Ward Sister/Charge Nurse in Lowestoft

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic Nurse Sister to join our established inpatient team. You will support both nursing and therapy teams to facilitate rehabilitation in an inpatient environment. Our aim is to promote recovery and well-being, whilst empowering patients to self-manage and maximise their independence using meaningful activity. We take a very holistic approach to rehabilitation working on the ethos that all patient interactions have the potential to be a rehabilitation opportunity.

Full time, permanent position, 37.5 hours per week, Band 6.

You will be part of a team of ward Sisters/Charge Nurses who are trained in a range of skills. Your role will be very physical, providing hands-on, patient-facing care. You will work alongside both nursing and therapy teams, delivering care so that they can support and respond to the patient's needs. This includes all aspects of personal care, with an ethos of rehabilitation to support patients to gain as much independence as possible. You will be required to be the Nurse in charge on shifts and there is an expectation to line manage staff within the team. You will have managerial tasks to complete on allocated management shifts and act on behalf of band 7 ward manager when they are not present. Excellent clinical knowledge and leadership skills are required for this role.

ECCH is a well-established health care provider and has been successfully delivering NHS care within the community since 2011. We provide a range of NHS, community health and social care services predominantly across the easterly region of the Norfolk/Suffolk borders. We are aligned to NHS terms and conditions, and offer many employee benefits. We are a social enterprise and staff-owned organisation which means staff can opt to be shareholders and have a real say in how ECCH is run and evolves to deliver healthcare for the future. At the heart of our ambition, we work in partnership with and for the community to become the provider and employer of choice for community healthcare.

The Unit presently comprises of 33 intermediate care beds delivering rehabilitation, which are located over three individual units that have 11 single rooms in each. For our intermediate care patients, our aims are to reduce acute hospital admission and facilitate early discharge by utilising the skills of the multidisciplinary team of nurses and therapists.

• Professional: Contribute to, support and promote ECCH's strategic direction, values and culture in relation to promoting a culture of continuous improvement of clinical standards with particular emphasis on patient experience.
• Discuss all treatment options/care with sensitivity, knowledge and expertise, and to act as a patient advocate when appropriate, respecting patient confidentiality with privacy and respect for diverse cultural backgrounds and requirements.
• Provide leadership and ensure effective management of the team through identified lines of responsibility within the ward.
• Act as a resource for other health and social care professionals on matters relating to patient care.
• Contribute to the management, coordination, development and audit in partnership with members of the team, to ensure the provision of high quality service to patients and their families, for the provision of their physical, social and psychological well-being.
• Participate in clinical supervision within ECCH as required.
• Participate and maintain a learning environment and maximise opportunities for education and development in the clinical area to enhance individual development and performance in the delivery of high standards of care.
• Contribute to the clinical governance agenda through participation in clinical risk assessment, management and clinical audit.
• Contribute to critically evaluate research findings, national guidelines and implement changes in clinical practice as appropriate.
• Create an environment conducive to effective working, respecting and supporting staff to deliver high quality clinical services.
• Actively manage, change and foster innovation within the ward.
• To deputise for the Clinical Lead as required.

