The postholder will:- Be easily identifiable, visible and accessible to patients and visitors, and in control of the resources necessary to ensure the delivery of the fundamentals of nursing care, acting as a change agent to implement the NHS modernisation agenda and Trust nursing strategies. Provide clinical leadership which inspires and motivates others, enabling them to empower all Ward/Departmental Sisters/Charge Nurses/Midwives to have the authority and autonomy they need to improve the patient experience, and to resolve clinical issues such as discharge delays and environmental problems. Promote and implement professionalism and traditional values amongst nurses/midwives and will undertake clinical work to maintain their professional competence, authority and credibility. Have a key role in the initiatives being undertaken to reduce the incidence of hospital acquired infections. They will also be responsible for standards of environment cleanliness in line with the NHS Clean Hospitals programme, again influencing the reduction of hospital acquired infections. Make a significant contribution to the work led by the Director of Nursing/DIPC to ensure the Trusts enhances its compliance with the Hygiene code, and ensures the provision of a safe, clean patient care environment. Ensure that effective and robust communication systems are in place for patients, visitors and staff, and will actively promote a culture of health education and ill-health prevention Ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of the care and environmental standards they are expected to maintain and will take prompt action to rectify poor performance. Develop a culture that is flexible and positive to change, where staff feel valued and where opportunities are actively created for individuals to maximise their potential and excel. Act as a clinical role model, assessing and delivering care needs as a significant part of their role. They will also ensure high standards of clinical care are consistently achieved and monitored. Key Duties: Actively implement the standards set in the Trusts Strategy for nurses and nursing acting as a role model for others to emulate, working alongside colleagues and exhibiting high standards of professional behaviour and dress including the wearing of uniform. Advise General Managers and Clinical Directors on professional nursing/midwifery matters and specific speciality nursing issues. Effectively manage the areas resources, both pay and non-pay, and ensure that actual or potential cost pressures are reported to your General Manager and Directorate accountant. Visit wards and departments within the area of responsibility daily to support Sisters and Charge Nurses/midwives, and ensure that the resources available to Ward/ Departmental Sisters/Charge Nurses/midwives are controlled and utilised effectively to ensure that value for money is demonstrated and high quality patient care delivered. This will include ensuring that ward budgets are managed effectively and that costs relating to the use of NHSP and secondary agency nurses are kept to a minimum. Ensure that all Ward Sisters/Charge Nurses/midwives complete and progress and participate in nursing/midwifery initiatives such as the Essence of Care programme and HIAs and that performance, benchmarking and action plans are implemented and monitored Identify opportunities to develop innovative roles for all nursing staff in order to meet the evolving needs of patients and new models of care within the Trust. Ensure ward/dept. managers take personal responsibility and accountability for Infection Prevention and Control practice within their sphere of responsibility. Ensure ward/dept. managers take responsibility for standards of environmental cleanliness thereby influencing the reduction of hospital acquired infections. To be actively involved in maintaining compliance with the NHSLA and CQC standards, ensuring all clinical areas are aware of their responsibilities and are adhering to Trust Policies and putting them into practice. Ensure that patient care is evidence based, monitored and evaluated, instituting appropriate improvement when required, in order to provide high standards of care to all patients. Support and encourage multi-disciplinary working, which focuses upon patient pathways ensuring the smooth transition of the patient through the care process including facilitating the movement of patients through care locations, to ensure patients are cared for within an optimum time frame. Take an active role in managing disciplinary issues as necessary, ensuring quality outcomes that can be shared as a means of learning across the Trust. Be responsible for and take appropriate action to performance manage staff as necessary, (including Human Resource and attendance management), and ensure that Ward/Departmental Sisters/Charge Nurses/midwives are empowered to manage staff who are responsible to them in the same way. Ensure they and the staff within their sphere of responsibility receive training in how to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, are alert to potential indicators of abuse or neglect in children and know how to act on their concerns in line with the Worcestershire Safeguarding Childrens Board, and in accordance with Working to Safeguard Children 2006. Ensure they and staff within their sphere of responsibility receive training in the protection of vulnerable adults, are alert to potential indicators of abuse or neglect of vulnerable adults and know how to act on their concerns in line with the Trust policy. Education, Training and Development: To act as an expert resource and provide advice on nursing care in relation to clinical interventions, policies, service development and delivery. Develop own and others knowledge and practice across professional and organisational boundaries. Empower Ward/Departmental Sisters/Charge Nurses supporting the development of their role through enabling them to acquire and maintain appropriate management skills, which enable them to discharge their responsibilities effectively. Be acknowledged as an expert professional leader, act as a role model and provide clinical supervision where applicable to clinicians within the directorate and wider organisational boundaries. Create innovative training and educational opportunities in partnership with professional development department and higher education institutes. Ensure that a training and development plan, based on need, is produced and reviewed annually. Participate in the PDR process and undertake annual PDR for all staff for whom the post-holder has line managerial responsibility, and ensure that PDR arrangements are in place for all nursing staff within the sphere of responsibility, in order to address training and development needs within your team. Contribute to the experience of learners and to ensure delivery of mentorship requirements meeting NMC standards for nursing/midwifery students. Facilitate the development of other nurses/midwives within the area of responsibility ensuring appropriate succession planning arrangements are in place. Ensure that induction packs and orientation programmes are in place for all new staff. Patient / Carer Support Maintain personal contact with patients, relatives and carers being sensitive to their needs for respect, safety, privacy and dignity and act as a senior point of contact. Have visible daily contact with staff, patients and their carers, and provide feedback about the Trust services, ensuring that concerns that are raised are dealt with quickly and efficiently, ensuring excellent and effective communication takes place. Ensure that patients views and feedback from patients is valued and acted upon and lessons disseminated, to enable changes in practice if they are necessary. Encourage all staff within the sphere of responsibility to take a proactive approach to the resolution of issues, which may give rise to dissatisfaction from patients, their relatives and carers, ensuring effective and comparable resolutions to any concerns expressed. Ensure that complaints are investigated in a timely fashion in accordance with Trust policy, promote a culture of dealing with complaints with compassion and responsiveness to ensure that lessons are learned and are disseminated appropriately. Actively devise, implement and support the development of health education/promotion strategies/patient information in order to improve the patient experience. Clinical Governance: Develop a working environment and culture that actively improves health, safety and security for patients and staff. Take appropriate steps to ensure that a safe environment is maintained for patients, staff and visitors within the area of responsibility, by producing risk assessments and action plans for any hazards in the environment. Ensure that all untoward incidents and near misses are reported by staff within their area of responsibility in accordance with the Trust policy, and that appropriate mechanisms are put in place to investigate serious clinical incidents under the direction and guidance of the Risk Management Department, following which appropriate action plans are developed and monitored, and lessons are learned and disseminated. Endeavour to ensure that staffing levels are maintained that ensure patient safety and any concerns are brought to the attention of the Director of Nursing. To be ultimately responsible for the health and safety of staff, patients and visitors to the area, reporting areas of concern to the Head of Nursing/Midwifery or General Manager. Ensure that all Trust policies and procedures are implemented within the area of responsibility and followed by all staff and regularly audited.