Community Nursing Sister

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is an integrated community and acute trust providing a seamless service to residents of the borough.

We are committed to delivering best quality care to our patients closer to home which was reflected by a rating of 'Good' from the Care Quality Commission.

This is a 6 months fixed term contract.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Main duties of the job

We currently have opportunities for Community Band 6 nurses to join our team, working in the London Borough of Lewisham. We cover all areas of the Lewisham Borough and the role could be based in any one of our 4 neighbourhoods.

You might already be a band 6 looking for your next role, or an experienced band 5 nurse with hospital or community experience looking to develop your skills and knowledge. Either way we can support you with a robust training package which will give you the skills you need to succeed.

The successful candidate will be experienced in caring for patients with a variety of long term conditions and, with a desire to develop their leadership skills. Applicants will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge and evidence-based practice to community care.

The aim of our service is to enable patients to stay at home longer, and leave hospitals faster, maximising their potential for independence and wellbeing.

As no two days are the same in the community, you will be working with a large degree of autonomy and accountability, with the care you are giving makes a real difference to your patients and those important to them.

Job responsibilities

1. To be accountable and responsible for the management of a district nursing team and the delegation of workload as appropriate.
2. To supervise a skill mix team of nurses, assistant practitioners & health care support workers.
3. To manage the capacity and demand of the workload efficiently, economically and escalate any concerns appropriately.
4. To act as a role model and motivate team members.
5. To facilitate future learning for staff and students.
6. To prioritise and assist in the investigation and management of complaints according to Trust policy.
7. To maintain accurate and complete records of activities and communications relating to patients in a timely manner in line with Trust and NMC standards for record keeping.
8. To actively participate in the recruitment and selection process.
9. To ensure all new staff, temporary staff and student nurses are inducted and orientated appropriately.
10. To contribute to any audits/research/benchmarking as required.
11. To record all 1-1 meetings and communication regarding staff management and performance.
12. To communicate clear expectations to staff & colleagues, manage performance and champion change.
13. To manage staff absences and conduct return to work interviews escalating all performance concerns in line with Trust HR policies and procedures.
14. To ensure that all staff are up-to-date with mandatory and statutory training, appraisals and personal development plans.
15. Act to safeguard vulnerable children and adults in the community.
16. Report and escalate all incidents and near misses in accordance with Trust Policy.

Person Specification

Qualifications and Training

• Registered Nurse - Adult.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Recognised teaching and mentoring qualification.
• Registered Nurse Prescriber or Prescribing qualification.
• Educated to Degree level or Equivalent (for example, District Nursing, Practice Nursing, Long Term Conditions, Advanced Nursing Assessments).

Experience

• Previous experience of managing people.
• Experience of working in partnership with other professionals to enhance the patient experience.
• Experience of service development and undertaking clinical audits.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of patient pathways and the ability to maintain focus on the service user.
• Knowledge of safeguarding vulnerable adults.
• Knowledge of how to manage budgets and resources.
• Knowledge of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, standards of conduct and ethics and its application to nursing practice.
• Understands diversity and values differences and observes equal opportunities guidelines.

Personal Qualities

• Demonstrates effective leadership and management skills to deliver results through others.
• Possesses self-management skills with the ability to plan and prioritise the district nursing caseload as well as own workload.
• Demonstrates proficiency in information management and technology including the use of RiO, Microsoft Office and other software used by the Trust.
• Advocates for patients for a seamless journey through the various pathways in Health & Social Care.
• Accurately records all intervention and decisions around patient care within Trust's timeframes.
• Responds to complaints and incidents in a way that encourages reflection on own and team performance to improve practice.
• Respects the customs, values and spiritual beliefs of patients and colleagues; demonstrating non-discriminating practice in all aspects of work.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

District Nursing - based across the borough of Lewisham.

£37,338 to £44,962 a year plus HCA.

Contract

Permanent.

Working pattern

Full-time.

Reference number

197-AJ6497A.

Job locations

District Nursing - based across the borough of Lewisham.