Junior Sister/Charge Nurse

An exciting opportunity has arisen for nurses who are looking for career development opportunities to join Nell Gwynne ward at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital as a Band 6 Junior Sister/Charge Nurse.

Nell Gwynne is a 24 bedded Stroke and Neuro ward caring for patients with complex needs. The post holder will need to be motivated in supporting and developing the junior team on a shift to shift basis as well as supporting the Ward Manager to ensure patient safety and maintain standard in the ward. They must be a positive confident role model, undertaking hands on clinical work as well as supervising and monitoring practice. They must possess a natural desire to drive improvement initiatives, be dedicated and flexible to cover the needs of the service.

• Maintaining high standards of patients' care throughout their journey.
• To acquire basic and advanced nursing skills for acute medical services.
• To liaise closely with members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the safety and wellbeing of patients seen in the unit.
• To reduce length of stay through implementation of enhanced recovery programmes and effective discharge planning for each patient on arrival to the ward
• To mentor and assess student nurses and new staff under the probation programme.
• To coordinate and facilitate the effective running of the unit at all times and be able to deputise in the absence of the Ward Manager.
• Ensure all activity is recorded on the electronic patient tracking in a timely manner.
• Ensure referrals to Specialist nurses are completed in a timely manner and any issues are reported to the Matron EIC.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provide services from two main hospitals, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital, and a number of clinics across London and the South-East.

We have nearly 7,000 members of staff that are PROUD to Care for nearly one million people. Both hospitals provide full clinical services, including full maternity, emergency and children's, in addition to a range of community-based services across London, such as award-winning sexual health and HIV clinics.

We're one of the safest and best performing Trusts in the country. We're also one of the top trusts to work for – our staff say they're engaged, motivated, and would recommend us as a place to work and receive treatment.

Our Trust has been rated by the Care Quality Commission as 'Good' in all five of the main domains of safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led, giving an us overall rating of 'Good'. We've also been awarded an 'Outstanding' rating for 'use of resources' by an NHS Improvement inspection..

Our facilities are some of the best in the country. We have been investing around £10 million a year in our estate. We have recently completed a £30m expansion of our adult and neonatal critical care facilities at Chelsea and Westminster and are planning an ambitious £60m development of an Ambulatory Diagnostics Centre at West Middlesex.

Clinical

Lead on assessing planning and implementing high quality care, and evaluating care options for patients in the clinical area, in line with the Trust values and objectives

Lead on complex clinical care for stroke, neuro, tracheostomy and general medicine patients

Ensure the safe custody, maintenance and administration of medication, in accordance with established Trust policy

Promote and maintain a safe therapeutic environment for stroke, neuro and general medicine patients, their families and staff members according to national and local Infection Control guidelines, Health & Safety legislation and Trust policies and objectives

Coordinate patient repatriation and transfers from other hospitals and wards, promoting timely and safe processes for them

Ensure that stroke patient flow and the management of beds is effective and safe

Ensure the delivery of high quality end of life care in line with national pathways and Gold Standard Framework.

Provide sound evidence based clinical advice as required to staff and patients

Maintain a good understanding and implementation of clinical escalation procedures as required

Understand the Trust clinical governance framework, and participate in the promoting and safeguarding of high standards of care, through effective risk management & governance, and adherence to the Trust values

Ensure that the team promotes and adheres to the Trust safeguarding polices

Undertake effective multi professional work with colleagues to deliver care

Coordinate and manage nurse led clinics where appropriate

Monitor quality of standards of care, in line with CQC requirements and Trust and Divisional objectives

Deliver and supervise a high quality patient experience

Work with the ward manager to collect and disseminate data on quality indicators etc, in line with national and Trust objectives

Maintain a safe working environment, including ensuring equipment is safe, and used in line with Trust policy and values

Promote and maintain patient safety at all times, including proactively implementing falls and pressure ulcer prevention

Lead role in the detection, management and prevention of safeguarding issues

Have an awareness of current professional and clinical developments within their area of practice and promote these to others

Leadership and management:

Manage the day to day staffing arrangements and rotas, to ensure safe staffing levels and practice

Be in charge of all patients on a regular basis

Ensure staff members adhere to Trust protocols of care, e.g. Infection Control

Take continuing responsibility for the Unit/ Department in absence of the ward manager

Lead and manage own clinical team within general clinical areas and of the total team in the absence of the ward manager in line with Trust values

Develop and maintain effective communication and working relationships with other professional groups and staff generally within the Division and the Trust

Contribute to the effective management of the area by ensuring correct levels of staff are in place to deliver safe care

Assist with the planning of off duty and rotas

Assist in the delivery of induction and orientation of new staff

Act as a role model, ensuring staff members are working in compliance with Trust guidelines and PROUD values

Supervise the work of qualified and unqualified staff members and learners under the direction of the ward manager

Provide clinical support and guidance to staff members

Act as a resource for clinical knowledge to staff members

Initiate action on complaints & incident management and responses, and assist in their investigation and resolution

Participate in recruitment and selection

Develop effective selection and interviewing skills

Undertake appraisals and professional development reviews of staff members following training

Lead team meetings as required

Lead on specific projects, as indicated and agreed by ward manager

Have a working knowledge of budget arrangements for the unit, focussing on cost effectiveness and quality

To ensure maximum use of resources, close control of consumables and top up items, chasing the orders and liaising with Procurement department appropriately

Understand and manage local change with team members, including the embedding of new projects.

Education and research

• Participate in the education of all learners within their area
• Actively support and assist in preceptorship and in pre-registration student support, supervision and guidance including mentorship where appropriate
• Identify and respond to learning needs for area
• Develop and deliver or organise local training sessions, mindful of the Trust values
• Facilitate others in the development of informal teaching skills
• Participate in the annual training needs analysis for their area
• Participate in any local or related research projects, clinical trials etc
• Apply and encourage others to utilise evidence based practice and relevant research findings in practice
• Identify areas of nursing / midwifery research within their area that will be of benefit, and encourage and educate other staff to recognise the importance of research
• Participate in clinical supervision / acting as supervisor

Professional development

• Maintain professional registration
• Ensure mandatory training and a satisfactory appraisal is in date
• Undertake a professional development plan and demonstrate achievement of objectives
• Ensure adherence to Trust policy and guidelines at all times
• Role model Trust values at all times

Communication

• Ensure all communication, which may be complex, contentious or sensitive, is undertaken in a responsive and inclusive manner, focusing on improvement and ways to move forward.
• Ensure all communication is presented appropriately to the different recipients, according to levels of understanding, type of communication being imparted and possible barriers such as language, culture, understanding or physical or mental health conditions.