IPU Team Leader

Integrated Care System; Lewes; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider seeks an IPU Team Leader to enhance patient care delivery in a collaborative environment. This role is ideal for a compassionate and skilled nurse aspiring to make a difference in end-of-life care while overseeing a team of professionals. By joining, you'll lead patient-centered initiatives and ensure effective operational management in a supportive setting, with ongoing professional development opportunities.

Benefits

Professional development opportunities

Supportive team environment

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with NMC registration.
• Commitment to undertake level 6 study in leadership.
• Experience in palliative care setting.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality, patient-centred care.
• Collaborate in Multi-Disciplinary Teams.
• Provide mentorship to students and junior staff.

Skills

Leadership

Empathy

Communication

Palliative Care Knowledge

Education

Degree in Nursing (Level 6)

Job description

Are you driven to support and empower clinical team members in delivering compassionate, high-quality care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses?

At St Peter & St James Hospice, we are seeking an IPU Team Leader to join our dedicated team. This is a perfect opportunity for a compassionate, skilled, and proactive nurse who wants deliver expert palliative and end-of-life care in a supportive and collaborative environment. This role is a great opportunity for an experienced nurse ready to take the next step in their career without (yet) having the responsibilities of an IPU Ward Manager.

• Location: St Peter & St James Hospice, Haywards Heath, BN8 4ED
• Salary: Clinical Band 6, £38,085- £45,861 per annum, dependent on experience
• Hours:Full-time, 37.5 hours per week
• Closing Date: 25th July 2025

We encourage you to apply directly via our website to give us the opportunity to contact you for an informal discussion ahead of the closing date (See 'Supporting Links').

St Peter and St James Hospice provides specialist palliative and end of life care both in the community and at our hospice, supporting patients living with a terminal illness, and their loved ones.

This post provides necessary support in managing our growing and varied team of clinical professionals, and progressing towards our organisational aims and vision.

Main duties of the job

Your role will involve:

• Deliver high-quality, patient-centred care by holistically addressingneeds, promoting dignity and independence.
• Collaborate and Lead in Multi-Disciplinary Teams.
• Use clinical expertise and advanced communication to assess complex symptoms, interpret investigations, and support end-of-life discussions and decision-making.
• Support a range of healthcare professionals and volunteers, overseeing performance, recruitment, and development.
• Providing teaching and mentorship to students and junior staff, supporting professional development.
• Contributing to Governance and Quality Improvement

We introduced the role of IPU Team Leader to support the IPU Ward Manager in delivering operational management of Registered Nurses, Nursing Assistants, Healthcare Assistants as well as IPU Ward Volunteers. This post will provide necessary support in managing our growing and varied team of clinical professionals, and progressing towards our organisational aims and vision.

Who are we looking for:

• Experienced Registered Nurse with NMC registration.
• Educated to degree level (level 6).
• Commitment to undertake level 6 study in leadership (if not obtained already).
• Naturally inclined to lead by example, inspiring others and developing their skills to collectively delivery excellent care.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership through engagement with innovation in practice.
• Ability to demonstrate an empathic and collaborative approach to the Team leader role.

About us

St Peter & St James Hospice is a leading provider of specialist palliative and end of life care for our Mid-Sussex community.

People affected by life-limiting illness are central to everything we do and it is our mission to ensure they receive the best possible care, in the right place, at the right time.Our services are free of charge can be accessed at home, in a care setting, or at the Hospice in North Chailey.

We achieve our goals through the organisations talented people, by attracting, retaining and developing a highly skilled, diverse and engaged workforce.Over 150 employees and 400 volunteers work in a variety of roles across our Clinical Services, Retail and Support Functions.

• Autonomous, meaningful work: Provide expert palliative care, working closely with patients, families, and healthcare professionals.
• Supportive team: Work alongside experienced nurses, doctors, and specialists in a compassionate environment.
• Professional development: We offer training, leadership opportunities, and funding for further education to help you grow in your career.
• Flexible and rewarding: A role that allows you to manage your workload effectively while making a tangible impact.

We encourage you to apply directly via our website to give us the opportunity to contact you for an informal discussion ahead of the closing date (See 'Supporting Links').

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Alice Thomas, IPU Ward Manager at [e-mail].

Job responsibilities

1. Work collaboratively with other Health care professionals to provide patient care which promotes best practice and maintains the patients optimum independence.

2. Uses outcome and complexity measurements (OACC) competently and understands theimportance of accurate data management for care services.

3. Work with patients and families to create management plans addressing their individual physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs reflecting the holistic principles of palliative care andalways promoting dignity.

4. Demonstrate specialist clinical knowledge and expertise in palliative care to provide excellentpatient care and to recognise the need for, instigate and interpret complex information andclinical investigations to address reversible causes of symptoms.

5. Demonstrate knowledge in symptom control to ensure the patients symptoms are addressed,and to guide other members of the health care team.

