Lead Nurse Dermatology in Leigh

We are looking to recruit an experienced and motivated Lead Nurse to join our Dermatology Department. This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic nursing professional who is passionate about delivering high quality, patient centred care. As Lead Nurse, you will provide strong managerial and clinical leadership to the Dermatology nursing team, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and evidence based care. You will play a central role in shaping service standards, supporting staff development, and promoting a positive and collaborative working environment. The role is 30 hours per week Monday to Friday based at Leigh Infirmary.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will have responsibility for the provision of nursing leadership ensuring the effective use of resources and the development & maintenance of the highest standards of care and efficient service delivery.
• The post holder will manage departmental staff including appraisal, rostering, recruitment and selection and the supervision of learners.
• The post holder will contribute to the Nursing, Midwifery, Therapy and Care Staff 5‑year forward strategy and will be proactive in modernising nursing roles within Dermatology and care in accordance with the needs of the patients who access our services.
• The post holder will be responsible for ensuring all care is delivered according to Trust policies and procedures, maintaining contemporaneous and accurate records.
• By utilising clinical audit, research and teaching, they will monitor and improve standards of care by efficient and effective use of resources and funding.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide sound clinical leadership and develop standards and support mechanisms for sharing high quality practice within the department and trust wide.
• Maintain and promote effective communication within the dermatology team and other wards and departments, including formal presentation of information related to the department using formal and informal methods.
• Ensure that staffing levels are appropriate to patient and departmental need by adjusting duty rotas and proposing changes to skill mix and staff establishments accordingly.
• Prioritise and delegate workload appropriately whilst monitoring and assessing performance, as well as the work of individuals and teams.
• Provide visible, effective clinical leadership and management which fosters teamwork across professional and organisational boundaries.
• Support the clinical governance leads within the divisions by contributing to development and maintenance of governance processes such as investigation of clinical incidents, risk management, policies and procedures.
• Support the matron in the management and investigation of complaints and concerns identified in the area of responsibility and support changes in practice as required.
• Act as a role model and work within legislation and trust procedures, ensuring the compliance of all staff working within the unit.
• Demonstrate politeness, courtesy and sensitivity in dealing with patients, clients, visitors, relatives and colleagues, maintaining good customer relations.
• Manage own workload autonomously.
• Develop and maintain dermatology knowledge and practice by attending and participating in continuing professional development and influencing the development of others.
• Contribute to clinical practice, education and development acting as a resource for the support and guidance of staff to represent corporate and divisional objectives.
• Ensure all nurses comply with NMC regulations and work within their scope of practice.
• Deliver aspects of the corporate professional nursing agenda including the 6 Cs (Compassion in Practice, DOH 2012) as it relates to the area in which they work.

Planning and organisational duties

• Be highly visible and accessible to patients and staff, maintaining clinical and professional competence, authority and credibility through active and regular engagement in clinical practice and contact with patients and patient representatives.
• Resolve problems for patients and their relatives by acting quickly to deal with problems when and where they occur and by working closely with the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) and the Complaints Service.
• Use this information to plan and implement actions, thus developing a quality service.
• Ensure that patients are treated with respect and that their privacy and dignity are protected, and that they are addressed in the way they choose.
• Facilitate regular meetings with staff to encourage the exchange and implementation of new ideas.
• Effectively manage the use of allocated resources/funding.
• Lead the team in the management of the department environment to meet trust objectives for risk management and health and safety.
• Challenge behaviour that undermines the rights of others, respecting people’s diversity and valuing them as individuals.
• Ensure that patients receive consistent quality care by driving up standards of care and leading work to improve professional practice and patient services while being guided by local and national agendas.
• Ensure that systems are in place for monitoring quality standards and patient outcomes, addressing poor performance in line with trust policy such as complaints, incidents, poor communication and quality monitoring programme.
• Work collaboratively with facilities to ensure all standards of cleanliness are agreed in line with the NHS Clean Hospitals Programme and encourage and support senior staff to monitor and challenge when standards of environmental cleanliness are not achieved.
• Negotiate and implement change and new ways of working where necessary, supporting all staff in dealing with situations involving violence and aggression.

