Emergency Department Deputy Sister / Charge Nurse

Emergency Department Deputy Sister / Charge Nurse Band 6

Are you an experienced Band 5 nurse with considerable emergency nursing experience, or a Band 6 nurse with emergency care experience, looking to step up to a leadership role within a dynamic emergency department? This second sized role offers the opportunity to work as a Deputy Sister/Charge Nurse in the Emergency Department at Princess Royal Hospital, Haywards Heath.

The Emergency Department is a 3 bay Resuscitation Room, a large refurbished unit with 15 major cubicles, an Acute Care Unit, and a 3 bay PAT area. It provides 24/7 access to a wide range of specialist services for adults and children. In house training and external courses are available, including Advanced Life Support, Trauma Immediate Life Support, and an emergency care pathway comprised of three university modules.

Main duties of the job

Managerial/Organisational

• Contribute to effective management of the department and maintain a clean, safe working environment.
• Ensure tidy working areas, clean spills, liaise with housekeeping and the Nurse in Charge.
• Attend shifts in all areas of the department, including paediatrics.
• Manage a group of patients effectively and report as required during shifts.
• Use resources efficiently and monitor supplies, reporting problems and escalating to the A&E Nurse in Charge when necessary.
• Assess hazards and take appropriate action.
• Manage incidents, complaints, and other occurrences in line with policy, completing required forms and referrals.
• Demonstrate understanding of clinical governance and risk management.
• Triage and move patients to appropriate areas.
• Collaborate on achieving Government and Trust targets and participate in department meetings and quality improvement projects.

Communication

• Ensure all communication is timely, accurate, honest, and effective.
• Protect patient confidentiality and report information clearly and concisely.
• Communicate with the public, including those with challenging behaviour, learning disabilities, and bereavement.
• Maintain communication with the multidisciplinary team and collaborate on patient care and discharge.
• Provide patients and carers with written and verbal care advice.
• Co operate with all staff in patient care, treatment, and discharge.

Leadership

• Model professional standards and behaviours within the department.
• Participate in mentoring and practice assessment for students and new staff.
• Coordinate patient allocation from ambulance and waiting rooms, ensuring high standards of care.
• Manage dynamic risk changes as patients deteriorate or exhibit challenging behaviour.
• Lead shifts in the Emergency Department, day and night.
• Solely coordinate resus and ensure safe transfer of patients.

Clinical

• Maintain optimum standards of care for all A&E patients.
• Be competent with paediatric patients and serve as lead nurse when required.
• Assess individual patients through prioritisation and continuous evaluation.
• Plan, implement, evaluate, and re evaluate individual care programmes, respecting patient dignity and cultural needs.
• Develop skills in plastering, wound closure, suturing, venepuncture, defibrillation, and maintain competency.
• Work towards completing Emergency Care Association level 2 framework competencies.
• Ensure nursing care complies with departmental, NMC, and Trust policies, protocols, and guidelines.
• Handle heavy patients/objects in accordance with the Trust Moving and Handling Policy.
• Maintain provider status in extended resus courses such as TILS, ALS, NIV.

Research

• Promote and collaborate in an environment where patients, visitors, and staff feel valued.
• Base nursing practice on current research findings and informed professional knowledge.
• Contribute to the review of clinical standards and practices, initiating improvements in collaboration with managers and audit teams.
• Participate in accurate data collection and audit related to Government targets.

Education

• Support learning and professional development of staff and students.
• Obtain and maintain emergency procedure training, including major incident, cardiac arrest calls, medical emergencies, and fire emergencies.
• Identify education needs with the team leader and ensure completion of necessary training, including level 2 ECA competencies.
• Act as a practice assessor for student nurses and care assistants.
• Provide appropriate health promotion and education to patients, carers, and visitors.
• Participate in in house forums and training relating to emergency care.
• Attend mandatory training and keep it updated.
• Participate in staff appraisals as directed by senior team.

Person specification Qualifications

• NMC Registered
• Postgraduate degree or equivalent, or working towards one
• Practice assessor or mentorship module completion
• Minor Injuries module or A&E Course
• Leadership course

Training

• Triage competent
• Practice Assessor or mentorship module completion
• ED modules/course
• TILS or equivalent level 1 trauma course
• ALS
• Critical care and minor injury skills
• APLS

Experience

• Significant emergency, acute or critical care experience
• Evidence of link roles, involvement in a quality improvement project

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

• Evidence of having championed diversity in previous roles (as appropriate to role)
• Evidence of undertaking own development to improve understanding of equalities issues

We are a Disability Confident Employer (Level 3) and a Veteran Aware Trust.