• Work collaboratively with clinical nursing experts including OPD Matron, Clinical Teams, Consultant Nurses, Nurse Specialists and Practice Development Nurses in the development of expert, personal centred practice. 

• Be able to demonstrate a high degree of motivation and innovation. 

• Deal with patient / relative complaints proactively to minimise the risk of them becoming formal.  Appropriately investigate complaints in a timely manner, and provide response as required. 

• Communicate effectively with the department team ensuring that there are daily huddles and ensure robust systems exist so that staff feel informed. 

• To contribute positively to the effectiveness and efficiency of the teams in which he/she works. 

• Be able to work in a multi-professional environment ensuring most effective use of all members of those professional teams. 

• Display strong leadership and positivity to the department team during times of increased pressure on resources, staffing crises, or bed pressures, working with divisional leads to assess risks across the division and how these can be minimised. 

• Ensure any safeguarding issues are raised appropriately to lead nurses to enable investigation in relation to vulnerable adults or children. 

• Report / action any accidents, incidents or undue occurrences reported to you or witnessed by you in line with Trust policy.  Ensure proactive investigation of any clinical incidents, undertaking root cause analysis if indicated, ensuring action plans are developed as needed. 

• Ensure that Infection control audits such as high impact interventions and hand hygiene audits are undertaken as required, and any issues or trends in poor compliance are addressed. 

• Strive to continually improve department environment to high standards ensuring action plans from patient environment audits are maintained. 

• Work in collaboration with clinical leads in relation to national initiatives, Care quality commission standards and NICE guidelines. 

• Contribute to the process of risk management within the Divisions particularly with regard to issues related to nursing and other professional matters 

Service delivery and improvement 

• Be able to develop, motivate and lead a team by using objectives in line with department, sub specialty and corporate goals. 

• Ensure a supportive teaching and learning environment is in place. 

• Ensure all staff are working to their required level of clinical and professional competence, developing all staff to attain competence as highlighted at appraisal 

• Act as a role model and ensure effective staff supervision with clinical practice, working with staff and patients in an advisory, teaching and support capacity and maintaining professional competence, authority and credibility. 

• To lead on and  ensure appraisals are undertaken for all team members on an annual basis ensuring feedback on performance is given at regular intervals throughout the year.  Recommend the needs for staff development and training where identified by this process, ensuring training needs analysis is provided for the department.  

• Teach and facilitate learning for all nursing students in liaison with the University, and for health care assistants undertaking NVQ/care certificate training.   

• To provide induction for new staff members which meet with legal requirements such as Health & Safety, Drugs etc. and set standards. 

• Ensure newly qualified nurses are provided with a preceptorship period 

• To promote the principles of Improving Working Lives amongst your team ensuring fairness and equity. 

• Ensure staff sickness is managed proactively within Trust policy. 

• To fully participate in the Trust’s appraisal system review and personal development planning process on an annual basis. 

Patient care delivery 

• Act as an expert practitioner demonstrating specialist knowledge, skills and expertise within the area of work and within the context of changing health care provision. 

• Ensure the control and custody of all medications and drugs in accordance with UHSussex trust policy and statutory regulations. 

• Ensure the needs of older people and their supporters are kept central to practice and service development. 

• Ensure privacy and dignity of patients and clients is key in provision of nursing care and clinical practice of all staff 

Learning and development 

This job description is an outline of the role and responsibilities. From time to time due to the needs of the service, we may ask you to flexibly undertake other duties that are consistent with your role and banding, including project work, internal job rotation and absence cover. 

The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the department and the organisation.