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Job Overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Sister/Charge Nurse to join Medical Same Day Emergency Care.
Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) remains at the forefront of the NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26, placing a focus on treating and discharging patients on the same day to reduce hospital admissions. North Bristol Medical SDEC, has received significant investment allowing the service to transform and grow over the last three years. The purpose designed unit now assesses 40-50 patients per day.
SDEC allows specialists, where appropriate, to assess, diagnose and treat patients on the same day of arrival who would otherwise have been admitted to hospital.
Under this care model, patients presenting at hospital with relevant conditions can be rapidly assessed, diagnosed and treated without being admitted to a ward, and if clinically safe to do so, will go home the same day their care is provided.
The unit accepts referrals form GP’S, the Emergency Department, and Southwest Ambulance service, as well as working closely with NHS at home. Following the expansion of the unit over the last three years we now provide speciality services within Acute Medicine, Respiratory Medicine, Infectious Disease, Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Stroke, and Neurology.
Our dynamic, innovate approach to growing the service, along with a excellent patient feedback led to SDEC winning the Trust’s “we transform services” award, something we are extremely proud off.
Main duties of the job
- The post holder will provide the daily clinical and managerial nursing/midwifery leadership for a defined clinical area. The role will be responsible for ensuring that standards of care are upheld at all times.
- The post holder will be responsible for ensuring they and their team uphold Trust values and those of their profession.
- The individual will be visible and accessible to patients and their families and staff ensuring all patients and their families have the opportunity to seek information, help and support or to communicate problematic or celebratory issues.
Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.
North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
Patient Care
- Take personal responsibility for the nursing care of patients within designated clinical area.
- Ensure that care needs are assessed and programmes of care are developed, implemented, evaluated and documented contemporaneously for caseload of patients in clinical area
- Plan, allocate, supervise and evaluate working practices of the team on a day to day basis. Provide professional advice and support to team members so that they are able to assume responsibility to carry out delegated duties.
- Take responsibility for the timely, effective and safe discharge of patients. Lead on planning proves and ensure individual plans are in place accordingly to individual patient or family needs.
- For your area, be responsible for implementation and delivery of nutritional and fluid standards including protected meal times.
- Review the effectiveness of treatments and make any necessary modifications, reporting to senior colleagues/medical staff as necessary.
- Ensure the safe storage and administration of intravenous and oral drugs/medication and fluids in accordance with Trust policies.
- Undertake the full range of extended/advanced clinical skills (relevant to clinical area) and supervise/assess others.
- Implement privacy and dignity standards within own sphere of responsibility.
- Respect individuals’ dignity, wishes and beliefs, involving them in shared decision-making with consideration for the vulnerable patient, learning disabilities and child protection issues.
- Be able to confidently complete the required documentation pertaining to:
Ø DoLs procedure
Ø Referral to Social Service
Ø Mental Capacity
Ø Mental Health Act
Ø Safeguarding referrals
- On identification of concerns, raise through the appropriate line management structures, if necessary, referring to the Trust’s Whistle-blowing procedure.
- Act as advocate for staff/patients in internal and external forums, constructively challenging clinical teams as appropriate.
- Facilitate and maintain clinical competence skills of self and others in day to day working practices
- On a shift by shift basis, be responsible for minimising the risks of infections and for the implementation of the relevant code of Practice for prevention and control of health care.
- Report to Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse any issues regarding capacity or skill
Supervisory And Management Responsibilities
- Take charge of defined clinical areas on a daily basisAssist Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse and support cascade of information and key messages to team in a timely manner.
- Adhere to the Trust’s complaints PALS procedures with regard to written and verbal complaints and escalating cases to Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse or higher when required. Where necessary, develop remedial action plans for designated clinical area and evidence the implementation of action plans.
- On a daily basis allocate workload and, where appropriate, delegate responsibilities amongst the team.
- Working with the Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse, be responsible for the effective use of e-rostering to ensure optimum skill mix for the acuity of patients.
