Family Integrated Care Senior Sister/Charge Nurse - NICU

An exciting new role of NICU Family Integrated Care lead has arisen for an enthusiastic, forward-thinking nurse/midwife with previous Band 6 experience in a clinical NICU setting. The postholder will fulfil a key role within the unit and will ensure that Family Integrated Care ethos is embedded within the service. They will optimize the clinical environment using a Family Integrated Care (Ficare) framework, providing resources for staff, parents, and their families. They will collaborate with AHP teams, nurse education teams, clinical psychology leads, chaplaincy teams, and infant feeding liaison on Ficare education and training. The post holder will show leadership in managing consistency of practice, high standards of care, innovative practice with a focus on family care, patient safety, and as a subject-matter expert for staff and parents throughout the family journey. You will be part of an MDT working within a level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit within the Southwest Neonatal Network serving the northern part of the network. The unit has 34 cots comprising of 8 intensive care, 8 high dependency, and 18 special care cots. To ensure that nursing practice is contemporary, the role will include a clinical shift once a week, supporting the NICU roster. A minimum of 34.5 hours over 4 days per week will be considered.

Main duties of the job:

• Collaborate and work in partnership to promote, support, and assess a Ficare culture across all aspects of neonatal care.
• Ensure the service has a written philosophy of Ficare and all staff are fully aware of the standards required.
• Initiate and educate around the principles of family integrated care to all caregivers.
• Work alongside infant feeding leads, lactation consultants to support the unit in maintaining UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation.
• Support in the achievement of Ficare international and national accreditations.
• Collaborate with nurse education teams to promote and deliver Ficare teaching strategies.
• Educate the family and staff members to understand the baby’s psychological and behavioural cues during routine medical and nursing ward rounds.
• Participate in relevant network meetings and MDT groups to represent your local unit and ensure effective communication feedback mechanisms within the neonatal unit.

Person specification:

Education/Training/Qualifications:

• Registered Nurse/midwife (RN/RGN/RNC/RM)
• Teaching and assessing in clinical practice qualifications, e.g., ENB 998/7/FLAP
• Educated to Degree Level or equivalent
• Approved Neonatal/Paediatric Life support Course
• Child Protection Training Level 3

Work Experience:

• Significant clinical experience within a Neonatal clinical setting
• Evidence of acute skills within NICU clinical setting
• Experience of managing resources and staff within a multidisciplinary team
• Experience and evidence of leading change and development within a multidisciplinary team
• Political awareness of current health issues and policies that impact on healthcare provision
• Commitment to staff/team development and enabling individuals to reach their full potential
• Demonstrate awareness of legislation regarding children and families in relation to safeguarding

Personal Qualities/Special Circumstances:

• Good problem-solving skills
• Ability to manage under pressure and manage competing priorities

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. 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.