Sister / Charge Nurse, Band 6- Critical Care

Job overview

As the team working within the Department of Critical Care, we aim to continue to employ competent, motivated and enthusiastic senior nurses to assist with leading the nursing team in the delivery of expert patient care.

As the shift co-ordinator, you will be required to consider the entire GHT Critical Care Service, in terms of patient numbers and dependency, in relation to staffing and other service pressures.  There is the expectation that you will work within both units within Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General Hospital, on a continuous rotational basis, and sometimes on a day to day basis to help manage the fluctuating and ever changing patient and service demands.

Both units provide high dependency / intensive care (level 2 and 3) to adults requiring respiratory, cardiovascular and / or renal support.  Post-surgical care is delivered to those patients undergoing complex urological, upper gastro-intestinal, vascular and head and neck surgery.  Children are regularly admitted to the Gloucestershire Royal site for stabilisation prior to being retrieved by the paediatric retrieval service.

The critical care team encourages personal professional development and actively supports clinical education.  It is the expectation that all band 6 nurses engage with clinical governance, continuous quality improvement and educational activities.

Additional working pattern details:  Part time, Flexible working hours

Main duties of the job

- To manage and professionally lead the nursing team as a key member of the multidisciplinary workforce.

- To directly deliver, co-ordinate and supervise patient care; ensuring that the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of that care is of a high standard, encompassing the Trust vision of ‘best care for everyone’

- To contribute towards the entire GHT Critical Care Service, in terms of patient care, team support, quality improvement and service delivery and progression.

- Work within both units on both a planned rotational and a day to day basis to help manage the fluctuating and ever changing patient and service demands.

- To work alongside the Matron, the Band 7’s and wider team to determine and deliver on service strategic objectives and to promote the overarching vision for the service

- To work collaboratively and cohesively with the entire critical care inter-professional team to meet the needs of critically ill patients and their families.

- To demonstrate clinical expertise, role modelling high standards of care, evidence based practice and effective leadership within UK law, NMC and Trust policies and guidelines.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical

- Deliver, demonstrate and supervise safe and appropriate care within a challenging and changing clinical environment, using highly specialised equipment and resources

- Communicate effectively with patients, especially where the patient’s ability to communicate is compromised.

- Administer, demonstrate and supervise the delivery of medications, including multiple continuous infusions, within the Procedure for the Ordering, Prescribing, and Administration of Medications (POPAM) guidelines

- Work collaboratively alongside other health professionals to provide high standards of care for patients within DCC

- Take a key role in the implementation of any clinical initiative or introduction of new equipment within DCC

- Take an active clinical leadership role and act as shift co-ordinator when required

- Work continuously to promote and support clinical training, education and development of other staff within the DCC and beyond

Management

- Work alongside the Matron, Band 7’s, consultants and wider team to help determine and deliver on strategic service objectives

- Work alongside the DCC, site and operational delivery teams to maintain patient flow and critical care capacity within agreed procedures

- Consider the entire critical care service, helping to ensure safe staffing levels on each site in relation to patient needs and staffing resources available

- Support the maintenance of the electronic roster, alongside the Band 7’s and roster administrator, to ensure that it is kept up to date.

- Seek to eliminate / reduce any staff conflict and take any remedial and on-going action as appropriate

- Manage any patient, relative or staff complaints in line with the Trust complaints procedure

- Deliver and support staff appraisals and promote mandatory training to achieve key performance indicators

- Support the DCC recruitment and retention strategy and participate in the interviewing process for new staff

- Take responsibility for the health and safety of patients, relatives and staff and contribute towards clinical and environmental risk assessments and risk reduction practices.

- Work in a manner that makes best use of available resources and aim to reduce unnecessary waste from a financial and environmental perspective

- Input and retrieve patient and staff information, in accordance with the Data Protection Act, from computer based system and maintain accurate and contemporaneous patient records.

Leadership

- Lead the nursing team in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care within the multidisciplinary team

- Support the development of a highly skilled, motivated and engaged workforce which continually strives to improve patient, relative and staff experience

- Role model high standards of patient care, communication, commitment and organisation for others to follow

- Support and lead any service developments and use effective leadership skills to ensure effective change as appropriate.

- Encourage and promote a ‘shared leadership’ model, enabling and empowering others, of all grades, to take the lead with various initiatives within DCC and the wider Trust whilst clearly demonstrating the Trust leadership values and behaviours.

- Lead or actively support all agreed quality improvements within DCC and link with other teams and services as appropriate within and outside of Trust.

- Collaborate with local, network and national colleagues as appropriate to maintain shared best practice within critical care  Improving safety, quality and developing practice

- Work with senior staff undertaking audit and research projects. To be involved in making recommendations for changes to management practice and procedures and the implementation of those changes as appropriate.

- Contribute to the Clinical Governance and Quality agenda by active participation in service initiatives, health and safety and risk management.

- Take responsibility for safe and effective infection, prevention and control measures

- Develop and share own knowledge with other members of the team

- Identify own development needs, aligning these to service requirements and personal aspirations. Proactively develop and improve own practice using all available resources

- Understand and contribute, as appropriate, to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of standard operational procedures, policies, protocols and guidelines relevant to the defined service

- Openly question and challenge strategic and operational practice in a constructive way so that standards of patient care are continually evaluated and improved.

- Report and support the investigation of incidents as appropriate within role and designated service

Education and training

- In conjunction with the designated line manager, identify personal training and development needs through the Trust appraisal process

- Maintain and continually develop personal knowledge, competence and skills required to perform the role effectively.

- Undertake all mandatory training appropriate to role

- Support the training, education and development of staff within defined service as appropriate