What Is A Lead Role In Nursing And Care?

“The Lead Role is not paid work on wards but very exciting and rewarding. It gives a sense of ownership.”

Plaxedes talks us through Lead Roles in Healthcare and explains how having a Lead Role might change the outlook of your job.

Topics covered in this article

What Is A Lead Role?

Are the Lead Roles Something Unique To The NHS?

Can Anyone Be A Lead Nurse?

What Band Of Nurse Tends To Be A Lead?

Can I Earn More Money?

What Skills and Experience Do I Need To Apply For A Lead Job Position?

What Extra Duties And Responsibilities Will I Be Given In A Lead Role?

Examples Of Lead Roles And Positions

What Is A Lead Role?

A Lead Role is an extra responsibility allocated to any staff member and this commonly used in Health Care.

I am going to focus on a Mental Health setting where I work.

A Lead Role position ensures good practice and enthusiasm.

Are The Lead Roles Something Unique To The NHS?

I will say this is common practice in my setting but there are Lead Roles at local Trust Level.

Can Anyone Be A Lead Nurse?

Anyone working with service users can be allocated to do the Lead Role depending on their experience and interests in a certain area of work.

What Band Of Nurse Tends To Be A Lead?

There is no specific Band for one to be a Lead Role.

Can I Earn More Money?

The Lead Role is not paid work on wards but very exciting and rewarding. It gives a sense of ownership.

What Skills And Experience Do I Need To Apply For A Lead Job Position?

To have a Lead Role one must have sound knowledge and interest in a specific area , though I cannot deny when allocated as there is always support available from the Line Manager and other experienced colleagues.

There is no specific training for Lead Roles but one can go for further training and attend workshops in their specific area as they wish and later feedback or recommend to colleagues.

Being a Lead Role requires enthusiasm and good communication skills and you have to involve not only service users but colleagues and Managers as well.

What Extra Duties And Responsibilities Will I Be Given In A Lead Role?

The Lead Role has to be up to date with the most recent clinical evidence be able to conduct Clinical Audits, recording and reporting to Clinical Service Leads.

The Carers Lead complete weekly audit of Carers and Family Contact and sends it to the Manager.

The Lead Role has to ensure evidence-based practice and that Policies are being adhered to in clinical practice.

Some examples of Lead Roles are Medicines Management Lead, Infection Control and Carers Leads and Perfect Ward Team.

Examples Of Lead Roles And Positions

I am going to explain a few Lead Role responsibilities.

The Medications Lead will check anything to do with Medications and ensure correct protocols are being followed in storage, dispensing and keeping the Clinical Room Safe.

She/he will check the Medication Charts, for correct prescriptions, service users’ names, allergies recorded, and check the Clinical Room Stocks, the Controlled Drugs Cupboard to check the Register and RMNs stock and if they have been signed for by 2 RMNs.

The Medication Lead will also check Medicines Fridge Temperatures and record if any missed. They will also check any expired medicines and arrange for them to be sent to pharmacy.

The Medicines Lead will check Emergency Drug Boxes if sealed and check Depots injections are in stock or expiring and need ordering.

The Medicines Lead Role will also ensure Emergency Drugs Box is sealed with the Red/White and make arrangements to acquire one.

They will also check the main Medication Drugs and re-order required stocks. They liaise with Pharmacy if there is any concerns regarding medication and also report to the Ward Manager and feedback to colleagues after conducting the Weekly Audit.

The Infection Control and Prevention Lead is responsible for ensuring staff are following local Infection Control and Prevention Policy and adhering to the practice standards.

They enforce good practice in the clinical setting.

The Lead for Infection Control and Prevention will ensure Hand Hygiene, appropriate use of equipment especially PPE with the ongoing Covid-19 concerns, correct disposal of Waste and Sharps ensuring staff are using the right colour-coded waste bins and disposing sharps in the correct yellow bins ensuring they are dated on initial use, they are not filled beyond the designated line then sealed and dated before collection.

The Infection Control Lead also ensures that only sharps are disposed in the yellow bin.

The Infection Control Lead also checks on the ward environment if the hand basins are functioning properly and report concerns.

They also check on cleanliness in service user’s bedroom, checking on mattresses and ensuring the Mattress Cleaning and integrity are checked weekly and 6-monthly respectively and recorded in the register and damages are reported to the administrator for new purchase and replacement.

All cleaning should be recorded in the file.

The last Role I am going to briefly discuss is non-clinical is the Carers Lead which I am mostly involved in.

The Carers Lead is responsible for contacting Carers and Families to check their wellbeing whilst a Family Member is in Hospital.

This role requires empathy, being non-judgemental, honesty and good listening skills and candour especially when mistakes are made.

The Lead Role has to understand that admission of a family member is distressing and therefore they have to reassure the family as much as possible. One of the many responsibilities is to keep the Family up to date by making phone calls, inviting families to attend the unit.

Lead is also responsible for informing them what will be happening on the ward and that the family can see the medical teams.

The Carers Lead is also responsible for signposting Carers to other community teams or services for their own well-being and any other needs like finances or well-being support.

The Carers Lead works in liaison with many other services like the Police and Courts but being wary about information sharing in line with the Caldicott Guardian, Patient Information Sharing Data Protection (1998).

The Carers Lead complete weekly audit of Carers and Family Contact and sends it to the Manager.

Being a Lead Role is quite exciting and gives one a sense of ownership and one can gain lots of experience.

I could spend a year or more writing about Lead Roles because there are so many!