Ward Manager - Ward 9B in Chorley

We want talented and enthusiastic people from all backgrounds to join #TeamMWL, with us you can learn, grow and develop yourself and your career, realising your true ambitions and aspirations. Whatever you’re looking for in your career, you’ll find it here at MWL.

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a Band 7 Ward Manager for our Acute Medical Admissions Unit - AMU Ward 9b. The Ward Manager role is a pivotal nursing position in the delivery of excellent standards of care through effective leadership and management. We are looking for an experienced Registered Nurse with a high level of clinical competency in the acute setting, high quality leadership skills and proven management experience to take on the challenge. The applicant should be a dynamic and highly motivated individual, who will work closely and collaboratively with the established multi-disciplinary team to deliver high quality, compassionate care to our patients. This role is based at Southport Hospital and gives the opportunity for a dynamic and highly motivated nurse to manage our 28-bedded Unit accepting Acute Medical Admissions and Short Stay patients. Applicants must possess the necessary knowledge and skills outlined in the job description and the personal specification in order to apply.

Main duties of the job

• The successful candidate will be highly visible to staff, patients and relatives in their role, and deliver direct patient care whilst managing, leading, and co‑ordinating the Unit.
• You will provide decisive and effective clinical input and demonstrate leadership qualities, effective communication skills, a flexible approach and have the ability to work under pressure.
• You must be confident, hardworking and reliable, and have excellent communication skills.
• You will be a proactive role model, providing inspirational clinical and developmental supervision to all staff on the ward.
• As a ward manager, you will be expected to work some clinical shifts.
• The role will also require you to be able to identify service development needs, contribute to the operational planning, development and evaluation of the service.
• The role of ward manager carries 24‑hour continuing responsibility for the Unit, and the postholder will primarily work Monday to Friday office hours but will participate in out of hours working to support service delivery.

Working for our organisation

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites. We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our Services:

• Acute Care Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
• Primary Care Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
• Community Services Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire.
• Specialist Regional Services We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide leadership, management and team development to designated staff group, acting in a consultative capacity, ensuring safe and effective service delivery.
• Provide specialist advice, leadership and support to the wider MDT ensuring the patient is at the centre of all decision making.
• Ensure high quality care throughout the service by ensuring assessment planning, implementation and evaluation of care delivery.
• Maintain staff and patient records in compliance with Trust policy.
• Liaising with internal departments and external agencies in order to provide evidence‑based care and contribute to policy and practice changes.
• Ensure delegated budget is managed in line with Trust’s standing financial instructions.
• To uphold the standards of professional practice, promoting and maintaining high quality patient care.
• Overall responsibility for the management of the department and will be accountable for the quality of care within that environment in line with Trust policy and professional codes and standards.
• Lead and provide a highly visible presence being responsive and accessible to patients, carers and staff.

Clinical Management

• To have overall responsibility for the delivery of high‑quality patient care by their team members.
• To have responsibility for implementing and maintaining Infection Control Policies and Procedures.
• Participate in quality inspections and produce an action plan with clinical and non‑clinical services as necessary to ensure identified defects are rectified.
• Maintain safe staffing levels, escalating as required.
• Ensure patient records are maintained accurately and that documentation reflects care provided.
• Maximise the use of clinical resources, monitoring and initiating improvements within the designated department.
• Maintain clinical competence according to professional standards for example medicine management, maintenance of pumps and infusions, insertion of catheters, removal of sutures, ILS etc.
• Maintain professional competence, authority and credibility through clinical practice, acting as a role model and leader, providing supervision and support to nursing staff.
• Act as an expert clinician, analysing and interpreting complex needs or situations, making judgements based on knowledge.
• Provide and receive complex, sensitive information where there may be barriers to understanding, using persuasion and reassurance as required.
• Participate in the investigation of complaints ensuring a thorough, timely and accurate report is produced and agreed actions are implemented.
• Investigate accidents/incidents implementing actions and reporting to Matron as required by Trust policy.
• Act on concerns raised by team members or service users taking appropriate action according to Trust Policies and Guidelines.
• Provide timely and accurate data and statistical returns as required.

