Senior Staff Nurse (Band 6) - Private Day Surgery Unit in London

Are you highly motivated, enthusiastic, and forward-thinking? If so, we could have the perfect job for you! The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is one of the world's leading cancer centres, with an international reputation for the excellence of care, treatment, research, and education it provides.

We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Staff Nurse to join our dedicated Private Care Surgical Unit. The unit consists of six individual bays and two consulting rooms and specialises in delivering high-quality care to patients undergoing oncology diagnostic procedures and surgical treatment. The service supports patients throughout their surgical journey, from pre-assessment through to nurse-led discharge, and plays a vital role in providing a seamless pathway for patients undergoing oncology surgery requiring hospital admission.

Working alongside the Nursing Team, you will support the delivery of outstanding patient care, contribute to service improvement initiatives, and help foster effective communication across the multidisciplinary team. This is a demanding yet highly rewarding role within a Trust that is committed to the ongoing development and progression of its staff. We are looking for an oncology nurse, or someone aspiring to develop within oncology nursing, who has strong team-working skills and a passion for enhancing patient care. You will be enthusiastic, proactive, and committed to continuously improving the patient experience and pathway.

Main duties of the job:

• To coordinate and supervise a shift in the Private Surgical Unit, including caring for inpatient surgical admissions preoperatively.
• To run a nurse-led pre-assessment clinic for Private Daycase patients.
• To communicate effectively with members of the MDT (surgeons, anaesthetists, matrons, interdepartmental nurses, physiotherapists, nurse specialists, site practitioner and non-clinical staff) to deliver high quality, evidence-led care to patients.
• To exercise clinical judgment and decision making to meet a patients’ bespoke and holistic needs.
• To assume personal accountability for nursing care delivered to a patient in accordance with the NMC code of conduct.

There is an expectation for post holders:

• To promote a safe clinical environment for all patients, visitors, and staff.
• To participate in Trust initiatives around infection control and care quality indicators.
• To assist with any local or trust initiatives to ensure the continuous improvement of the quality of services and safeguarding of high standards of care.
• To be aware of all hospital policies and collaborate with other health care professionals to ensure that these are observed.
• To act as a clinical resource within the unit and help foster a supportive working environment and maintain staff morale.

The Senior Staff Nurse will be responsible for assisting the Ward Manager with the safe running of the Private Surgical Unit and the pre-assessment service. They will be responsible for the management and development of a team under the supervision of the Ward Manager.

Working for our organisation:

The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust is a world-leading cancer centre. Our role is to offer our patients the best cancer care available anywhere in the world, and to continue to make a global contribution to finding better ways of diagnosing and treating cancer. We employ over 4,500 staff in a diverse range of careers including nursing, medical, science, radiography, pharmacy, occupational therapy, finance and administrative services. We have two hospitals – one in Chelsea, London, and one in Sutton, Surrey – as well as a Medical Daycare Unit in Kingston Hospital.

At The Royal Marsden, we deal with cancer every day, so we understand how valuable life is. When people entrust their lives to us, they have the right to demand the very best. That's why the pursuit of excellence lies at the heart of everything we do.

At the heart of the hospital is our dedicated team. We offer a stimulating and dynamic working environment, a wide range of staff benefits, learning and development opportunities and clear career pathways. There are opportunities to work flexibly across a range of areas and specialities and we welcome flexible working requests from point of hire to support employees' work-life balance. We are looking for employees who aspire to excellence, share our values and can play a crucial role in our ongoing achievements.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities:

• Provide expert nursing skill for the pre-op and post-op surgical care of patients in a day surgery setting.
• To undertake a pre-operative assessment of the patient in line with Trust’s clinical guidelines and policies; manage a case load of patients and use clinical judgement to intervene as needed and elevate to anaesthetist when appropriate.
• Ensure patient’s pre-theatre checks are completed in accordance to the Trust’s clinical guidance on the day of surgery in a safe and efficient manner thus avoiding theatre delays and communicating to the MDT any abnormal findings.
• To communicate relevant information with family members and any developments throughout their surgical pathway, acting as a resource person to relatives/significant others.
• To assess the educational and informational needs of the patient and family.
• To provide skilled care and expertise in venepuncture and/or cannulation pre-surgery.
• To complete the first level assessment of patients with cancer and their families to gain an understanding of their physiological, psycho-social, spiritual and cultural needs.

Person specification:

Education/Qualifications:

• NMC registration
• Diploma or Degree level study (or equivalent)
• Evidence of ongoing professional development

Experience:

• Experience in intravenous drug administration
• Sufficient post-registration nursing experience in oncology or speciality to be confident and competent in using the required skills to do the job
• Evidence of relevant teaching experience
• Experience in physical assessment/pre-assessment skills.

Skills Abilities/knowledge:

• Evidence of effective interpersonal skills with particular ability to liaise with multidisciplinary team members
• Evidence of working well in a team
• Ability to demonstrate self-motivation
• Ability to make decisions, organise and prioritise
• Evidence of commitment to customer care initiatives
• Knowledge and understanding of quality issues
• Computer Literacy (e.g: Microsoft Word and Outlook)
• Venepuncture and/or cannulation skills
• Evidence of effective negotiating and influencing skills
• Ability to lead a team
• Ability to motivate others

Other Requirements:

• Flexibility to meet the needs of the service (e.g. shift work)
• Able to work on both sites and to be flexible to meet the needs of the role

The Royal Marsden values diversity and is committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority groups. We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and candidates with disabilities.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are working to create a workplace that enables all staff to reach their full potential. We are committed to this because we know that greater diversity and inclusion will lead to an even greater positive impact for the people we serve.

Due to the high volumes of applications we receive, we reserve the right to close any adverts before the published closing date once we have received a sufficient number of applications. We advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff: At The Royal Marsden we have an immune compromised patient population who we must protect as much as we can against the flu virus. Each year, seasonal flu affects thousands of people in the UK. Occurring mainly in winter, it is an infectious respiratory disease capable of producing symptoms ranging from those similar to a common cold, through to very severe or even fatal disease. The wellbeing of our staff and patients is of the utmost importance to us, and it is the expectation of The Royal Marsden that all patient-facing staff have an annual flu vaccination, provided free of charge by the Trust.