Ward sister/Charge Nurse

As the largest single site specialist heart and chest hospital in the UK, we, at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, have a clear vision 'to be the best cardiothoracic integrated healthcare organisation'.

We provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, respiratory medicine including adult cystic fibrosis and diagnostic imaging, both in the hospital and out in the community.

We serve a catchment area of 2.8 million people, spanning Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man, and increasingly we receive referrals from outside these areas for highly specialised services such as aortics.

Heart and lung disease continue to be amongst the biggest killers in the UK and the communities we serve are marked by increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease, higher levels of heart failure, hypertension, coronary artery disease and an ageing population.

Our reputation for strong performance is important in delivering the best care for our patients and high quality clinical services. This is underpinned by a culture of research and innovation, delivered in modern estate and facilitated by technology. New and upgraded clinical areas are designed with patients and families fully involved to deliver their needs.

As part of our long term plan, we aim to form strong clinical and organisational relationships where possible. There is clear evidence that partnerships improve patient care and enhance quality and we aim to collaborate with a range of other providers and professionals with the aim to extending access and improve quality.

Our vision is underpinned by five strategic goals:

• Quality: to deliver the highest quality, safest and best experience for patients and their families by providing reliable care
• Service and Innovation: to develop our service portfolio for patients by developing innovative models of care
• Value: to maintain financial viability, enhance service delivery and develop new models of care to improve the health of our patients and safely reduce costs
• Workforce: to be the best NHS Employer by 2019 by attracting and retaining the best staff to deliver excellent patient care
• Stakeholders: to develop productive relationships with key stakeholders in order to enhance our profile and reputation.

Our Mission

“Excellent, Compassionate and Safe care for every patient, every day”

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen, within our thoracic surgical unit, for a permanent band 6 sister/charge nurse.

We are looking for a highly motivated and innovative sister/charge nurse to become part of the leadership team on Oak ward at the outstanding Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

Advert

The post holder will be responsible for the provision, delivery and evaluation of highly
skilled individualised care to all patients, whilst also supporting and guiding junior staff.
He/she will actively support senior colleagues, and take charge of the ward in the absence
of the Ward Manager. The post holder will develop, assess, plan, implement and evaluate
programmes of evidence based nursing care. They will practice within a clinical governance
framework to create an environment where excellence in clinical care will flourish. The post
holder will actively participate in and coordinate the supervision, learning and development
of other staff members, act as a clinical mentor and be a role model to all staff. They will
have the ability to work collaboratively and cooperatively with others to meet the needs of
patients and their families. They will act as an ambassador to promote patient and family
centred care and promote the core values of Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital.

Working for our organisation

As the largest single site specialist heart and chest hospital in the UK, we, at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, have a clear vision 'to be the best cardiothoracic integrated healthcare organisation'.

We provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, respiratory medicine both in the hospital and out in the community.

We serve a catchment area of 2.8 million people, spanning Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man, and increasingly we receive referrals from outside these areas for highly specialised services such as aortics.

Our reputation for strong performance is important in delivering the best care for our patients and high quality clinical services. This is underpinned by a culture of research and innovation, delivered in modern estate and our encouragement of flexible working in a variety of forms.

Please visit our website - https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/

