the patient at the centre of compassionate safe and quality care delivery. As an experienced nurse the jobholder will assist in co-ordinating activities on the intensive care unit ensuring effective communication is maintained at all times, providing support to qualified and unqualified nurses within the ward/dept. They will play a key role in the assessment of patient care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work on a combined intensive care and high dependency unit and will support the Ward manager/ Senior Nurse in the day to day management and coordination of the unit.
Will assist with managing the administrative and financial aspects of the ward and the jobholder will support the cost effective use of resources.
Undertakes specialist assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of clinical care for caseload of patients/clients.
Provides specialist advice to patients/clients/carers.
Is an accountable practitioner.
Maintains records as autonomous practitioner.
Skilled at assessing and managing risk.
Accepts the responsibility for decisions made and actions taken.
Job responsibilities
Leadership
1. Support Senior Sister / Charge nurse in providing leadership to the clinical team.
2. Support and inspire staff to provide efficient, effective, safe, quality care to patients.
3. Deliver a positive patient experience.
4. Promote the building of effective teams and collaboration between teams.
5. Anticipate problems and take preventative or mitigating actions, or have contingency plans available.
6. Assist in the line management of the nursing team, including individual and team performance, attendance, management and workforce planning.
7. Help to ensure the effective deployment of staff is mapped against the flow of patients to provide safe and effective care.
8. Support and participate in local and trust-wide recruitment events.
9. Help to manage the use of bank and agency staff.
10. Support the senior sister / charge nurse to investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events.
11. Support in the delivery of an effective, safe, quality service within budgetary envelope.
12. Raise and respond to concerns with regards to risk, danger, malpractice or wrongdoing by following the whistle blowing policy and supporting processes.
13. Deputise for Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in their absence.
Clinical
1. Act in accordance to the Nursing and Midwifery Councils Code: Professional Standards Practice and Behaviour (March, 2015).
2. Fulfils the requirements as directed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to maintain and revalidate registration.
3. Supervise ward staff with regards clinical practice and patient experience to promote the delivery of excellent clinical standards.
4. Provide a visible clinical lead and role model to the nursing and wider team by delivering high quality compassionate care as an expert practitioner.
5. Ensure that documentation standards are maintained in accordance with NMC and CDDFT guidelines, whether written or computerised.
6. Promote and maintain positive working relationships between all staff, internal and external to the Trust, involved in the care of patients.
7. Help to set, monitor and seek to continuously improve standards and the quality of patient care, including those standards defined in local and national guidance.
8. Maintain a safe working environment.
9. Ensure the safe use and efficient management of equipment and supplies.
10. Promote compassionate evidence based practice, wherever possible.
11. Work with Ward manager/ Senior Nurse to ensure that clinical governance processes at ward/dept level encompass measures to ensure the quality of the fundamental and essential aspects of care.
12. Balance clinical risk and clinical decision making against context.
13. Work with the Infection Prevention and Control Team and Facilities to monitor the environment to maintain and raise standards.
14. Undertake duties on other wards or departments as and when required by the service.
15. Act in such a way that safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults at all times. Is familiar with and adheres to CDDFT safeguarding policies.
Quality Improvement
1. Has a responsibility to improve the quality and safety of our services. It is expected that in fulfilling a clinical leadership role you will be proactive in promoting continuous improvement and contribute to quality improvement programmes as required.
2. Keep up to date with and communicate service developments, advances and research.
3. Through the use of audit, local research, metrics and feedback continually seek to identify practice that needs improvement. Implement and evaluate any resultant improvement plan.
4. Actively promote patient involvement and feedback within service improvements to promote a positive patient experience.
5. Maintain and sustain the momentum of improvements until they are firmly embedded into the values and culture of the clinical area.
Education and Training
1. Participate in personal appraisal and mandatory training at the required time periods.
2. Help to ensure all new starters, inclusive of temporary staff, have a local induction to the clinical area.
3. Help to ensure all staff have an individual performance development plan and a yearly appraisal.
4. Help to ensure all nursing staff maintain mandatory and priority training requirement.
5. Support and facilitate re-validation for registered nursing staff, and self.
6. Promote a learning and development culture to improve staff skills, knowledge and competence.
7. Help to ensure the induction and development of staff.
8. Promote a positive learning environment within the clinical area to support the development of knowledge and skills in learners.
9. Support and facilitate work-based inter-professional learning.
This is not an exhaustive list of roles and responsibilities, and these may be subject to change with professional and service developments.
Person Specification
Special Skills & Knowledge
Essential
* Ability to work effectively as a member of the team as well as practicing autonomously.
* Effective decision making skills and ability to problem solve.
* Capability and motivation to undertake continuing high level self-directed learning.
* Excellent and effective communication skills -verbally and written, excellent interpersonal and organisational skills.
* Ability to effectively organise and prioritise own and team workload.
* Ability to work effectively under pressure in an often stressful environment.
* Ability to cope with emotional issues presented in the course of work and to support others.
* Act as a role model and as a mentor/assessor.
* Flexibility and adaptability to meet the needs of a changing service.
* Commitment to the development and provision of high quality nursing care.
* Awareness of professional responsibilities to self and others.
Desirable
* Involvement in specialist groups.
Qualifications
Essential
* Adult Nursing qualification.
* Current NMC registration.
* Evidence of ongoing professional Development.
* Post graduate Critical Care course.
* A teaching/ mentoring qualification and/or the ability to facilitate and mentor the learning of others.
Desirable
* Leadership and Management Course.
Statutory Registration
Essential
* Registered qualified nurse.
* NMC Registration.
Experience
Essential
* Significant relevant post qualification experience in a critical care setting.
Desirable
* Appropriate proven leadership and management experience.
* Experience of change management.
* Budget awareness.
* Evidence of participation in staff development including appraisal process.
Employer details
Employer name
County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust
Hollyhurst Road
Darlington
County Durham
DL3 6HX
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
C9439-24-1307 #J-18808-Ljbffr