Communications and key working relationships

• Ensure effective communication by written, verbal and IT whilst maintaining up‑to‑date records and information that comply with the Data Protection Act.
• Ensure documentation is appropriate, accountable and defensible in the area of responsibility.
• Formulate, analyse and present complex information related to service requirements to improve efficiency and effectiveness, communicating this to senior managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Use a range of communication skills needed to deliver information which can be highly sensitive, complex or contentious, on a one‑to‑one basis or to a group of people.
• Ensure that systems are in place to develop nurse roles and nurse‑in‑charge roles which meet both needs of the service and corporate objectives.
• Educate and involve patients in their treatment, incorporating psychological support when required and the development of coping strategies when necessary.

Responsibility for finance

• Manage physical and financial resources, proactively identifying areas for cost improvement, ensuring balanced financial budgets within the area of responsibility.
• Monitor, control and store resources/supplies according to the requirements and specifications of the clinical environment.
• Safely store and transport all drugs and comply with medicines legislation.
• Support the operational team and matron in identifying cost‑saving initiatives to achieve the department target.
• Ensure that systems are in place to monitor the delivery of goods and services.
• Contribute to the service delivering a balanced budget.
• Ensure efficient use of bank and agency staff, monitoring quality and expenditure, authorising payments.
• Identify problems with resource use/availability and recommend corrective actions consistent with departmental objectives and organisational policies.
• Maintain accurate records of resource use.

Responsibility for human resources

• Assess and identify own development needs in dermatology knowledge and skills required for the role and take responsibility for continuing professional development and performance of self and team, maintaining a personal development plan/portfolio in accordance with registration requirements.
• Ensure equity of access to appropriate learning opportunities for staff and apply knowledge gained to practice.
• Line‑manage members of the dermatology staff and undertake regular performance reviews and personal development plans for all staff, enabling career progression and succession planning.
• Ensure staff complete mandatory training to comply with trust objectives.
• Promote a culture that values staff, recognising achievement whilst positively addressing poor performance.
• Implement key performance indicators for the trust attendance management policy.
• Support professional development of all students and junior staff.
• Mentor and assess assigned learners during competency assessment programmes.
• Exercise effective managerial and clinical leadership.
• Assess daily workload/caseload, allocating and coordinating staff accordingly.
• Alert senior managers to resource issues affecting learning, development and performance.
• Identify and participate in addressing poor performance issues.
• Diffuse challenging behaviour in a sensitive manner.
• Report incidents, complaints or accidents to the matron and assist in investigation and resolution.
• Deal personally with patients and relatives to resolve complaints.
• Contribute to recruitment and selection.
• Monitor and manage sickness absence of staff and provide effective support.

Responsibility for health & safety

• All staff must take care of their own safety and those affected by their actions or omissions.
• Adhere to trust and departmental health and safety policies and use equipment or PPE as provided.
• Co‑operate with managers to maintain safe systems and workplaces.
• Report accidents, incidents and ill health, failures in premises equipment or PPE.
• Do not interfere with equipment that ensures health and safety.
• Ensure a safe environment for patients and staff by adhering to the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.
• Report clinical and non‑clinical incidents through the hospital reporting system.

Responsibility for teaching

• Act as a role model, inspiring staff and students with vision and values, maintaining clinical credibility.
• Facilitate a supportive learning environment that enables multidisciplinary team members to develop.
• Participate in the provision of training for other staff groups across the dermatology service, trust and externally as appropriate.
• Maintain knowledge and skills through professional updating in line with professional and educational requirements.
• Ensure all staff receive orientation, induction, preceptorship and mandatory training.
• Ensure the environment is conducive to teaching, education, training and development for staff and students.

Person specification

• First level Registered General Nurse, currently registered with the NMC
• Evidence of management training
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Teaching or mentorship course
• Degree in a health‑related subject

Experience

• Demonstrate extensive experience at a senior nursing level
• Experience working in two differing clinical areas
• Experience managing a ward or department
• Experience managing a budget

Skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Proven teaching ability
• Able to prioritise own workload and that of others
• Research participation at local level

Knowledge

• Knowledge of HR policies and procedures
• Demonstrate specialist knowledge in two or more clinical areas

You must have appropriate UK professional registration. This position is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) and the Disclosure and Barring Service requirement.