Please follow this link for a tour of our site - https://bit.ly/36ylsoq

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES
Act as ward coordinator on a shift by shift basis
Provide support to the Ward Manager in the management and development of staff
and their clinical skills
Provide leadership to team members and act as a role model
To supervise and instruct junior colleagues and be a resource for them in the ward
area
Alongside other staff provide efficient communication which will ensure
dissemination of information to all staff
Act as an effective role model and resource/advisor to colleagues in the delivery of
nursing care
Demonstrate robust and effective management and organisational skills
CLINICAL
Perform comprehensive assessment of patient nursing needs
Plan, implement and evaluate care delivery according to changing health needs and
varying levels of complexity
Collect, collate, evaluate and report information, maintaining accurate patient
records
Involve patients and carers/relatives in the planning and delivery of care
Work collaboratively with other professionals and agencies to ensure patient needs
are met, especially ongoing care needs and discharge arrangements
Establish and maintain effective communication with patients and carers/relatives
Hold relevant skills for this level
Recognise and respond appropriately to urgent and emergency situations, and
support staff members
Collect, collate and report information, maintaining accurate records in line with
NMC and Trust Policies and Caldicott principles
Demonstrate competency in using specialist equipment and display a sound
knowledge of the care
Promote and maintain a safe and therapeutic environment for patients and families
in line with the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy and Policies
Instruct nursing staff in the correct use of equipment, cleaning after use, removing
from use, and labelling of any faulty or broken items before returning to Medical
Equipment Library/Medical Engineering, ensuring the Nurse in Charge is informed
Coordinate cardiac arrest events on the ward
MANAGERIAL/LEADERSHIP
Deputise for the Ward Manager in the management and organisation of the ward
Accept delegated line management responsibilities for other team members
including performance, development and appraisals
Support the Ward Manager to maximise the best use of clinical resources,
implementing best practice in patient flow, admission and discharge
Participate in the recruitment and retention of staff
Support the Ward Manager with the monitoring of performance of staff ensuring
that learning needs are identified through personal development and PACT
Promote the development of services within the ward area and assist the Ward
Manager to implement changes/improvements
Ensure the effective and efficient use of physical and financial resources, fulfil the
responsibility of the authorised signatory
Supervise and instruct junior colleagues and be a resource for them in the clinical
area
Act as an effective role model and resource/advisor to colleagues in the delivery of
nursing care
Ensure staffing levels and skill mix are adequate to meet the acuity of patient needs
and match the agreed staffing levels
Lead role as link nurse
Ability to create rosters and understand the nursing establishment required
Have an awareness of budget setting and control
Participate in organisational cost improvement programmes
Encourage and disseminate to staff Trust quality objectives and HNS objectives
Manage staff attendance
Ensure staff appraisals and mandatory training meet the Trust objectives
ORGANISATIONAL
Provide leadership
Have a good awareness of Trust strategic objectives
Undertake investigations in relation to incidents, accidents and complaints
Assist the Ward Manager in ward audits and the development and implementation
of any ward action plans
Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and clinical guidelines for self and
others, participate in the development of local policies and procedures
Continually monitor standards of care and lead improvements when required
Assist in patient and public involvement activities in the ward area which lead to
service improvement
Promote people’s equality, diversity and rights, and take action when your own or
other’s actions undermine these rights
PROFESSIONAL
Keep up to date with clinical developments relevant to the specialty and current
issues within nursing and healthcare
Promote and maintain safe and therapeutic environment for patients in line with
the Trust’s Risk Management Strategy and Policies
Maintain a personal development plan and assist in the formulation and updating of
personal development plans with junior colleagues (OurPACT)
Maintain active status on NMC register and ensure revalidation happens in a timely
manner
Adhere to Trust Policies and Procedures and ensure self and others participate in the
development of same
Undertake Clinical Supervision if required and support its use with other staff
Maintain up to date skills and knowledge
Maintain good awareness of current professional and healthcare issues
Maintain a professional portfolio
Continually monitor standards of care and lead improvement work, through audit
and research
Promote equality and diversity and rights, taking action when individual or other
people’s actions undermine these rights.
QUALITY
Contribute to the development and maintenance of Clinical Quality and ensure that
nursing care and clinical practice are research and evidence based and actively
reflects the Trust’s standards
Assist the Division in achieving the Trust Quality Indicators including minimising
patient harms. This includes the prevalence of unavoidable pressure ulcers, medicine
errors and incidences of infections.
Maintain an active involvement in patient and family centred strategies
Investigate all incidents, accidents and complaints, reporting them appropriately
using relevant systems
Monitor and report when standards of cleanliness and availability of supplies falls
below an acceptable level
Deploy staff with appropriate skills to ensure safe patient care
Deploy staff to other areas when required to support patient safety
Evaluate care delivered.
4. EDUCATION AND TRAINING
To provide clinical care taking the opportunity to lead and teach by example in the clinical
setting.
To act as a clinical expert leading best practice and professionalism.
To identify and manage a comprehensive teaching programme which is flexible and adaptable to
the needs of all grades of staff and student nurses.
In collaboration with the management team identify the individual learning needs of all staff
through personal development plans / appraisal systems.
Participate in and facilitate innovations in collaboration with the MDT and product
representatives.
Regularly undertake formal teaching sessions on post-registration pathways related to the clinical
speciality internally and externally.
Liaise with other disciplines to facilitate and promote local study days.
To establish and maintain an active learning environment in all aspects of critical care. To coordinate, maintain and participate in formal critical care education programme in conjunction with
the Critical Care Directorate education team, ensuring all staff members fully participate in
delivery of educational lectures.
Encourage reflective practice including ongoing development.
To maintain and improve own knowledge base by attending appropriate courses and undertaking
research-based projects.
CONFIDENTIALITY
All employees must adhere to policies and procedures relating to Information Governance,
Confidentiality and Information Security