People Management

• Co‑ordinate & monitor duty rosters, annual leave, study leave and sickness & absence to ensure effective utilisation and deployment of staff.
• Assess and interpret complex information to ensure safe staffing within the department at all times.
• Plan and implement orientation programmes for all newly appointed staff.
• Ensure compliance with Mandatory Training requirements, maintaining records of training and development undertaken.
• Ensure regular supervision of staff, undertaking personal development plans in line with Trust policy, identifying training needs.
• Day to day management of individual / team performance, conduct and behavioural issues, escalating any serious concerns to formal processes.
• Ensure effective recruitment, selection and retention of staff in accordance with agreed policies and procedures.
• Develop, implement and monitor programmes of specialty based teaching, ensuring learning objectives are achieved.
• To ensure the educational needs of students are met and evaluated during their allocation to the department.

Leadership and Development

• Involve patients and carers in the planning and delivery of care, establishing and maintaining effective communication systems to ensure care is responsive to patient needs and wishes.
• Continually monitor standards of care and lead initiatives to effect improvements by implementing evidence‑based practice.
• Assist in the development of policies and protocols relevant to the specialty.
• In conjunction with senior leaders, propose and deliver service improvements ensuring evidence based practice is implemented within the department.

Budget Management Responsibilities

• Delegated budget holder for the department with overall responsibility to ensuring balance in both pay and non‑pay lines.
• Attendance at monthly budget meetings to report on variances.
• Ensure achievement of financial, manpower and operational objectives identified for the department.
• Ensure the effective and efficient use of resources and fulfil the responsibilities of budget holder including stock management and care and maintenance of equipment.
• Handles patients valuables, ensuring safe storage and transportation.

Research and Audit

• To develop, undertake and implement audit within the department.
• To promote awareness of current research in the department.
• To introduce and apply research findings to the department relating to practice where relevant.
• To promote and disseminate local/national/international research findings to the department.
• To develop and implement methods of auditing nursing practice within own department.

Personal Development

• Responsible for ensuring own continuing professional development and identifying development needs within the Trust knowledge and skills development review process.
• To identify areas for self‑development, areas of interest and training requirements within your personal performance planning and Development Review.
• To maintain a professional portfolio and reflective diary for developmental purposes and revalidation.
• Support the rest of the team by recognising own and promoting self‑help and wellbeing.
• To attend corporate groups as a representative of the directorate and team.
• To represent the clinical area on working groups as appropriate and at relevant conferences at regional and national level.
• To participate in the business planning process, helping to identify areas for service development.
• Lead on delegated projects relating to local policy development.

Person specification

• Registered Nurse or Registered health professional Diploma / Degree level qualification.
• Current NMC Registration.
• Evidence of continuous professional development.
• Leadership training or qualification (minimum Level 4 ILM or equivalent) or equivalent experience.

• Able to demonstrate knowledge of NMC professional standards for practice contained within the code.
• Experience of managing teams.
• Experience of service development, such as clinical pathway management.
• Substantial experience of working in a clinical environment.
• Understanding of budget management within the NHS at departmental level.
• Experience of involvement in relevant research/audit to underpin evidence-based practice.
• Understand key features of clinical governance and risk.

• Current up to date and relevant clinical skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organisational and management skills.
• Able to act as a leader, effectively managing staff in the department.
• Accountable for own professional actions.
• Ability to network and build relationships at all levels act as a change agent.
• Computer literacy eg experience of electronic patient record.

• Frequent sitting or standing in a restricted position; occasional moderate effort for several short periods.
• Walks, stands most of shift; occasionally moves, occasional manoeuvres patients.
• Frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable.
• Concentration for patient clinical work.
• Dealing with frequent interruptions and competing demands.
• Occasional highly distressing or emotional circumstances.
• Deals with patient complaints, conveys unwelcome news, management of complaints/concerns arising from incidents, communicating to patients and relatives.
• Working in ward environment providing direct clinical care.
• Potential blood or body fluids exposure.

Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. MWL is an exciting and forward‑thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification.

Flexible Working

We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that all employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.

Working for Team MWL

Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts.

You will be expected to undertake the Trust's commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated and will check all applications against AI detection software.

Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.