Senior Sister Neonates in Walsall

Should you have any queries for the resourcing team, they are available from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. To get in touch please call 01922 656161.

Site Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust/ Manor Hospital Town Walsall Salary Dependant on experience Closing 15/10/2026 23:59

Walsall Manor Hospital is a busy district general hospital offering compete range of acute services. The Trust primarily serves the immediate population of Walsall with some patients requiring more specialised treatment at other, neighbouring Trusts. The Trust continues to invest in its facilities and services, supporting high-quality care for the communities it serves.

This role offers the opportunity to work within our integrated care model, contributing to high-quality services that help people remain independent in their own homes and communities.

We are committed to investing in our workforce and creating an environment where colleagues can learn, contribute and develop. Our new Urgent Emergency Care Centre, opened in March 2023, demonstrates our ongoing investment in facilities and services.

As an employee, you’ll benefit from an attractive salary and comprehensive benefits package (detailed in Employer Description above), plus access to NHS pension arrangements and staff accommodation where available.

Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust is proud to be part of the Armed Forces Covenant, currently holding the Bronze Award, underlining our commitment to supporting the Armed Forces Community.

Job overview

The Neonatal Ward Manager / Senior Sister is expected to provide high-quality, safe and effective care to

Neonates and their families. They will be responsible for managing a team of nurses, overseeing the day-to

Day operations of the neonatal unit and ensure that staff adhere to clinical standards. They will also be

required to participate in the senior sister on call rota for paediatrics and neonates.

The Neonatal Senior Sister will play a crucial role in developing nursing staff, providing education, and

promoting best practice within the unit. Additionally, they are expected to maintain clinical credibility and

visibility, ensuring that clinical skills are maintained. The successful candidate is also expected to be

Main duties of the job

To be professionally accountable and maintain the standards of professional practice as set by the appropriate regulatory body applicable to your profession or role. In a supervisory role utilise supervision of clinical practice, clinical audit, research, and teaching, to set, monitor and improve standards of care in addition to efficient and effective use of resources.

To be accountable for:

Ensuring safe and effective clinical practice Enhancing the patient’s experience Managing and developing the performance of the team Ensuring effective contribution to the delivery of the organisation’s objectives as well as deputising for Matron.

Working for our organisation

As the only provider of NHS acute care in Walsall, we offer a unique opportunity to be part of a Trust making a genuine difference to local health outcomes. The Trust is a busy district general hospital offering compete range of acute services, alongside extensive community services.

A new Urgent Emergency Care Centre was opened in March 2023. The two-storey development has significantly improved emergency care facilities and capacity and has provided almost 5,000 square metres of additional clinical space.

Our strategy is aligned to delivering exceptional care together while supporting a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We offer clear career development pathways, access to training and education, and opportunities to contribute to service innovation and improvement.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To ensure safe and effective clinical practice.

• As the visible designated clinical nurse leader set standards of care and professionalism and promote teamwork within a multi-professional environment, demonstrating critical analysis and decision-making skills, leading the delivery of a clinically excellent service, influencing and facilitating change within the ward/department and where appropriate the organisation.
• Act as a change agent, developing clinically effective practice through the effective utilisation and integration of evidence based practice, setting, implementing and monitoring evidence based standards of care, policies, procedures and protocols.
• Ensure a culture of continuous quality improvement through the use of research, audit, patient feedback and reflection on practice by self and other members of the team.
• Promote a clean and safe environment for staff, patients and visitors by ensuring compliance with legislation, policies and protocols including health and safety, healthcare associated infection prevention, clinical governance, including risk management and critical incident reporting and root cause analysis.
• Ensure a high standard of record keeping in accordance with Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health and Care Professions Council, national legislation and local standards.
• Facilitate effective communication with the multi-professional team.
• 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. To monitor the standards of care and take appropriate actions when standards fall below expected levels.
• Report incidents and near misses promptly and appropriately and take effective action to minimize future risk.

To enhance the patient’s experience

• Within sphere of care ensure effective and efficient patient journeys by planning, co-ordinating and monitoring the episodes of care including the smooth transition to other settings, promoting effective discharge and communication with interdisciplinary and interagency teams as required.
• Co-ordinate nursing/midwifery interventions, influence 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.
• Within a multidisciplinary team environment, develop a culture of person-centred care.
• Be highly visible within the ward/department, communicating regularly with patients, relatives and/or carers; promoting 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 that there are effective systems in place to ascertain patient and carer experience/feedback and ensure complaints are managed in line with organisational policy, including the dissemination of learning points.
• Ensure that everyone within sphere of care is treated with dignity and humanity, understanding individual needs, showing compassion and sensitivity, and provide care in a way that respects all people equally.
• Critically appraise and synthesise the outcomes of relevant research, evaluations and audits and apply the information when seeking to improve practice