6. Demonstrate advanced communication skills with patients, carers and other health careprofessionals both face to face and via the telephone to share and gather information, offersupport and advice and, initiate conversations with patients and their families to enable them tomake informed decisions about their care at end of life. Initiate and lead conversationssurrounding advance care planning ensuring patients and carers are aware of choices at eachstage.

7. Recognise signs of dying to initiate anticipatory prescribing so that symptoms can be addressed.

8. Ensure clinical competencies are maintained and attend annual mandatory clinical updatetraining.

9. Maintain practical skills such as venepuncture, management of PICC lines, and male / femalecatheterisation and intravenous drug administration.

10. To complete the Team Leader competencies within an acceptable period and providecompetency folder for validation when requested.

11. To participate in own clinical supervision ensuring personal wellbeing and resilience and safepractice.

12. To ensure adequate ordering to control stocks of medical supplies and drugs.

13. To maintain accurate records, written and computerised. To maintain minimum datarequirements for accessing and recording information in accordance with St Peter and St Jamesdocumentation standard, NMC Guidelines for Records and Record Keeping (2009), NMC Code ofProfessional Conduct (2008) and hospice Information Governance Policies.

14. To always maintain confidentiality and to comply with the Hospice policy on InformationGovernance, thus ensuring security in the management and use of information.

15. Work within the boundaries of a multi-disciplinary team, instigate, lead, and contribute to multi-disciplinary discussions, including multidisciplinary team meetings, and refer to other membersof the team to enhance patient care.

16. To plan, organise and allocate staff according to competencies, workload, and patientdependency to provide excellent patient care and best use of resources, across all hospiceservices.

17. Frequently undertake the role of the nurse in charge.

18. To supervise Registered Nurses and Health Care Assistants and support them in areas in whichthey need development to enable the team to provide an excellent standard of care.

19. To undertake personal development review meetings with designated RNs and HCAs, planningtheir objectives and monitoring progress.

20. To monitor and manage staff absence in line with hospice policies and procedures.

21. To develop skills in managing poor practice and, in conjunction with Nurse Managers, develop,implement, and evaluate personal development plans.

22. To take part in the recruitment and induction of new staff.

23. Represent the hospice by attending and participating in internal and external meetingsproviding a level of expertise that will enhance its credibility.

24. To be flexible within the hospice and within working hours to provide appropriate delivery ofservice on a rolling seven-day rota basis.

25. To take part in the senior nurse on call rota.

26. To promote a culture of collaboration across all hospice services, including flexibility to work inother areas where demand requires.

27. To demonstrate best practice in approaches to diversity and inclusion.

28. To contribute to close working relationships with all personnel and to help to build an open andhonest culture that facilitates learning, creativity, and excellence.

29. To be empathetic and courteous to patients and their relatives, always treating them with careand consideration and referring any issues or incidents directly to management/nursing staff.

30. To undertake any other duties at the request of the line manager which are commensurate withthe role including project work and absence cover.

31. To take part in clinical audit and undertake risk assessments in line with the hospice clinicalgovernance processes.

32. To demonstrate leadership through engagement with innovation in practice.

33. Support in the management of ward support volunteers.

34. To participate in teaching and education programmes and assist in mentoring junior staff,student nurses and nursing assistants.

35. To take part, under supervision, in investigations into complaints or incidents, completing therelevant sections of the accident, incident and near miss reports.

36. To maintain active registration on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register and meet therequirements of nurse revalidation.

37. To always comply with the policies and procedures of St Peter and St James Hospice.

38. Demonstrate presentation skills to actively contribute to education and training both internallyand externally as part of sharing good practice to enhance patient care.

39. To undertake mentorship of student nurses and return to practice nurses.

40. To undertake training as necessary in line with development of the post.

41. To participate fully in the performance management process and undertake ContinuingProfessional Development as required.

42. To achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development withinagreed timescales.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Experienced Registered Nurse with NMC registration.
• Educated to degree level (Level 6).
• Level 6 Leadership qualification or commitment to undertake level 6 study in leadership (if not obtained already).

Experience

• Experience of assessing and planning care for patients.
• Experience of co-ordination clinical shifts.
• Evidence of practice in a palliative care setting.
• Evidence of recent professional development.

Other Knowledge, skills and personal qualities

• Ability to handle feedback from patients and carers, including
• complaints, sensitively and in a timely manner.
• Demonstrable knowledge in symptom control to ensure the
• patients symptoms are addressed, and to guide other members
• of the health care team.
• Ability to maintain accurate written and computerised records,
• and minimum data requirements for accessing and recording
• information in accordance with NMC Guidelines for Records and
• Record Keeping (2009) and Code of Professional Conduct (2008).
• Strong leadership and effective delegation skills.
• Empathetic and courteous, always treating patients and their
• loved ones with care and consideration.
• Ability to work flexible shifts and take part in the senior nurse on call rota to provide appropriate delivery of service on a rolling
• seven-day rota basis.
• Willingness to participate in own clinical supervision ensuring
• personal wellbeing and resilience and safe practice.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership through engagement with
• innovation in practice.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership through engagement with
• innovation in practice.
• Post-registration education in a relevant subject.

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.