Job summaryAn exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and innovative Deputy Sister/Charge Nurse to join our Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) team. This role offers the chance to make a significant contribution to a dynamic and developing service, delivering high-quality care and supporting patients to receive timely assessment, treatment and discharge without the need for hospital admission.
Working alongside the Unit Manager, you will provide visible clinical and operational leadership, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and patient-centred care. You will coordinate patient flow, support and develop staff, act as a positive clinical role model, and contribute to the ongoing improvement of the service.
We are looking for a nurse with excellent clinical assessment and decision-making skills, strong organisational abilities, and a passion for delivering outstanding patient care. The successful candidate will thrive in a fast-paced environment, demonstrate effective leadership skills, and be committed to driving high standards of care and service delivery.
The SDEC unit operates 7 days a week, including weekends and bank holidays, with staff working on a rota basis to meet service requirements.
If you are looking for a rewarding leadership role within a busy unit where no two days are exactly the same, we would welcome your application.
Main duties of the jobAs Deputy Sister/Charge Nurse, you will play a key role in supporting the delivery of a safe, responsive and effective SDEC service. Working closely with the Unit Manager and multidisciplinary team, your responsibilities will include:
- Supporting the clinical and operational management of the SDEC unit.
- Coordinating the patient journey to ensure timely assessment, treatment and discharge.
- Providing visible clinical leadership and support to nursing and multidisciplinary colleagues.
- Acting as shift coordinator, overseeing patient flow, staffing levels and departmental priorities.
- Promoting and delivering evidence-based, patient-centred care.
- Supporting the education, supervision and professional development of staff and learners.
- Contributing to clinical governance, quality improvement, audit and patient safety initiatives.
- Deputising for the Unit Manager when required.
About usBased in the North East of England we provide a range of hospital and community health services from our leading facilities, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blaydon urgent care centre and Bensham Hospital, all within Gateshead.
Established in 2005, we were one of the first foundation trusts in the country and since then have consistently achieved the highest levels of care for patients.
We now employ around 4,800 staff and currently provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region.
Our values should be the 'golden thread' which runs through everything we do - they are the core of who we are. Our five values can easily be remembered by the simple acronym
ICORE; Innovation, Care, Openness, Respect, Engagement.We have a number of staff networks including the Global Ethnic Majority (GEM) network, D-Ability network, LGBTQ+ Network and the Women's Network, to challenge us and help us to constantly improve. Our Armed Forces network is one of our emerging networks.
The health and wellbeing of our staff is one of our highest priorities, and we offer a range of support and initiatives as part of our 'Balance' programme balancegateshead.com to cater for our diverse workforce, so that your individual needs can be supported, allowing you a happy and healthy working experience with us.
Job responsibilitiesAs Deputy Sister/Charge Nurse, you will support the Unit Manager in providing effective clinical and operational leadership within the SDEC service. You will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, patient-centred care and contribute to the ongoing development of an efficient and responsive service.
Key responsibilities include:
- Providing clinical leadership and acting as a role model for nursing and multidisciplinary colleagues.
- Assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating patient care within agreed SDEC clinical pathways.
- Coordinating the patient journey to ensure timely assessment, investigation, treatment, referral and discharge.
- Managing patient flow and supporting operational capacity to optimise patient experience and service performance.
- Acting as shift coordinator and supporting the day-to-day management of the department.
- Deputising for the Unit Manager as required.
- Supporting staff wellbeing, supervision, performance management and professional development.
- Promoting evidence-based practice and ensuring care is delivered in accordance with Trust policies, national standards and the NMC Code.
- Developing effective working relationships with patients, carers, multidisciplinary teams and external partners to support seamless patient care.
- Contributing to clinical governance, patient safety, audit, quality improvement and service development initiatives.
- Supporting the induction, education, mentorship and competency development of staff and learners.
- Ensuring the effective use of staffing, equipment and clinical resources.
- Maintaining accurate records and ensuring compliance with information governance and data protection requirements.
- Supporting the implementation of learning from audits, incidents, research and patient feedback to continuously improve patient outcomes and service delivery.
This job description is intended as a guide to the main responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive list of duties. The post holder may be required to undertake additional responsibilities appropriate to the grade and needs of the service.
Person SpecificationEssential Criteria- Registered Nurse (Adult) with current NMC registration.
- Significant post-registration experience in an acute care setting, including the assessment and management of acutely unwell patients.
- Experience working within SDEC, Acute Medicine, Emergency Care, or a similar fast-paced environment.
- Demonstrable experience of coordinating patient care and managing patient flow.
- Experience of supervising, supporting and developing registered and non-registered staff.
- Sound knowledge of professional nursing practice, clinical governance, patient safety and risk management.
- Excellent clinical assessment, decision-making and prioritisation skills.
- Strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to lead, motivate and support teams, fostering a positive and inclusive working environment.
- Competence in medicines management and administration.
- Experience of effective multidisciplinary team working and collaborative care delivery.
- Evidence of continuing professional development relevant to the role.
- Qualified Practice Supervisor and Practice Assessor.
- Competent in the use of electronic patient records and other digital healthcare systems.
Desirable Criteria- Degree in Nursing or equivalent qualification.
- Leadership and management qualification or relevant training.
- Experience of service improvement, audit, quality improvement initiatives and change management.
- Experience of workforce management, rostering and resource allocation.
- Knowledge of NHS operational standards, urgent care pathways and patient flow management.
- Experience of managing incidents, complaints and staff performance issues.
- Competence in venepuncture and ECG recording.
- Experience in coaching, mentoring and staff development.
- Experience of managing people and resources effectively.
- Experience of clinical supervision.
- Evidence of proactive multidisciplinary working and partnership collaboration.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential- Registered Nurse (Adult) with current NMC registration.
- Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- Practice Supervisor/Assessor qualification
Desirable- Degree in Nursing or equivalent
- Leadership/Management qualification
ExperienceEssential- Significant post-registration experience in an acute healthcare setting/ caring for acutely unwell patients
- Experience coordinating patient care and managing patient flow
- Experience supervising registered and non-registered staff.
Desirable- Experience within SDEC, Acute Medicine, Emergency Department, Ambulatory Care, or Urgent Care.
- Experience participating in research, audit, or service development activities.
KnowledgeEssential- Knowledge of the NMC Code, clinical governance, safeguarding, patient safety, risk management, and acute care pathways.
- Understanding of medicines management and infection prevention and control.
Desirable- Knowledge of NHS operational targets, patient flow processes,
- Knowledge of ESR, e-rostering systems and incident management
Clinical CompetenceEssential- Excellent assessment, prioritisation, and clinical decision-making skills.
- Ability to recognise and respond to patient deterioration.
- Competent in medicines administration and management.
Desirable- Venepuncture, cannulation,
- performance of an ECG
Leadership and ManagementEssential- Ability to lead and motivate a team.
- Experience supporting staff development.
- Effective delegation, supervision, and workload management skills.
Desirable- Experience managing performance, attendance,
- change management initiatives.
CommunicationEssential- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to effectively communicate with patients, relatives, carers, and multidisciplinary teams.
- Ability to manage sensitive and challenging situations.
Desirable- Experience in complaint resolution and patient experience initiatives.
ITEssential- Competent in the use of electronic patient records and digital healthcare systems.
Desirable- Experience using ESR, HealthRoster/e-Rostering, Inphase and workforce management systems.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website. 
