Job summary
To assist in the creation of a welcoming, caring and safe environment for children and families.

Band 6 Sister (RN child)
We are looking an enthusiastic, motivated, children's nurse who enjoys working within a team of dedicated staff.

The assessment of child and family care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care and the setting of standards of care as a shift leader or deputy shift leader

To take charge of the paediatric area in the absence of the person who has continuing responsibility or be a senior nurse on shift.

Main duties of the job
For this Sister/Charge Nurse post, we require an experienced candidate who is dedicated to the Child and Family advocating for high standards of care while in hospital and ensuring the child's discharge is timely and effective.

Ifor ward is a busy general paediatric unit with children from 0-18 years providing a service for children who require acute medical and surgical care. We care for children with a varied range of conditions including haematology, oncology, infectious diseases, respiratory, surgical, orthopaedic, complex care and social problems.

You will also have an opportunity to develop oncology and haematological skills as we are a shared care POSCU. We have a two-bedded high dependency unit with a dedicated paediatric high dependency team. We have Clinical Nurse Specialists available for expert advice in paediatric diabetes, sickle cell, allergy, asthma and oncology as well as a Nurse Consultant.

About us
Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.

Job responsibilities
Clinical duties:

• To set, monitor and maintain the highest standards of nursing care for the children with low and high dependency needs.
• Standards should be: Acceptable, Achievable, Observable, Measurable
• To assess, develop, implement and evaluate individual programmes of nursing care, supervising the programmes of care given by junior staff. This should be evidence based.
• To actively support and promote the involvement of parents and carers in the management evaluation of care, by working together in partnership.
• To act in a consultative capacity on paediatric matters when required.
• To establish and maintain effective communication with nursing, medical, paramedical and ancillary colleagues in order to provide optimum child/family care.
• To establish and maintain effective communication with the parents and relatives of the children to ensure that they have every assistance and support to enable them to cope with their childs illness and hospitalisation.
• To provide support and counseling for children, their parents and nursing staff as appropriate.
• To liaise internally and externally with key staff in other departments to ensure that the specific needs and care of the child in hospital are identified and met.
• To act as an effective role model to junior staff and students.
• To demonstrate knowledge of clinical governance.
• To be competent in the use of equipment necessary for the resuscitation and stabilisation of children with life threatening illnesses and injury.
• To be competent in obtaining blood specimens for analysis i.e. SBR, capillary blood analysis and acting on the results where appropriate.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• RSCN /RN child
• Teaching course e.g. mentorship course, practice assessor course or equivalent
• Evidence of recent relevant continuing education

Desirable

• Evidence of further professional development
• Additional Clinical Course
• Paediatric Advanced Life Support Course : EPLS or APLS

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of clinical governance

Desirable

• Knowledge of Oncology nursing
• Knowledge of high dependency nursing

Skills
Essential

• Total patient care of high and low dependency children/adolescents.
• Teaching skills
• Appraisal/mentoring skills
• Plan, implement and evaluate care and supervise junior staff in the process
• Excellent communication and organisational skills
• Demonstrates clarity of thoughts and expresses ideas clearly
• Ability to recognise stress within self, and identify coping mechanisms
• Good problem solving skills.
• I.V. drug & blood product administration
• Computing and work processing skills
• Principles of Audit/Research
• Awareness of current professional issues
• Awareness of current issues and NHS reforms
• Awareness of current professional issues

Desirable

• Counselling Skills
• Evidence of Advanced Assessment Skills
• Paediatric cannulation and venepuncture skills
• Administration of Chemotherapy skills

Other Qualities
Essential

• Professional demeanour
• Flexible
• Committed to family centred care
• Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team
• Assertive & shows initiative
• Confident, approachable, and supportive manner
• Good attendance record
• Ability to work shift hours to cover service needs
• Clear understanding of policies relating to child protection
• Ability to take on new concepts and implement within department

Desirable

• Demonstrates desire to implement new ideas

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).