RISK MANAGEMENT
The Trust is committed to approaching the control of risks in a strategic and organised manner.
The post holder must be aware of their individual responsibilities as detailed in the Trusts Risk
Management, Health & Safety and Incident policies, and those under the Health and Safety at Work
Act. This includes the reporting of any untoward incident, accident, potential or actual hazard
identified.
SAFEGUARDING
All staff are required to be familiar with the arrangements for safeguarding children, young people
and vulnerable adults and support the organisation in promoting the welfare of children, young
people and vulnerable adults.
Staff working directly with children, young people and vulnerable adults will have a responsibility to
ensure safeguarding and promoting their welfare forms an integral part of their duties.
Staff who come into contact with children, vulnerable adults, parents and carers in the course of
their work and/or have access to records will have responsibilities to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.
Staff who come into contact in the course of their duties, with parents, carers or other significant
adults or children, young people and vulnerable adults should always be mindful of safeguarding and
promotion of the welfare of these individuals.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
The Trust is a Health Promoting Hospital. The Trust expects that when you are presented with
opportunities to improve the lifestyle of our patients you seek help from appropriately trained
clinical staff to ensure patients are supported and assisted in making the necessary lifestyle changes.
This is in accordance with best practice as described in the DoH white paper “Choosing Health –
Making Healthy Choices Easier”.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early. Therefore, interested applicants are advised to apply as early as possible.

Please review the job description and person specification carefully before applying to ensure that you meet the essential requirements for the post.

All applicants will be contacted and informed by email whether they were successfully shortlisted for interview.

As part of you pre-employment checks we will be required to obtain satisfactory references. We require at least one written reference from your current or most recent employer. We are only able to accept references from a professional work email address.

Employers are expected to implement the Care Certificate for all applicable new starters from April 2015. The Care Certificate aims to equip health and social care support workers with the knowledge and skills which they need to provide safe, compassionate care. We expect all new starters in clinical, patient facing posts (bands 1-4) to complete all 15 standards of the Care Certificate, within their first 6 months with the Trust.

Flexible Working applications will be considered in line the Trusts flexible working policies.

The Trust is a no-smoking site.

We reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications and so urge you to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note UKVI guidelines prohibits sponsorship for all Band 2 and 3 posts. Guidelines state that many other posts are also not eligible for sponsorship. Please use UKVI guidance on Skilled Worker Visas to determine whether you would be eligible for sponsorship if you were to gain a conditional offer for this role.

https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/your-job 

If you are a Skilled Worker/ Health and Care visa applicant and you are coming to work in an occupation defined by the relevant Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, you will be required to provide a criminal record certificate from any country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, this is also applicable for your adult dependants.