Neonatal Community Outreach Sister/Charge Nurse in Wolverhampton

We have a vacancy for a Band 6 experienced neonatal nurse to work within our Neonatal community outreach team. The outreach team offers a full range of specialist services to facilitate a timely, safe and effective patient journey throughout the neonatal journey from hospital to home. The team ensures opportunities for care at home are maximised with a focus on reducing admissions and keeping families together. As a Band 6 nurse you will be expected to deputise for the manager as needed and to lead and guide the team to achieve excellent standards of care, an excellent experience for babies and their families and to role‑model excellent professional standards.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services. We are proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve. We are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow. We are passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients. We are delighted to have been rated as ‘Good’ by CQC and have achieved numerous awards, including the Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best UK Employer of the Year for Nursing Staff in 2020. The Trust is a supportive working environment committed to creating flexible working arrangements that suit your needs and will consider all requests from applicants who wish to work flexibly.

Job Responsibilities

• Practice within an ethical framework based upon respect for the well‑being and safety of patients and clients.
• Be responsible and professionally accountable for the assessment of care needs; development of personalised plans of care, implementation and evaluation of care without supervision.
• Lead a team and co‑ordinate the clinical area in the absence of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse and reinforce the values and standards of compassion, dignity and respect in care, leading the delivery of clinically excellent care.
• Ensure the planning and delivery of care is aligned to professional values of care, compassion and respect, act as a change agent, developing clinically effective practice through the effective utilisation and integration of evidence‑based practice.
• Support the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in ensuring a culture of protecting patients from harm and deprivation of basic rights ensuring a safe and effective service with continuous quality improvement.
• Promote a clean and safe environment for staff, patients and visitors by ensuring compliance with legislation, policies and protocols including health and safety, health‑care associated infection prevention, clinical governance, including risk management and critical incident reporting and root‑cause analysis.
• Ensure a high standard of care and record‑keeping in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council, national legislation and local standards.
• Demonstrate safe and effective care including timely administration of medicines, effective observation of patients and effective communication with the multi‑professional team regarding patient care.
• Assess the risks involved in the care of patients and ensure utilisation of practices and protocols to minimise those risks, including safe use of medical devices.
• Monitor the standards of care and, with the support of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse, take appropriate actions when standards fall below expected levels.
• Report incidents and near misses promptly and appropriately and, with the support of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse, take effective action to minimise future risk.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of evidence‑based protocols, standards, policies and clinical guidelines.
• Critically appraise and synthesise the outcomes of relevant research, evaluations and audits and apply information when seeking to improve practice.
• Enhance the patient experience by ensuring an effective and efficient patient journey, planning and coordinating the episode of care including the smooth transition to other settings, promoting safe and effective discharge and optimising communication with inter‑disciplinary and inter‑agency teams as required.
• Maintain a culture of continuous quality improvement through the use of audit, patient feedback and reflection on practice by self and other members of the team.
• In the absence of the Senior Sister / Charge Nurse, co‑ordinate nursing / midwifery interventions, advise on clinical decisions and monitor the quality of patient care provided through using expert clinical knowledge relevant to own field of practice, underpinned by theory and experience.
• Act as the advocate for the patient ensuring safe and harm‑free care is always uppermost in every decision.
• Support the development of a culture of person‑centred care, support the learning and development of junior staff, mentor, coach and provide clinical supervision.
• Be highly visible within the ward / department, communicate regularly with patients, relatives and/or carers to promote transparency of service, promote a caring environment where equality and diversity issues are respected and patients are enabled to be partners in their care.
• Identify opportunities to develop care and services by ensuring effective systems are in place to ascertain patient and carer experience/feedback and to manage complaints in line with organisational policy.
• Manage and develop the performance of the team and self, act as a positive role‑model, support appraisal processes, contribute to workforce development, succession planning and professional revalidation.
• Participate in recruitment and selection, manage sickness and absence and support E‑rostering to ensure full compliance with KPIs.
• Contribute to the implementation of the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Strategy and support the organisation’s quality and safety agenda.
• Seek opportunities for personal and team development and maintain a working knowledge of local, national and professional strategy and policy.

Qualifications – Essential

• Foundation course NMC Registration Nurse (Registered Child Nurse optional), NMC Registration Midwife

Qualifications – Desirable

• Mentorship

Skills / Experience – Essential

• Experience at band 5
• Leadership development
• Driving licence and ownership of own vehicle

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and a Disclosure and Barring Service check will be required to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration.