Job responsibilities
1. Clinical Responsibilities/Key Responsibilities
- Respond to emergency situations with composure, maintaining patient safety and seeking immediate support, supporting the patient, family and other staff as required.
- Recognise the need to escalate the deterioration of a patients condition to the appropriate staff member.
- Communicate effectively within the multi-disciplinary team, wards and departments as required.
- Work independently to deliver a high standard of evidence based care in accordance within established nursing procedures and policies.
- Discharge planning in conjunction with a multi-disciplinary team.
- To communicate effectively with patients and carers potentially complex, sensitive, or distressing information; in order to provide patient centred care, to encourage self-management, maximise rehabilitation potential and to ensure understanding of the condition. Patients may have communication, perceptual or cognitive/understanding difficulties.
- To maintain clear, accurate and concise patient records in line with departmental and professional standards and include relevant outcome measures. This will include writing patient reports for e.g. medical practitioners and solicitors requests.
- Always maintain patient dignity and confidentiality.
- Ensure clinical practice is evidence based or peer reviewed best practice.
- An excellent understanding of the national stop the pressure campaign.
- Develop and maintain clinical skills and knowledge necessary to deliver and evidence- based. service.
- Ability to enable staff to take on increased responsibility recognising their limitations and enabling them to develop.
- Be or able to be competent in the use of all relevant Trust IT systems including the use of electronic patient record, email, and Track-Care.
- Maintain regular use of emails to keep abreast of information disseminated in the Trust.
- Always adhere to the NMC code of practice and operate within the NMC standards of proficiency for Registered Nurses
- Demonstrate accountability, responsibility and Duty of Care and work towards the provision of support and education for less experienced and non-registered staff on the implications for practice.
2. Professional Development, Education and Training
Be actively involved in and support departmental education programmes.Possess the skills to supervise, mentor, support and educate less experienced and non-registered staff in the clinical practice setting.Undertake all mandatory training.
Demonstrate a commitment to research-based practice and clinical excellence and play an active part in the introduction of research-based change to improve patient centred care
Comply with requirements to register with the NMC and identify own learning needs and ensuring own professional development is maintained by keeping up to date with practice developments.
Undertake audit and research projects.
Contribute to the Clinical Governance and Quality agenda by active participation in service initiatives, health and safety and risk management.
Continue to develop and share own clinical knowledge with other members of the wider clinical team both locally and nationally.
Engage in clinical supervision in order to promote its value in clinical practice.
Identify own development needs, aligning these to Trust and departmental service objectives.
Understand and contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies/ protocols/ guidelines relevant to the specialist area.
Openly question and challenge practice in a constructive way so that standards of patient care are continually evaluated and improved.
3. Management and Leadership
- Comply with Trust and Departmental policies and procedures e.g. Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Manual Handling, clinical equipment competency, risk management, Data Protection Acts and patient confidentiality at all times. This will include demonstrating compliance with the terms of all safeguarding policies and processes relevant to the safeguarding of adults and children in the care of GHNHSFT and to undergo regular mandatory training concerned with safeguarding matters.
- Report episodes of sickness for self or those that are reported to you to the Senior Nurse in charge.
- Report near misses and untoward incidents, complaints, clinical emergencies, injury, or medicine administration errors as detailed in the departmental and Trust protocols. Assist lead staff in investigating incidents as required.
- Maintain and contribute to the development of standards of practice, conduct or decision making in conjunction with lead staff.
- Ensure a smart, professional image that enhances the public perception of the Trust, and the professionalism of its staff is portrayed.
4. Planning and Organisation
- Assess, plan, deliver and evaluate the nursing care of patients in accordance with UK law, the NMC code of conduct and the Trust values.
- Deliver high quality essential care to all persons in their care.
- Deliver complex care to service users in their field of practice.
- Act to protect the public, and be responsible and accountable for safe, person-centered, evidence-based nursing practice.
- Practice in a compassionate, respectful way, maintaining dignity and wellbeing and communicating effectively.
- Act on their understanding of how peoples lifestyles, environments and where care is delivered influence their health and wellbeing.
5. Research and Development
- Seek out and participate in research and development that benefits patient outcomes across the trust and the wider community.
6. Communications and Working Relationships
- Work effectively as a member of the multidisciplinary team.
- Manage a patient/caseload of patients within defined clinical area.
- Use leadership skills to supervise and manage others and contribute to planning, designing, delivering, and improving future services.
- To organise own time and that of non-registered staff, students, and other learners as appropriate
- To support the senior members of staff in the management and supervision of the defined clinical area.
- Actively contribute to a good learning environment by taking on the role of mentor/assessor for learners.
In addition to this the post holder will be required to:
- Support the Lead Tissue Viability Nurse for the ongoing development and sustainability of a high quality and innovative tissue viability service.
- Support the Lead Tissue Viability Nurse in operational management of the team and supporting the development of individual roles and acting as a point of contact for advice and expertise on all matters relating to professional nursing issues with regards to tissue viability and pressure ulcer prevention.
- Support the Lead Tissue Viability Nurse to drive nursing research opportunities and oversee the delivery of robust pressure ulcer prevention education for all Trust staff both clinical and non-clinical.
- Support the Lead Nurse for Tissue Viability in the updating and reviewing of policies relevant to tissue viability.
- They will act as a source of expertise and advice in all aspects of tissue viability care.
7. General Working Conditions
- Will be required to utilise recognised manual handling techniques and guidelines.
- May be expected to frequently manoeuvre patients/objects over 15 kg using appropriate aids.
- Will have frequent exposure to unpleasant working conditions and will be required to follow policies and procedures pertaining to bodily fluids, infection control, infestations and COSHH regulations.
- Frequent exposure to distressing and emotionally demanding situations involving patients and relatives.
- Some exposure to patients displaying verbal and physical abuse.
- The work pattern may be unpredictable and there is a frequent requirement for long periods of concentration, for example, when caring for a critically ill patient receiving supportive therapies for organ dysfunction, being continuously monitored and with multiple infusions, drug calculations and titration.
- There is the on-going requirement to maintain excellent standards of care whilst working under pressure in an ever-changing and challenging environment.
