Deputy Charge Nurse - Paediatrics

NHS Ayrshire & Arran; Wishaw; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Leave 35 days

NHS Pension

Incremental salary progression

Paid sick leave

NHS discounts

Job summary

NHS Lanarkshire is recruiting a Deputy Charge Nurse for the Paediatric Unit. You will assess care needs, lead care programmes, and ensure delivery of high-quality paediatric nursing services in a 24-hour unit. This role requires leadership, research involvement, and effective resource management.

You will participate in clinical audit, maintain standards in line with the NMC Code, and promote evidence-based practice while supporting ward management and team development.

Qualifications

• Registered Children's Nurse with valid NMC Registration.
• Educated to/working towards/operating at Degree Level.
• Postgraduate expertise within specialty/practice to lead safety, effectively and efficiently.
• Comprehensive knowledge of clinical guidelines and standards within the specialty.

Responsibilities

• Assess care needs and develop programmes of care; implement and evaluate care.
• Lead and participate in research and audit to ensure best practice.
• Support ward managers and lead paediatric unit management as required.
• Ensure discharge planning starts on admission for elective and emergency patients.
• Maintain high standards of patient care and evidence-based practice.

Skills

NMC Registered Nurse

Degree level

Postgraduate specialist knowledge

Clinical guidelines knowledge

Education

Degree in Nursing (NMC)

Job description

About The Organisation

Here at NHS Lanarkshire, we put the patient at the heart of everything we do. Each colleague within the organisation plays a key role in how we deliver our healthcare services.

About The Organisation

Here at NHS Lanarkshire, we put the patient at the heart of everything we do. Each colleague within the organisation plays a key role in how we deliver our healthcare services.

We proudly serve a population of 655,000 across rural and urban communities in both North and South Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire is comprised of Acute Services (which currently provide hospital based services over 3 main sites), Corporate & Property & Support Services, North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships which provide integrated primary healthcare and social care services to local communities and surrounding areas.

The Role

As part of the multi-disciplinary Team the postholder will have responsibility of assessment of care needs and the development of programmes of care, and/or the implementation and evaluation of these programmes ensuring the delivery of a high quality of service and care for patients. The postholder will provide nursing care in a paediatric setting in accordance with the philosophy and policies outlined by the NMC and to effectively manage the service within his/her control. The postholder will be expected to participate and lead where appropriate, research and audit initiatives that will ensure best practice and the delivery of a responsible effective and efficient service.

The Roll Of The Deputy Charge Nurse Is To Aid The Ward Manager In Leading The Ward Team In Providing The Best Possible Patient Care By

• Being a positive role model.
• Motivating the team, ensuring that each member’s expertise is valued, developed and used to the full.
• Developing clinical practice through audit, research and critically reviewing existing ways of working.
• Ensuring efficient and effective uses of resources.
• To support the ward managers in the provision of paediatric nursing care in accordance with the philosophy and polices outline in the NMC
• To take charge of the unit as required in the absence of the Ward Managers.
• Responsible without supervision for the assessment of care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of care.

The working pattern for this role involves Days/Nights/Weekends

In This Key Role, You Will

• Maintain and where possible improve standards of patient care by assessment of care needs including the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.
• The postholder must be fully complaint with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and other relevant guidance documents, which support and maintain standards of professional practice for nurse and midwives.
• Participate in the day to day management of Paediatric Unit; ensuring acceptable standards of service is achieved throughout 24 hour period.
• Ensure that the process of care planning, including discharge planning, begins prior to (for elective patients) or (for emergency patients) at the point of admission.
• Ensure that as far as possible clinical practice is based on evidence of effectiveness and reflects agreed best practice eg National Standards.

What You'll Bring

• Registered Childrens Nurse with valid NMC Registration
• Educated to/working towards/operating at Degree Level
• Post graduate expertise within speciality / area of practice that demonstrates the required breadth of knowledge required to lead safety, effectively and efficiently.
• Comprehensive knowledge of clinical guidelines and standards within the speciality / area of practice.

What We Offer

As a valued employee of NHS Lanarkshire, you can enjoy an extensive range of benefits including:

• Annual Leave - 35 days including public holidays
• Generous NHS pension scheme
• Annual incremental salary progression
• Paid sick leave increasing with length of service
• NHS discounts and more.

NHS Lanarkshire is dedicated to building a diverse workforce where everyone can thrive, develop, and succeed based on their skills, knowledge, and talent - regardless of race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, or care experience* or any other dimension that can be used to differentiate people from one another.

• Care experienced applicants include those who have lived with foster parents, kinship carers, or in residential/secure children’s settings.