About this role
Job summary
The Neonatal Ward Manager / Senior Sister is expected to provide high-quality, safe and effective care to
Neonates and their families. They will be responsible for managing a team of nurses, overseeing the day-to
Day operations of the neonatal unit and ensure that staff adhere to clinical standards. They will also be
required to participate in the senior sister on call rota for paediatrics and neonates.
The Neonatal Senior Sister will play a crucial role in developing nursing staff, providing education, and
promoting best practice within the unit. Additionally, they are expected to maintain clinical credibility and
visibility, ensuring that clinical skills are maintained. The successful candidate is also expected to be
contactable 24/7.
Main duties of the job
To be professionally accountable and maintain the standards of professional practice as set by the appropriate regulatory body applicable to your profession or role. In a supervisory role utilise supervision of clinical practice, clinical audit, research, and teaching, to set, monitor and improve standards of care in addition to efficient and effective use of resources.
To be accountable for:
Ensuring safe and effective clinical practice Enhancing the patient's experience Managing and developing the performance of the team Ensuring effective contribution to the delivery of the organisation's objectives as well as deputising for Matron.
About us
As the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, we offer a unique opportunity to be part of a Trust making a genuine difference to local health outcomes. The Trust is a busy district general hospital offering compete range of acute services, alongside extensive community services.
A new Urgent Emergency Care Centre was opened in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.
Our strategy is aligned to delivering exceptional care together while supporting a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We offer clear career development pathways, access to training and education, and opportunities to contribute to service innovation and improvement.
Job description Job responsibilities
To ensure safe and effective clinical practice.
As the visible designated clinical nurse leader set standards of care and professionalism and promote teamwork within a multi-professional environment, demonstrating critical analysis and decision-making skills, leading the delivery of a clinically excellent service, influencing and facilitating change within the ward/department and where appropriate the organisation.
Act as a change agent, developing clinically effective practice through the effective utilisation and integration of evidence based practice, setting, implementing and monitoring evidence based standards of care, policies, procedures and protocols.
Ensure a culture of continuous quality improvement through the use of research, audit, patient feedback and reflection on practice by self and other members of the team.
Promote a clean and safe environment for staff, patients and visitors by ensuring compliance with legislation, policies and protocols including health and safety, healthcare associated infection prevention, clinical governance, including risk management and critical incident reporting and root cause analysis.
Ensure a high standard of record keeping in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council, national legislation and local standards.
Facilitate effective communication with the multi-professional team.
Assess the risks involved in the care of patients and ensure utilisation of practices and protocols to minimise those risks, including safe use of medical devices. To monitor the standards of care and take appropriate actions when standards fall below expected levels.
Report incidents and near misses promptly and appropriately and take effective action to minimise future risk.
To enhance the patients experience
Within sphere of care ensure effective and efficient patient journeys by planning, co-ordinating and monitoring the episodes of care including the smooth transition to other settings, promoting effective discharge and communication with interdisciplinary and interagency teams as required.
Co-ordinate nursing/midwifery interventions, influence clinical decisions and monitor the quality of patient care provided through using expert clinical knowledge relevant to own field of practice, underpinned by theory and experience.
Within a multidisciplinary team environment, develop a culture of person-centred care.
Be highly visible within the ward/department, communicating regularly with patients, relatives and/or carers; promoting a caring environment where equality and diversity issues are respected and patients are enabled to be partners in their care. Identify opportunities to develop care and services by ensuring that there are effective systems in place to ascertain patient and carer experience/feedback and ensure complaints are managed in line with organisational policy, including the dissemination of learning points.
Ensure that everyone within sphere of care is treated with dignity and humanity, understanding individual needs, showing compassion and sensitivity, and provide care in a way that respects all people equally.
Critically appraise and synthesise the outcomes of relevant research, evaluations and audits and apply the information when seeking to improve practice
To manage and develop the performance of the team
Act as a positive role model, creating a supportive ethos to empower staff to contribute to the delivery of excellent person centred care.
Lead by example, develop self and other staff, and influence the way care is given in a manner that is open and responds to individual needs.
Ensure nurses and nursing staff take responsibility for the care they provide and answer for their own judgments and actions and carry out those actions in a way that is agreed with their patients, and the families and carers of their patients, and in a way that meets the requirements of organisational policies and procedures, their professional bodies and the law.
Lead the appraisal process ensuring that personal development plans are consistent with the teams, wards and organisations objectives, succession planning, and workforce development and in support of professional revalidation.
Take all reasonable care of health and safety at work for self, team and others and to co-operate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements
Support the learning and development of all staff.
Create a learning environment that ensures effective learning opportunities for staff and students including appropriate orientation and induction programmes, a range of clinical support strategies (mentoring, coaching, clinical supervision, action learning and peer review). Plan, monitor and evaluate ongoing mandatory training and relevant education and development opportunities for the team.
Manage the practice setting, hold a delegated budget and demonstrate effective use of resources and workforce planning by monitoring workload and, through efficient rostering, maintain appropriate staffing levels and skill mix taking account of role and competence of staff when delegating work.
Manage the nursing/midwifery team, ensuring compliance by self and others with professional standards, legislation, national and organisational policies.
Lead the recruitment and selection process, attendance management, and performance management ensuring grievance and disciplinary matters within own practice setting are identified, actioned and reported to the appropriate person.
Lead the team utilising the appropriate Trust policies, procedures or guidelines
To ensure effective contribution to the delivery of the organisations objectives
Person Specification
Qualificatons Essential
NMC Registered Nurse/ NMC Registered midwife Working towards a Masters Degree or relevant experience Qualified QIS
Desirable
Management/Leadership qualification ENB 998/ SLAiP or equivalent
Experience/Skills Essential
Knowledge of current national and local policy Change management Effective leadership
Desirable
Management experience Data collection analysis/Audit Budgetary management
Communication Essential
Ability to communicate with a multi disciplinary team Able to conduct difficult conversations Empathetic communication with families
Desirable
presentation skills
Disclosure and Barring Service Check 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.
Certificate of Sponsorship 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 (Opens in a new tab).
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 (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
Address Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust/ Manor Hospital
Moat Road
Walsall
WS2 9PS
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://walsallhealthcare.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)