Senior Sister / Charge Nurse- Emergency Department

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here.

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

This is an exciting and challenging time within the QEH Medicine Division with Lewisham and Greenwich Healthcare Trust.

An opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Senior Sister for the Emergency Department within the Queen Elizabeth Site.

We are seeking an experienced, passionate, dynamic and forward thinking individual to join our existing team.

The senior sister/ charge nurse's role is to ensure the quality and safety of all patients within the department and to ensure that a high standard of clinical care is delivered by the entire multidisciplinary team at all times.

The ED is very high paced and requires a leader with good time management skills. The successful candidate will need to be passionate about ensuring that the workforce you lead delivers the highest standards of care to all patients and ensuring the patient experience is positive.

You will be required to demonstrate effective and sustainable leadership and management skills, whilst working and advising as the clinical expert.

Effective communication, a strong collaborative approach and the ability to engage the nursing workforce and multidisciplinary team within an ever-changing, ever-challenging environment is essential.

We offer a friendly supportive environment that values individuals in their personal and professional development.

Main duties of the job

To receive, assess and treat adult patients involved in an accident or having an acute illness, prior to hospital admission or discharge back into the community.

To provide a working environment where patients receive a high standard of care, and which is conducive to the education and development of nursing and medical staff, wishing to specialise or gain experience in ED care.

To accept patients referred by their General Practitioner to the on-call teams for urgent assessment and when appropriate, admission.

To have continuing responsibility in liaison with other band 7 post holders for the quality of nursing care delivery, and for the management and co-ordination of the ED and the areas within it.

To provide guidance, support and clinical leadership to all nursing staff within the ED.

To demonstrate as a clinical expert and have overall continuing responsibility for the delivery of high-quality patient care in the department, demonstrating clinical leadership while on duty.

To manage and be responsible for the supervision and development of a large multi-disciplinary team consisting of all grades of nursing staff, students and support workers.

To effectively manage the department resources including, pay and non-pay budgets, human resources and the clinical environment with the support of the matron.

To contribute to the development of policies and evidence-based practice as appropriate.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development.
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability.
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability.
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development.
5. Making equalities mainstream.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Actively participate in the clinical and operational management of the ED.

Be able to assume the role of Majors Co-ordinator, Resus Co-ordinator or in the absence of the Clinical Nurse Managers assume the role of Nurse in Charge.

Practise and promote nursing care to the highest standards, in accordance with the Trust's policies, procedures and the NMC guidelines / professional code of conduct.

Maintain up to date knowledge of current research and practice and ensure that this is reflected in practice throughout the Directorate.

Take responsibility for own professional growth, development and motivation including participation in Clinical Supervision.

Perform an expanded role of duties including Phlebotomy, IV Cannulation, Suturing and Plastering etc.

Having regard to the workload of, and the pressures on colleagues, inform the Clinical Nurse Managers / Matron if these are seen to jeopardise safe standards of practice.

Practise in a professional manner at all times, acting as a role model and resource for the peers and junior colleagues, whilst offering support and leadership.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

Essential criteria

• RGN
• Post Reg A&E Nursing qualification or equivalent
• Evidence of continuing professional development and a practice assessor qualification essential
• Level 2 Trauma Qualification ALS
• Evidence of CPD and study at level 6

Desirable criteria

• Studying at a Masters level or planning to study at it equivalent.

Work Experience

Essential criteria

• Minimum of 5 years recent post reg. experience in ED setting within the NHS, 2 of which must be as a Senior 6 or equivalent.

Desirable criteria

• Preferably 6 months experience in at least one other A&E department.

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Articulate, literate and numerate.
• Evidence of leadership skills.
• Evidence of organisation skills.
• Evidence of ability to manage and supervise staff.

Desirable criteria

• First level management training.

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

• Job Description and Candidate Information Pack (PDF, 319.0KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)
• Visa and Certificate of Sponsorship Information for Applicants (PDF, 3.8MB)