Senior Staff Nurse (Band 6) - Ellis Ward

An exciting opportunity has arisen for surgical nurses to join our friendly and energetic team on Ellis Ward. We are looking for a committed, enthusiastic, and self-motivated nurse to join our well-established team. Ellis ward is a 14-bed adult female surgical ward, predominantly caring for patients undergoing treatment for breast and gynaecological cancers as well as other specialities including gastrointestinal and urological. We also care for patients having chemotherapy, radiotherapy and patients requiring symptom control as part of their treatment.

The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal and clinical skills and enjoy working as part of a team. As a Band 6 Senior Staff Nurse you will be required to assume responsibility for co-ordinating shifts on a regular basis, as deemed necessary, by the ward manager and be proactive in identifying areas to improve the patient experience and quality of nursing care. You will also need to have strong managerial and clinical leadership to the ward team; provide day to day managerial leadership support to staff, and ensure delivery of high-quality, safe patient care.

We can offer you a supernumerary period designed to explore all that the ward has to offer, time allocated with the mentor and members of the various MDTs with whom we work and provide a tailor-made programme to introduce you to the ward.

• To coordinate and supervise a shift, communicating effectively with members of a multidisciplinary team to deliver high quality, evidence-led care to patients.
• To exercise clinical judgment and decision making about patient needs in terms of long term goals or plans.
• To participate fully in the day to day organization and running of clinical trials including the recruitment, education and monitoring of patients entering a clinical trial and liaison as required with trial sponsors.
• The Senior Staff Nurse is responsible for assisting the Ward Sister / Charge Nurse in the management of the clinical environment and for the management of shifts.
• At Senior Staff Nurse level, the post holder is required to take responsibility for the management and development of a team of employees under the supervision of the Ward Sister / Charge Nurse.

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 and to develop a positive, realistic and supportive attitude to ensure that these needs are met. This will include:

• Counterchecking patients’ vital signs, blood results, patient body surface area, chemotherapy prescription and consent before administration of treatment.
• Educating patients on their treatment such as indications and side effects.
• Ensuring necessary medication and follow‑up appointments are obtained.
• To plan, document, deliver and evaluate care plans from admission through to discharge / transfer discussing this with the patient, their family and multi‑disciplinary teams and to alert the Sister/Charge Nurse of any changes.
• To set goals for each of the identified nursing issues and encourage / teach other nursing staff to do the same.
• To help the patient achieve set goals through care planning.

Education & Qualification:

• NMC Registration
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• RMH Certificate in Intravenous Drug Administration or to be obtained within three months of appointment
• Qualification in oncology or speciality
• Diploma or Degree level study (or equivalent)
• Recognised teaching qualification

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
• Experience in chemotherapy administration
• Experience in Clinical Management
• Evidence of relevant teaching experience
• Knowledge and understanding of clinical trials management

Skills, Ability & Knowledge:

• Evidence of effective interpersonal skills with particular ability to liaise with multidisciplinary team members
• Evidence of working cooperatively in a team
• Ability to demonstrate self-motivation (working with minimal supervision)
• Ability to work accurately and reliably under pressure
• Ability to make decisions, organise and prioritise
• Evidence of commitment to customer care initiatives
• Knowledge and understanding of quality issues
• Ability to coordinate as shift/department
• Flexibility to meet the needs of the service (e.g. shift work)
• Experience in oncology or area of specialty
• Venepuncture and/or cannulation skills
• Evidence of understanding of the NHS Plan and current NHS issues
• Computer Literacy (e.g. use of Microsoft Word and Outlook)

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.

Flu Vaccination – What We Expect of our Staff:

At The Royal Marsden we have an immune‑compromised patient population that 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.