To manage and develop the performance of the team

• Act as a positive role model, creating a supportive ethos to empower staff to contribute to the delivery of excellent person centred care.
• Lead by example, develop self and other staff, and influence the way care is given in a manner that is open and responds to individual needs.
• Ensure nurses and nursing staff take responsibility for the care they provide and answer for their own judgments and actions and carry out those actions in a way that is agreed with their patients, and the families and carers of their patients, and in a way that meets the requirements of organisational policies and procedures, their professional bodies and the law.
• Lead the appraisal process ensuring that personal development plans are consistent with the team’s, ward’s and organisation’s objectives, succession planning, and workforce development and in support of professional revalidation.
• Take all reasonable care of health and safety at work for self, team and others and to co-operate with employers to ensure compliance with health and safety requirements
• Support the learning and development of all staff.
• Create a learning environment that ensures effective learning opportunities for staff and students including appropriate orientation and induction programmes, a range of clinical support strategies (mentoring, coaching, clinical supervision, action learning and peer review). Plan, monitor and evaluate ongoing mandatory training and relevant education and development opportunities for the team.
• Manage the practice setting, hold a delegated budget and demonstrate effective use of resources and workforce planning by monitoring workload and, through efficient rostering, maintain appropriate staffing levels and skill mix taking account of role and competence of staff when delegating work.
• Manage the nursing/midwifery team, ensuring compliance by self and others with professional standards, legislation, national and organisational policies.
• Lead the recruitment and selection process, attendance management, and performance management ensuring grievance and disciplinary matters within own practice setting are identified, actioned and reported to the appropriate person.
• Lead the team utilising the appropriate Trust policies, procedures or guidelines

To ensure effective contribution to the delivery of the organisation’s objectives

• Network with peers across professional groups promoting the exchange of knowledge, skills and resources.
• To act up in the absence of the Matron
• Attend professional forums and disseminate information
• Work in partnership with a range of clinicians and managers in the planning or development of own service promoting the involvement of patients/public.
• Take a proactive approach to the redesign of clinical services, linked to organisational priorities and in support of improved outcomes
• Support the development and implementation of the Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Strategy for the organisation
• Within clinical area ensure knowledge of the organisations quality and safety agenda.
• Seek opportunities for personal and team development supporting the research agenda of the organisation

Person specification

• NMC Registered Nurse/ NMC Registered midwife
• Working towards a Masters Degree or relevant experience
• Qualified QIS
• ENB 998/ SLAiP or equivalent

Experience/Skills

• Knowledge of current national and local policy
• Change management
• Effective leadership
• Data collection analysis/Audit
• Budgetary management

Communication

• Ability to communicate with a multi disciplinary team
• Able to conduct difficult conversations
• Empathetic communication with families

Please note your application will be transferred from the NHS Jobs system to the internal Walsall Healthcare Trac System. All correspondence will be sent via Trac.

Sponsorship and Visas

We welcome applications from all candidates with the right to work in the UK, including those on Health and Care Visas, Graduate Visas, or other valid permissions. All candidates will be considered on equal terms.

This Trust currently recruits successfully from the domestic labour market and has a sufficient pool of suitably qualified candidates for Band 3 roles. Visa sponsorship is therefore not available for this role currently.Candidates who already hold the right to work in the UK, including those on an existing Health and Care Visa, Graduate Visa, or any other valid permission are welcome to apply and will be considered on equal terms. This position is reviewed regularly in line with Home Office guidance. Right to work will be verified at each stage of the recruitment and monitored throughout employment. All candidates who are offered a position will be required to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK as part of the pre-employment checks process. Where a candidates' right to work is derived from another person’s immigration permission, the Trust will discuss the implications of this with the candidate before a permanent post is confirmed, to ensure that both parties understand the terms on which employment can be sustained.

Recruitment and Selection Approach

In line with best practice and regulatory guidance, our selection process is fair, consistent and based on your ability to perform the role, contribute to the organisation and your potential for development.

What to expect:

• Application screening: Your application will be reviewed against the person specification
• Interview: Typically, a panel interview with competency-based and values-based questions
• Assessment: Role-dependent assessments may include practical tasks or presentations
• Timeline: We aim to complete the process within 47 days of the closing date. Recruitment Journey is attached to all live vacancies.

We are committed to making reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates at any stage. Please contact us to discuss your needs.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

Please note this vacancy may close early due to high volume of applications

Name Jennifer Horobin Job title Matron Neonates and Paediatrics Email address jennifer.horobin@nhs.net Telephone number 01922 721172

If you have problems applying, contact

Address Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust

Manor Hospital

Moat Road

Walsall

West Midlands

WS2 9PS

Telephone 07890305746

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