Staff Nurse - Dermatology Department

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic individual to join our team as a Band 6 Junior Sister/ Charge Nurse on Toni and Guy Ward. The ward is a 15 bedded general paediatric ward. We care for children with a variety of conditions, including Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle Cell Disease, Diabetes, Asthma and are a shared care centre for Oncology patients.

You must be a Registered Children’s Nurse with excellent clinical skills, self-motivated, enthusiastic and committed to providing high standards of care for all our paediatric patients, their families and carers.  The ability to demonstrate excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential. You should have time-management and clinical organisational skills as you will need to manage a busy Children’s Ward.

The post holder will be responsible for maintaining standards and quality in the day-to-day management of the unit. This role will enable you to gain and demonstrate skills in leadership and people management within the clinical environment. Your primary responsibilities will be to regularly take charge of the unit and support and develop junior staff by being a mentor and role model. 

Care and compassion in managing our paediatric patients and families is important to us. As a result, we expect successful candidates to demonstrate these qualities on a daily basis and have the resilience to meet the challenges of our busy and stimulating work environment.

Main duties of the job

·         To provide expert, holistic care of a high standard to both the patients and their relatives within the King's College Hospital.

·         To take direct managerial responsibility for the clinical area in the absence of or as delegated by the Ward Sister/ Charge Nurse/ Head of Department.

·         To assist in the leadership and development of an identified group of nurses within the ward complement.

·         To act as a clinical resource within the ward and across the Care Group as necessary.

·       To act as a positive role model to junior staff members. Particular emphasis is put at Kings on the need to ensure that all staff recognise their responsibility to deliver services in a high quality, courteous, patient focused manner and to maintain patient confidentiality at all times

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Clinical Practice

·         To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and adhere to this at all times.

·         To demonstrate clinical expertise in the care of any patients receiving treatment in the ward/ department

·         To assess, plan, implement and evaluate the needs of patients on the Ward on an ongoing basis, co-ordinating the care given by all members of the clinical team.

·         To accurately assimilate and interpret clinical information about the patients’ condition, promptly report changes and instigate remedial action as appropriate.

·         To act as a resource person to others, providing accurate information, advice and support to the multidisciplinary team, patients and their relatives.

·         To ensure that accurate records are maintained reflecting both changes in the patient’s condition and the treatment delivered.

·         To ensure that patients and their relatives are updated regularly with accurate information, and ensure that this is presented in a way that they understand.

·         To ensure that Clinical Guidelines are implemented and to be actively involved in auditing practice in conjunction with Line Manager and practice development staff.

·         To ensure that practice is evidence based and with support assist in the development of policies and protocols within the clinical area.

·         To uphold high standards of nursing care, according to existing policies and standards.

·         To support the Ward Managers and Modern Matron in processes of continuous quality improvement, formally evaluating standards of care and assisting in the implementation of changes in the light of such findings.

·         To contribute to the health education of patients and their families, ensuring that all patients receive appropriate advice and support to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

·         To actively support the implementation of the Trust nursing strategy and uphold the ethos of the local philosophy.

Education and Research

·         To act as a mentor to junior staff members, responsible for the orientation, supervision and ongoing development of junior and student nurses, in conjunction with Line Manager and Practice Development staff.

·         To act as practice supervisor, responsible for completing competency documents for junior staff within agreed timeframes.

·         To act as a mentor to students undertaking further education as requested, ensuring a positive learning experience and facilitating the development of their clinical skills.

·         To contribute to the wider educational activities within the Care Group – ensuring attendance at and contributing to the delivery of educational activities within the Care Group.

·         To promote and encourage the application of research and of evidence based practices.

·         To participate in any research projects conducted in the clinical area as appropriate.

Management

·         To manage the clinical workload effectively, ensuring care is prioritised appropriately.

·         To contribute positively towards the delivery of a cost effective service, adjusting staffing levels to meet demand and assisting the ward manager to keep within agreed resources.

·         To assist with the ongoing organisation of the ward, co-ordinating the activities of the clinical area.

·         To liase with Medical Personnel and Bed Manager to ensure optimal bed usage at all times, facilitating timely admission and discharge of patients.

·         To act as a team leader to an identified group of staff, monitoring and documenting the development of their clinical skills.

·         To develop own skills in recruitment and retention, sickness management and performance management as determined by line manager.

·         To actively support the process of risk management – ensure incidents are reported appropriately and helping identify ways of preventing errors and accidents to both patients and staff.

·         To make a positive contribution to service development affecting the clinical area and positively influence others to adapt to change.

·         To actively promote customer care, assisting in resolving local (informal) complaints and supporting the ward manager to investigate formal problems.

·         To assist with the monitoring of stock levels of clinical stores and technical equipment, resolving any shortfall as appropriate.

·         To maintain standards of hygiene and cleanliness within the clinical area, actioning remedy as appropriate and reporting deficits to Modern Matron, as appropriate.

·         To communicate varied and complicated information (verbally and in writing) in a way that is understood and gets the important facts across.

·         To carry the Unit bleep as required, resolving local problems/ conflicts, keeping managers/others informed and maintaining positive team dynamics across the Care Group at all times.

·         To take a leadership role in crisis situations, resolving problems across the Care Group as necessary.

·         To maintain confidentiality with regard to personal information pertaining to staff. To attend and contribute to departmental meetings as required.

Person specification

Experience

Essential criteria

• 1st level Registered Paediatric Nurse
• Foundation Oncology Course
• Demonstrable clinical expertise, relevant to the area.

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience of leading change in a clinical environment

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Able to contribute to the development of students, nurses and oneself
• Communication skills – able to relate and communicate with patients and staff at all levels and from different professions. Adapts communication style as necessary and is able to work with and through others.
• Team building and working skills – able to lead a team to achieve results

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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