- Support the Supervisory Sister in identifying staffing projections for the forthcoming 6 and 12 month periods.
- Accountable for the monitoring and initial management of sick absence for own immediate team and escalating cases as appropriate in accordance with Trust policy.
- For designated area tackle poor performance and standards of behaviour and, where necessary, initiate ad-hoc meetings for staff to discuss performance. Matters to be escalated to Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse when necessary.
- Ensure all staff in their area work to the Professional Code of Conduct and/or Trust standards.
- Act as directorate/service/clinical representative at meetings in the absence of Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse or Matron.
- Where necessary, instigate the relevant HR processes to deal with any breaches e.g. Equality and Diversity, Bullying and Harassment etc.
- Ensure all Annual Development Reviews (ADRs) and Personal Development Plans are completed annually for staff within reporting chain.
- Assist with the interview, selection and recruitment process for staff for their own designated areas and wider when requested by Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse or Matron.
- As a shift co-ordinator, have responsibility for health and safety within own sphere of responsibility (e.g. fire, COSHH, violence and aggression, mental capacity act etc.), leading by example ensuring a working culture of the team which is conducive to good health, safety and security practices.
- Report all accidents and/or untoward incidences as per NBT’s clinical risk management procedure.
- Contribute to security of working environment and orders.
- Ensure the safe handling and storage of patients’ valuables and property.
- Act as an ambassador for the area of responsibility and contribute to wider directorate and Trust objectives and continuous improvement opportunities.
- Be responsible for the supervision and checking of specialist equipment on a shift to shift basis.
Education, Training and Development
- Manage the training and further development for staff working in designated area for their assessment and continual professional development.
- Assist staff to develop action plans for their own personal learning and development.
- Guide and coach junior staff assigned to area to develop and strengthen leadership skills to meet 24 hour accountability of sister role.
- Contribute to the facilitation of a suitable educational environment in which to support the development of learning of team members and students on placement.
- Participate in the teaching and supervision of the clinical team including trainee nurses/midwives and others under training who are allocated to the ward.
- Have personal responsibility for own attendance at mandatory and statutory training.
- Maintain own portfolio and record of continuing improvement.
Service Improvement/Research and Development
- Take the lead for delivery and embedding the productive ward programme for own designated clinical area.
- As part of the productive ward programme, ensure activity measures for designated area and other appropriate data is used to inform future project activity.
- Assist the Supervisory Sister/Charge Nurse with the implementation of any local service programmes and to ensure they are consistent with Trust values and any other quality indicators/targets.
- Assist with the promotion of local, Trust and national targets and quality indicators for designated area. Promote and lead on the spread of good practice amongst team members.
- As delegated, be responsible for the effective collection and interpretation of saving lives audit data and, when necessary, take corrective actions for area to ensure Trust standards are met.
Person specification
Essential
Essential criteria
- Extensive post registration experience within an acute setting
- Leadership experience
- Teaching and supervision experience
- Experience of leading change and or quality improvement
Desirable criteria
- Same day Emergency Care experience
- Relevant post registration courses
If you apply for this vacancy and have not received a communication from North Bristol NHS Trust within three weeks of the closing date, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.
Please note that North Bristol NHS Trust does not reimburse travel expenses relating to interview attendance.
If you feel you meet the requirements of the Disability Act / Two Ticks scheme and require further support/advice, please contact us on tel 0117 414 1151.
North Bristol NHS Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
The successful applicant(s) will normally commence at the minimum of the scale unless they have previous NHS service at the same band. Progression through the scale is by annual increments.
At North Bristol Trust (NBT), we know diverse and inclusive environments lead to happier and healthier teams and improved patient care and outcomes. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are currently underrepresented in NBT’s workforce at Band 8a and above. These include people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds, disabled people and LGBTQIA+ people.
Please note that stringent pre-employment checks are undertaken on all successful applicants prior to commencement in post.
