Staff Nurse

Job overview

Band 5 Staff Nurse  Paediatric Day Care Unit/ Clinic 4D Children’s Outpatients The Whittington Health Paediatrics Day Care Unit is a 7 bedded unit providing holistic care to a variety of booked patients up to the age of 18 years. Specialities include haemoglobinopathy, oncology and endocrine. Booked admissions are provided for patients requiring blood, platelet and immunoglobulin infusions, endocrine investigations, dental and orthopaedic surgery, and scans under sedation. The majority of services are nurse-led, with input from Clinical Nurse Specialists and the Medical team as required. Clinic 4D is a busy Paediatrics Outpatients department offering specialist clinics run by the Medical Team, Nurses and Clinical Nurse Specialists. Several nurse-led clinics are carried out including phlebotomy, skin prick testing, HIV, neonatal prolonged jaundice and neonatal thyroid clinics. This post offers an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and highly motivated registered children’s nurse to develop and extend their clinical skills across a range of areas. We have a small but well established and supportive nursing team, with a Practice Development Nurse to support your continuous training and professional development needs.

Main duties of the job

Post Summary:

To maintain high standard of nursing care for all service users at all times.  Teaching and supervision of students. To work effectively with all members of the multidisciplinary team.

The assessment of child/young people’s and family care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of care.

To take charge of PACU/Outpatients in the absence of the person who has continuing responsibility.

To assist in the creation of a welcoming, caring and safe environment for children/young people and families.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties

Clinical duties:

To set, monitor and maintain the highest standards of nursing care for children according to their dependency.

To assess, develop, implement and evaluate individual nursing care needs, supervising the programs 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 within the MDT 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 child’s needs.

To provide support and counselling for children, young people and their parents and nursing staff as appropriate.

To act as an effective role model to junior staff and students.

To demonstrate knowledge of clinical governance.

To be competent in IV drugs and blood products administration.

To work according to Patient Group Directions (PGD) in the administration of medications e.g. paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Salbutamol.

To undertake training and provide specific care as required, e.g. blood transfusion, venepuncture, cannulation, sweat test and chemotherapy administration.

To have an awareness of safeguarding issues and the ability to take appropriate action.

Management:

To take charge/deputies in the absence of the Sister as required.

Demonstrate ability to prioritise according to patients’ and service need.

To assist in the development of paediatric nursing policies, protocols and guidelines ensuring that they are implemented, followed and evaluated.

To attend unit meeting and provide appropriate input.

To be able to liaise with the Senior Sister and Matron for paediatric services of any activity in the clinical area which effects paediatric care.

To assist in monitoring and ensuring economical levels and usage of supplies on the unit are maintained.

Exercise professional accountability in line with the NMC code of Professional conduct.

Ensure that all agreed trust and Directorate policies, procedures and standards implemented within the unit are adhered to and maintained.

Be a committed member of the paediatric unit and be willing to rotate the different paediatric units (ie. Ifor, CAU) as necessary.

Report accidents/incidents and complaints to the Senior Sister/ Matron, and document as per unit policy, e.g Datix.

Teaching

To promote and achieve an environment conducive to learning for all staff.

To act as Assessor/Supervisor for students and preceptor to junior staff, including completion of necessary paperwork and annual staff appraisal.

To assist in the education and practical training of all learners, utilising every opportunity for clinical teaching.

To co-operate with the education of staff to provide uniformity of teaching and promotion of professional standards.

To utilise, participate and monitor programmes of unit based teaching in conjunction with the Practice Development Nurse.

To assist in assessing and meeting the learning needs of members of the unit team.

To take full responsibility of own personal development.

Research

To promote a critical and analytical approach to the delivery of child orientated care.

To initiate and participate in paediatric nursing audit/research.

To ensure members of the unit team are aware of current research and its implications to nursing care.

To assist in introducing and applying research findings along with the other members of the unit team to enhance the efficiency of nursing practice.

Maintain an awareness of clinical and professional developments of paediatric nursing.

Attend relevant study periods as nominated, providing feedback to the unit team.