Senior Ward Nurse

Job summary
This role is offered on a permanent basis. Part time and full time hours available.

The Specialist Stroke Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit is based at the Vale Community Hospital in Dursley, offering residents of Gloucestershire a dedicated specialist stroke rehabilitation service in a Community Hospital environment. The ward also provides rehabilitation to patients who are recovering from an acute illness, as well as support for those nearing the end of their life.

We have an opportunity for a Registered Nurse to join us on this busy and rewarding unit. We are looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated individual that enjoys working closely with all members of the Multi-Disciplinary Team but who can also work autonomously within set guidelines. Applicants must be able to demonstrate an ability to confidently manage a team and provide strong leadership to actively support the ward in maintaining and delivering a high quality service. You must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and be committed to providing a high standard of patient care. We would expect commitment and flexibility with shift patterns and in return we offer a range of training and development opportunities to enhance your career.

Main duties of the job

• Management and leadership
• Be a visible clinical lead on shift and a point of contact for staff, patients and their families
• Lead and deliver safe care, screening of admission and discharge processes.
• Workforce planning, rotas, leave and absence management, performance monitoring through engaging staff with clinical supervision, 1:1s and appraisal processes.
• Engage in audit processes and help to maintain and improve quality standards. Active involvement in developing new practices.
• Reviewing of incidents and implementing learning
• Act as deputy in absence of Ward Manager.
• Leading the team in assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care. Be a role model and resource for junior staff.
• Communicate with a wide range of patients, carers, relatives, staff and other professionals disseminating information appropriately and in a sensitive manner. Being able to engage in difficult conversations and be confident to problem solve if needed.
• Liaise with MDT and wider community agents
• Be involved in maintaining skills and knowledge of team members through training and development

About us
We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people's homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.

76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.

81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust's priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Job responsibilities

• The role of the Inpatient Unit at the Vale Community Hospital is to offer general and Stroke Specialist rehabilitation to residents of Gloucestershire in a dedicated Community Hospital environment
• To assist and support the band 7 Team Manager in the leadership and management of the nursing team, adopting national best practice to provide a high quality nursing service to patients, relatives and carers on the ward.
• To act as Senior Nurse for the hospital when necessary, including overnight.
• To provide and maintain standards of care as required by the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and local and PCT Policy.

Person Specification
Essential

• Registered nurse
• Ability to lead and manage junior colleagues
• Excellent communication skills
• Knowledge and understanding of mental capacity and DoLS
• Evidence of flexibility and adaptability

Desirable

• Knowledge of rehabilitation, sub-acute and end of life care
• Experience of working within the NHS
• Understanding of clinical governance
• Evidence of supporting change in the work place

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.

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.

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.