Job summary
To act as a role model and to provide leadership in the clinical area.

Continuous responsibility for professional, clinical and managerial issues of a ward area

Ensure that practice is evidence based, of the highest standard and is patient and family focused.

Responsible for ensuring adequate 24-hour skill mix and staffing

Act as line manager for all ward staff.

Main duties of the job
Responsible for ensuring adequate nursing skill mix for the 24-hour period.

Responsible for organising staff meetings, to cascade information and new policies and guidelines for staff in the clinical area

Lead in reviewing and auditing practice within the clinical area.

Utilise available resources to ensure safe and effective patient care, e.g. cover of the duty rota and equipment management.

Manage staff sickness and absence in accordance with the Trust policy and with the support of the HR personnel.

Participate in the recruitment, selection and the induction of all new staff; ensure that each new member of staff has a preceptor who supports the work-based competencies as per Trust policy.

Be responsible for management and professional development of staff within the clinical area, including appraisals and performance planning, study leave, induction, mandatory training and keeping records of training.

Ensure that all staff are compliant with policies and guidelines and that they are trained to the agreed competencies for specific procedures.

Liaise with the lecturers at universities to facilitate and support all students' learning needs.

Contribute to the training needs analysis and the negotiation of appropriate courses.

Responsible for ensuring that there is an appraisal system available for all staff.

Report/discuss performance difficulties of staff with the Matron.

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
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Establish and maintain effective communication and foster good working relationships with all multidisciplinary teams, both internal and external.
• Provide and receive complex and / or sensitive information from parents and staff, for example, breaking bad news to patients, giving complex information about procedures and their outcomes, dealing with performance issues and holding staff meetings.
• Able to support and talk to distressed parents, visitors and staff members
• To ensure that appropriate internal and external liaison with key staff is under- taken to identify and support the specific needs and care of the infant and the family.
• Responsible for cascading information to ward staff and chairing staff meetings from which minutes are provided
• Deal effectively with comments, complaints or incidents that affect staff and users in accordance with complaints, risk management or human resources procedures. Implement change(s) as required
• Bring to the Matrons attention any factors which may adversely affect patient care or service provision.

Knowledge, training and experience

• To lead the team in providing evidence-based nursing care. To be responsible for reviewing and updating care plans and documentation while ensuring continuity of care.
• Be knowledgeable about current infection control procedures and policies and ensure all staff and visitors always adhere to these.
• Be knowledgeable about the risks of infection and take responsibility for preventing cross infection within the clinical environment.

Analytical and judgement skills

• Use a wide range of experience and knowledge in determining appropriate plans of care for an infant.
• Assess and act upon potential problems or issues to ensure safe, effective and efficient environment for staff, parents and visitors.

Planning and organisational skills

• Responsible for ensuring adequate nursing skill mix for the 24-hour period.
• Responsible for organising staff meetings, to cascade information and new policies and guidelines for staff in the clinical area
• Lead in reviewing and auditing practice within the clinical area.

Physical skills

• Use of electronic equipment and the various applications required to fulfil job roles.
• Handling/transferring and application of medical equipment appropriate to the care of the patients.
• Preparation of medication and to ensure that medications are given via the prescribed routes as per Trust policy.
• As required demonstrate the use of specialised equipment.

Responsibilities for patient/carers care

• Set, implement and monitor infant care programmes in accordance with agreed policies, using expert nursing experience and skills
• Act as a role model when demonstrating nursing care and procedures
• Ensure clinical area staff assess the conditions of infants within their care, ensuring that signs and symptoms are acted upon accordingly and in a timely fashion.
• Ensure clinical staff effectively manage the admission, transfer and discharge of infants.
• Supervision of and participation in the discharge planning process to deal with complex plans of care by liaising with community nursing services and other agencies.
• Work with parents/carers, nursing and other healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care to promote timely discharge, through appropriate discharge planning.
• Provide expert advice and support to colleagues in the care and management of patients within speciality.
• Ensure accurate, comprehensive and clear documentation of patients care.

Responsibilities for policy and service development implementation

• At all times act in accordance with Trust policies, procedures and guidelines and the NMC Codes of Practice and guidelines.
• Be aware of and support policies and procedures existing and those being introduced throughout the Trust.
• Responsible for consulting staff regarding Trust/unit/ward proposals to ensure that they are well informed and their views are made known to relevant people
• Represent clinical area at forums and meetings as requested by the Matron or the Head of Childrens Nursing
• Lead in reviewing and auditing practice within the clinical area.

