Job responsibilities
JOB SUMMARY
Working alongside an additional Lead Nurse, the post holder will operationally manage and clinically lead the nursing teams in the Emergency Department (ED) and Clinical Decision Unit (CDU). The post holder is expected to regularly undertake clinical care, including leading the ED shift and acting as a clinical leader providing advice and support and working closely with other members of the integrated teams. An essential component of the job is to support the teams in developing clinical skills, provision of complex clinical care, assessment and decision making and strategies for safe and effective discharge from the department and integrated working. S/he is the delegated budget holder for those nursing teams and is therefore expected to ensure that care provided is, as well as evidence based and in line with best practice, cost effective and productive. S/he is also expected to lead on particular areas of development in clinical practice and the service and to undertake other delegated tasks as agreed.
The post holder will take an active part in continuing to develop new ways of working across primary and secondary care within Whittington Health and be an active member of the nursing visible leadership programme and the ICSU senior nursing group.
CLINICAL LEADERSHIP
To undertake clinical practice at an advanced level, providing advice and leadership to the relevant nursing teams, colleagues and managers as requested.
To work some routine out of hours and weekend shifts to ensure visible leadership, monitor clinical care and provide clinical support.
To act as a role model in assisting to develop the ED nursing role according to service demand and evolving models of care.
To ensure that the 6Cs are incorporated into the practice of nursing teams and to lead by example.
To ensure that care provided is evidence based and productive at all times.
To work with colleagues and users, to develop care pathways within Whittington Health and the population it serves, promoting practice that is dynamic, efficient, innovative and continuously improved in its relevance and responsiveness to the needs of clients and patients.
To assist in developing initiatives to reduce and avoid unnecessary hospital admissions and move forward community long term conditions management, the reduction in health inequalities, patient self-management and integrated working with social services, district nursing, specialist nursing and primary/secondary care colleagues.
To act as a champion for ED nursing, proactively liaising with internal and external stakeholders ensuring that nursing provision is effective and responsive and that patients, clinicians and GP practices experience a high standard of communication, care and continuity.
To assist in ensuring that clinical risk is assessed and managed in line with professional and Whittington Health standards and to ensure that risk and adult safeguarding is appropriately managed within teams to ensure patient and staff safety.
To ensure that adverse incidents are reported and investigated, with an open reporting and learning culture being fostered.
To act as a role model for best infection control practice, nutritional standards and medication management.
To act as a role model in pressure ulcer prevention strategies, ensuring that teams provide appropriate preventative care at all times, implement zero tolerance to avoidable pressure ulcers and following Whittington Health guidelines for pressure ulcer prevention and management.
To regularly participate in clinical supervision and to act as a clinical supervisor to junior staff.
MANAGEMENT
To directly manage the nursing teams in ED / UCC
To ensure that safe staffing levels and skill mix in line with local and national standards are maintained at all times and if these fall below the recommended benchmark to act on them and escalate to the Services Manager.
To supervise and manage the ED and CDU on a daily basis to ensure high standards of care and effective patient flow in order to maintain the four hour ED target.
To assist with conducting workforce and skill mix review as required.
To be responsible, in consultation with the Services Manager for ensuring that agreed performance management systems are in place, including taking appropriate action when there is a failure by the team to meet the specified standards.
To manage the delegated nursing team budgets ensuring that adequate and effective controls are in place on pay and non-pay spend, that stock levels are appropriately managed.
To ensure that there are adequate systems in place to monitor and control spend on temporary (bank and agency) nursing staff.
To agree with the team performance objectives to reflect both the Whittington Health clinical strategy and values and national strategies and priorities.
To ensure that absence levels within the teams are monitored and managed.
To ensure that individuals within those (and others when providing management support) teams are aware of and work within policies and procedures. To ensure that the care given meets the standards and policies meets the standards and policies set by Whittington Health.
To ensure that agreed models of appraisal, one to one meetings and clinical supervision for staff within those teams are implemented in accordance with national and trust guidelines, through which the lifelong learning plans for all staff can be developed.
To provide management support for other nursing teams in the absence of the Director of Operations and Associate Director of Nursing as needed.
To work with the Services Manager to ensure that job descriptions and vacancies within the team are reviewed on a regular basis and ensure that the skill mix adapts to meet the changing patterns of service delivery from the team.
To take responsibility for the selection and recruitment of team members across the teams as required and to take a proactive role in nurturing talent and retaining high quality staff.
To facilitate and ensure the use of information technology and that relevant and up to date information on clinical and service developments are provided to agreed time-scales
To ensure that there is a high standard of contemporaneous nursing documentation within the teams.
To undertake delegated projects and management responsibilities as required.
To develop and maintain effective and appropriate communication systems with staff and colleagues within the Trust.
To take every reasonable step to see that the working environment is safe, healthy and hazard free for staff and users.
To chair and lead meetings and working parties where appropriate, being a key member of the ED senior staff group, ICSU senior nursing group and ICSU Board.
QUALITY
To work with the Services Manager to ensure that care is evidence based and that continuous quality improvement programmes are in place that constantly challenge practice.
To review, develop and maintain an appropriate nursing audit programme in conjunction with the Services Manager, ED/ Associate Director of Nursing and to contribute to the ICSU audit timetable and agenda.
To assist on collation of data for the service key performance indicators and lead on collation for the nursing quality indicators, ensuring, in conjunction with the Services Manager /Associate Director of Nursing, that a plan is in place to continuously improve on results.
To work closely with the Whittington Health PALS department and where necessary participate in investigating complaints and clinical incidents in line with policy, procedures and time scales, making recommendations about changes to practice and service that may result.
To take a role in leading the patient experience strategy for the teams, ensuring that friends and family results are collated and acted upon and that creative ways of understanding patient feedback and involvement are implemented.
To ensure that the teams follow appropriate and relevant procedures, guidelines and protocols, working with the Services Manager /Associate Director of Nursing to review these as needed.
To assist the Services Manager/Associate Director of Nursing in benchmarking against other services and developing innovative practice and new ways of working which are productive and patient outcome focused.
To lead on the nursing teams retention and development programme, ensuring that effective career pathways, competency frameworks and in house development and training opportunities are in place.
This is the main duties and responsibilities of the role of Matron in the Emergency Department however this list is not exhaustive of all Matron responsibilities.
