Clinical Coordinator

The Nurse Coordinator is responsible for the day-to-day coordination of nursing activity, ensuring that clinical operations run smoothly across the service. This role combines clinical leadership, operational management, and direct patient care. The post-holder oversees staff deployment, clinical standards, patient flow, documentation quality, and governance compliance. They ensure that vulnerable individuals receive safe and effective care and that the nursing team operates in line with best practice, legal frameworks, and organisational policies. They act as a key point of contact for colleagues, management, and multidisciplinary partners, supporting clinical escalation, safeguarding pathways, and effective communication across the service.

Main duties of the job

• Clinical Care & Assessment
• Clinical Coordination & Operational Oversight
• Leadership, Supervision & Staff Support
• Governance, Compliance & Quality Assurance
• Safeguarding & Risk Management

Key Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive nursing assessments, including physical, mental, and social health evaluations.
• Support triage processes, prioritising clinical need and ensuring safe allocation of staff to high-risk cases.
• Deliver direct clinical care such as wound care, medication administration, emergency response, and long-term condition management.
• Apply trauma-informed care approaches, ensuring interactions are compassionate, supportive, and centred on patient dignity.
• Manage complex patients presenting with multiple comorbidities, mental health issues, or safeguarding concerns.
• Identify clinical deterioration promptly and initiate escalation to the appropriate medical or emergency services.
• Ensure patients receive timely access to GP, mental health, paramedic, or external services where needed.
• Coordinate and deploy nursing staff across shifts to ensure safe staffing levels and skills mix.
• Monitor patient flow through assessment, treatment, and follow-up pathways to reduce delays and unmet needs.
• Manage the distribution of workload among nurses and healthcare support staff, ensuring fairness and prioritisation.
• Oversee shift handovers, ensuring accurate communication of clinical priorities and risk concerns.
• Support rota management, short notice staffing issues, and coordination of bank/agency staff where needed.
• Ensure emergency response equipment, medications, and clinical supplies are maintained, stocked, and compliant with safety standards.
• Assist with planning for high-demand periods, unexpected surges, or major incident responses.
• Provide day-to-day leadership for the nursing team, acting as a clinical role model.
• Offer supervision, mentorship, and guidance to junior nurses, HCAs, and new staff.
• Conduct competency assessments, training updates, and oversight of clinical skill development.
• Lead by example in promoting professionalism, integrity, and safe clinical practice.
• Support staff wellbeing, recognising signs of burnout or stress and escalating appropriately.
• Address performance issues sensitively but effectively, supporting improvement plans where required.
• Facilitate debriefs after difficult cases, clinical incidents, or operational challenges.
• Ensure nursing documentation is accurate, legally compliant, and completed within required timeframes.
• Oversee the quality of patient records, risk assessments, and care plans, ensuring consistency and clarity.
• Audit compliance with medication management, infection control, clinical guidelines, and safeguarding standards.
• Participate in governance meetings, preparing reports or feedback related to nursing performance or incidents.
• Support the implementation of new policies, clinical pathways, and service improvement initiatives.
• Monitor clinical outcomes and contribute to continuous improvement of care quality.
• Ensure that information sharing complies with Caldicott principles and data protection legislation.
• Serve as a central communication point between nursing teams, operational leads, GPs, paramedics, mental health professionals, and external agencies.
• Provide clear clinical handovers using recognised frameworks (e.g., SBAR).
• Ensure essential information is passed to decision-makers promptly, particularly around safeguarding risks, complex cases, or operational concerns.
• Support patients with communication barriers including language needs, learning disabilities, trauma, cultural sensitivities, or emotional distress.
• Maintain effective liaison with external partners such as hospitals, safeguarding teams, social care, or specialist services.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary meetings, team briefings, and contributions to case reviews.
• Identify safeguarding concerns related to children, adults at risk, trafficking, exploitation, or self-harm.
• Ensure timely referrals, documentation, and escalation in line with safeguarding legislation and local pathways.
• Support staff in recognising, reporting, and managing risk appropriately.
• Lead on immediate risk management actions such as placing individuals under enhanced observation where clinically indicated.
• Review incidents, near-misses, or complaints, supporting root cause analysis and learning dissemination.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (RGN or RMN) with valid NMC pin.
• OR HCPC registered Paramedic.

Experience

• Experience delivering nursing care in primary care, emergency, community, or secure settings.
• Strong assessment and decision-making abilities.
• Experience leading teams or coordinating clinical activity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to maintain calm and professional behaviour in challenging situations.
• Understanding of safeguarding responsibilities and risk management.
• Experience working within a multidisciplinary team.
• Proven ability to prioritise workload in fast-paced or high-pressure environments.
• Commitment to equality, diversity, and trauma-informed practice.
• Ability to work day, night, weekend, and bank holiday shifts.
• Experience working in a secure environment (e.g., detention, custody, prison, immigration services).
• Experience supporting patients with mental health, substance misuse, or complex trauma.
• Experience with clinical governance, audits, policy development, or service improvement.
• Previous involvement in rota coordination or operational planning.
• Teaching, mentorship, or supervision qualifications.
• Experience managing clinical incidents or leading team debriefs.

General Information

The post holder may be required to perform other relevant and appropriate duties as reasonably needed. This list of duties and responsibilities is not exhaustive. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Pension salary scheme available.

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP): confidential 24/7 support.

Access to perks at work.

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.

This post will require the holder to undertake and successfully complete the Counter Terrorism Clearance (CTC) process.

Please note, in order to apply, all applicants need to have been living in the United Kingdom (with residency in the UK, such as UK/Irish/EU Passport, or an Indefinite Leave to Remain Visa) for the last 5 years with no more than a 28 day break being outside of the UK and no gaps in employment during this time.