• Clinical: Work as part of the multidisciplinary team to deliver safe and effective care. Actively managing the admission and discharge process for patients and their families.
• Work in collaboration with colleagues to develop care pathways for patients requiring a range of healthcare needs including re-ablement/end of life care.
• Contribute to the review of current policies/protocols/guidelines and the development of clinical pathways and outcomes for people requiring proactive and reactive services.
• Work collaboratively with the Ward Team and the training department to assess the clinical training needs of staff.
• To formulate an individualised management and/or treatment plan, using clinical reasoning skills and utilising a wide range of treatment skills in order to formulate a specialised programme of care.
• To communicate effectively and work collaboratively with medical, nursing and therapy colleagues to ensure delivery of a coordinated multidisciplinary service.
• To develop and support evidence to meet the Care Quality Commission (CQC) fundamental standards.
• Plan and organise a range of complex clinical activities in a wide range of community settings to ensure best practice is delivered across your designated area of responsibility.
• To undertake a holistic assessment of patients, including those with a complex presentation, using investigative and analytical skills.
• To provide spontaneous and planned advice, teaching and instruction to relatives, carers and other professionals, to promote understanding of the aims of the service and to ensure a consistent approach to patient care.
• To assess mental capacity, gain valid informed consent and have the ability to work within a legal framework with patients who lack this capacity to consent to treatment.
• Take responsibility for own personal and professional development; maintain competence, knowledge and skills commensurate with role.
• Be wholly accountable for practice taking every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve knowledge and professional competence and ensure all aspects of professional behaviour as required within professional code are followed at all times.
• To complete clinical documentation and electronic data entry to a high professional standard and in accordance with policies.
• To communicate assessment and treatment results to the appropriate disciplines in the form of reports or letters.
• To review and analyse the dashboard data to ensure compliance.
• Take responsibility to ensure compliance with Health and Safety Policy, Fire and Environmental Waste Regulations.
• Be responsible for understanding, following and implementing ECCH policies and procedures.
• Manage individual performance, reporting areas of concern and non-compliance to the Clinical Lead.
• Ensure staff compliance with ECCH risk management systems, proactively identifying risk, reporting and managing risk within area of responsibility.
• Review medication for therapeutic effectiveness, appropriate to patient needs and in accordance with evidence-based practice, local formularies and national and practice protocols.
• Take responsibility for the cost-effective management and safe use of expensive clinical equipment and to ensure the safe use of equipment by others through teaching, training and supervision of practice.
• Contribute to the effective use of resources.
• Contribute to the evaluation of training programmes to support patients and carers gain the necessary knowledge and skills to maintain independence.

The post-holder will be expected to participate in a rota system of shift working to include days, nights, weekends and bank holidays. To travel between ECCH sites for meetings and training.

All roles within East Coast Community Healthcare CIC (ECCH) require staff to demonstrate our Values and Signature Behaviours in the care and service they provide to patients, service users, stakeholders and colleagues. All members of staff should consider these as an essential part of their job role. Our Values outline the core behaviours that we can all achieve and are summarised as an acronym within the word 'CARE'. These stand for: Compassion, Action, Respect and Everyone.

Underpinning our Values are our Signature Behaviours which highlight by taking the right actions we continue to build a strong culture. Our four Signature Behaviours are: Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead | Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together.

• Qualifications: Certificate, Diploma or Degree in Nursing to enable NMC registration. Mentorship / Teaching and Assessing Course or equivalent. Evidence of continued professional development. Health related degree. Leadership/Management experience and qualification.
• Experience: Leading staff and using evidence to improve patient care. Providing clinical supervision, mentoring, training and development to other staff. Experience within a community Hospital setting. Learning from mistakes/errors. Prioritisation and delegation skills. Ability to adopt the management/leadership style required for any given situation. Experience of a case management approach to care.

• Additional Criteria:

• Skills and Knowledge: Passionate about individualised goal directed care, and able to enthuse other staff. Willing to challenge poor practice. Understanding of all aspect of clinical governance. Effective role model. Professional knowledge of nursing care, current trends. Act on unplanned situations utilising appropriate clinical judgement. Must have an understanding of the legal and ethical issues pertaining to nursing. Good knowledge of the CQC fundamental standards. Ability to complete systmone training in order to comply with record keeping requirements of the role.

• Personal Attributes: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Excellent organisational skills. Confident in own ability and able to identify development needs. Use of a computer to access emails, use of internet, produce Word documents, basic use of Excel. Willing to work flexible hours/location to accommodate the needs of the service this includes internal rotation (days, nights, weekends and Bank Holidays). Ability to travel between ECCH locations and in accordance with the performance of the role. Ability to embrace our Culture, Values and Signature Behaviours: (Compassion - We Listen, We Learn, We Lead | Action - My Accountability, My Responsibility | Respect - Respect Our Resources: People, Time and Money | Everyone - Work Together, Achieve Together). Able to cannulate and the administration of intravenous therapy/blood transfusion.

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.