NursingNetUK

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

• To deputise for the Ward Manager in co-ordinating the quality and management of nursing care, patient care and the clinical environment with 24-hour responsibility for staffing.
• Participating fully with the multidisciplinary team and undertake direct patient care.
• To promote and safeguard the well-being and interests of all patients, employees, and visitors.
• Alerts others to the need to improve quality. Ensures others maintain professional registration
• Identify and evaluate potential improvements to the service
• Support and work with others to help them understand the need for change and to adapt to it
• Evaluate the extent to which legislation and organisational policies and procedures on health, safety and risk management have been implemented and ensures compliance across the service
• Investigate any actual or potential health, safety or security incidents and takes the required action

• Provide support to staff through appraisal, clinical supervision and continuing professional development
• Ensure a safe environment for people who use services, family/carers and staff by adhering to relevant health and safety policies; undertaking risk assessments and care plans, and reporting hazards
• Effective communication with internal and external stakeholders
• Ensure that the views of people who use services and their family/carers are effectively sought to help inform decision-making on the ward
• Responsible for providing the relevant evidence for the annual quality programme and clinical audits; managing complaints and concerns about patient care; developing improvement plans and taking remedial action as required
• Participate in investigatory processes for serious incidents and disciplinaries as required
• Participate in personal development opportunities to maintain and develop professional knowledge and skills
• Ensure staff are up to date with statutory and mandatory training within the Trust
• Responsible for their own practice in accordance with their professional body and will take every reasonable opportunity to sustain and develop their professional competence.
• Be a mentor and adviser for students and will work closely with the Clinical Placement Facilitator to ensure that the learning objectives are consistent with the requirements of their educational programs.
• Provide clinical leadership for a range of clinician’s in their specific area of practice, providing advice on all clinical issues within that service; support clinician’s with updating their relevant knowledge and skills.

Clinical Issues and Responsibilities

• Responsible and accountable for standards of care and clinical practice
• Undertake clinical risk assessments and formulate and implement risk reduction strategies
• Promote the physical health and mental wellbeing of people who use our services
• Ensure that the ward team develop, implement and evaluate service-user led programmes of care using a problem-solving approach that ensures the needs of each individual person are met throughout their admission, including detailed arrangements for discharge of the person, and as appropriate, their carer making them central to the planning and decision-making process
• Work effectively with the multi-disciplinary team to maintain efficient channels of communication with all agencies to develop holistic care planning, goal setting and reviews
• Ensure the clinical area is an effective learning environment for student nurses and maintain effective links with education providers
• Ensure nursing conduct and practice on the ward is in accordance with the NMC guidance, Mental Health legislation, and Trust policies

Please check the job description and personal specification document for more information on the requirement for this job.