Responsibilities for financial & physical resources

• Ensure safe storage of all medication including Controlled Drugs in line with Trust policies.
• Responsible for ensuring supplies are managed in accordance with budgetary limits and constraints. With the support of the procurement team, agree and regularly review products to ensure the most efficient and effective product is used for delivery care.
• Ensure that all equipment used within the department is serviced and maintained on a regular basis and that records are kept.
• Ensure that staff are competent in the use and care of specialized equipment and able to report faults and service needs.
• Have accountability for ensuring an adequate skill-mix to cover the 24-hour period.
• Have accountability for the health and safety issues within the ward area.

Responsibilities for human resources (HR)

• Manage staff sickness and absence in accordance with the Trust policy and with the support of the HR personnel.
• Participate in the recruitment, selection and the induction of all new staff; ensure that each new member of staff has a preceptor who supports the work-based competencies as per Trust policy.
• Be responsible for management and professional development of staff within the clinical area, including appraisals and performance planning, study leave, induction, mandatory training and keeping records of training.
• Ensure that all staff are compliant with policies and guidelines and that they are trained to the agreed competencies for specific procedures.
• Contribute to the training needs analysis and the negotiation of appropriate courses.
• Responsible for ensuring that there is an appraisal system available for all staff.
• Report/discuss performance difficulties of staff with the Matron.

Responsibilities for information resources

• Ensure admission pack is available and handed out to parents of newly admitted infants.
• To ensure internal staff records are updated on a regular basis e.g. staff absences.
• Record and report all the key performance indicators (KPI) to the matron on weekly basis.
• Ensure staff time out details (sickness and other leave) are reported to the designated personnel within the Childrens Division.
• Regularly review incidents on datix that occur within or relating to the ward and disseminate the learning that arises from the reports and subsequent actions that took place.
• Ensure all staff have basic computer literacy and can use the email system and can access results on the PAS system.
• Ensure all clinical area resources are up to date, organised and available for inspection during exemplar assessment and other visits e.g. university, CQC etc.
• As e-rostering becomes available implement and use the new format to produce the monthly rota.

Responsibilities for research & development

• Lead in auditing and monitoring all activities within the clinical area to ensure services are delivered effectively within a safe environment.
• Ensure audit documentation is kept up to date and collated as required.
• Recommend any necessary policy changes following audit by discussion with matron and once agreed to ensure their implementation.
• Support the Matron by providing regular reports on standards of cleanliness, hand hygiene and other audit reports as required by the Trust.

Freedom to act

• Use owns clinical knowledge to support/initiate policy changes within the workplace
• Manage change process within areas of practice and to monitor compliance.
• Initiate and facilitate safe practices to allow the ward to function successfully and efficiently, averting any potential issues/complaints.
• Lead in the discussion of discharges and set clear discharge plans particularly

Mental effort

• There is a regular requirement for concentration to complete tasks such as provision of direct patient care, despite interruption from staff, patients, visitors and telephone calls
• There is an occasional requirement for prolonged concentration while undertaking operational and strategic management activities.

Emotional effort

• There is occasional exposure to highly distressing and / or highly emotional circumstances when dealing with difficult parents or staff situations
• There is a need to use tact and persuasive skills in allocating workload or ensuring that other staff members fully meet the needs of patients within the clinical area
• There is regular exposure daily to distressing and / or emotional circumstances when dealing with loss/bereavement.

Working conditions

• Prompt response to clinical emergencies within clinical area.
• Prompt response to other emergencies, such as security or fire, within vicinity of clinical area.
• Use of tact and diplomacy in potentially violent situations.
• Computer skills to enable production of reports, meeting notes and documentation for Integrated pathways, staff education and patient information and Internet literature searches.

Person Specification
Education / Qualification
Essential

• Valid Registration as RN/RSCN/RM with Neonatal Course.
• Neonatal Nursing Experience
• Teaching / mentorship qualification

Desirable

• Educated to Masters level
• Excellent Verbal and Written Communication Skills
• Computer Skills

Skils and Abilities
Essential

• Analytical Skills
• Good Interpersonal Skills
• Good Organisational Skills

Desirable

• Assertive
• Knowledge and Experience of working together with staff and patients of various different background & Cultures
• Able to work withing a multi-racial and Cultural environment

Skills and Abilities
Essential

• Analytical skills

Desirable

• Ability to be reflective

Attributes
Essential

• Polite and Pleasant Manner
• Enthusiastic and Motivated
• Sense of Humour
• Team Spirited

Desirable

• Leadership Skills
• Computer Skills
• Flexible and Adaptable

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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).

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

Employer details
Employer name
Whittington Hospital NHS Trust

Address
Whittington Hospital
London
N19 5NF
United Kingdom

Employer's website
https://www.whittington.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Lead Nurse
Adesegun Oremule
adesegun.oremule@nhs.net
02072885530

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.