Sister/Charge Nurse

The Christie International; Manchester; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

The Christie in Manchester is seeking a dynamic Sister/Charge Nurse (Band 6) to lead the Acute Assessment Unit. The post requires substantial experience in acute oncology nursing and strong leadership to act as a clinical lead and role model for the team.

You will deputise for the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse, ensure safe staffing, develop teams, and drive practice development while maintaining high standards of patient care and safety across shifts.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in Acute Oncology nursing.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to act as a role model.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with the MDT.

Responsibilities

• Deputise for and support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.
• Lead the AAU team and ensure appropriate skill mix and deployment.
• Maintain a safe environment and escalate issues as needed.
• Develop staff through personal development plans and mentorship.
• Ensure adherence to Trust policies and contribute to practice development.
• Lead on patient safety and satisfaction during shifts.

Skills

Acute Oncology nursing

Leadership

Communication skills

Mentoring / coaching

Education

Nursing degree/diploma

Post-registration cancer/acute care

Job description

Sister/Charge Nurse (Band 6) 3 4 .5 Hours/per week

The AAU is a busy, dynamic unit which assesses, and plans care for a range of patients presenting with oncological emergencies, treatment related side effects and symptom control needs. We work alongside acute care physicians who are based on the unit and work with the MDT to implement a high standard of care for all of our patients.

The successful candidate will need to have significant experience in Acute Oncology nursing . They will also need to have strong leadership skills, be a positive role model within the team and have quality care at the for front of everything they do.

A key aspect of the role is to be a clinical lead on the unit. The role is also supporting the Senior Charge Nurse to ensure the units are safely staffed, to develop the teams, to contribute to practice development and maintain standards on the unit. The successful candidate will need excellent communication skills, and be able to work productively with other members of the team – both across AAU and externally.

A key aspect to the role is supporting the Senior Charge Nurse to ensure the unit is safely staffed, to develop the teams and to contribute to practice development. You will also be the lead for patient’s safety and satisfaction on the shift. The successful candidate will need excellent communication skills and be able to work productively with other members of the team.

Main duties of the job

• To deputise for and support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.
• Be responsible for and maintain a safe environment, escalating issues appropriately
• Monitor admissions are in compliance with admissions policy, monitoring and escalating breaches
• Provide a welcoming and approachable management support ethic for new staff , AAU junior staff and act as mentor to designated staff ensuring each staff member participates in a personal development plan and act to maximise the potential of others
• Act as team leader for the AAU team, ensuring that they are compliant with training requirements.
• Assess, plan and implement clinical care and maintain associated patient records. Involving auditing appropriate documentation as per care indicators
• Lead the team to provide high quality patient care and show compassion and respect to all.
• To organise daily work schedule ensuring appropriate and effective skill mix and deployment of staff for appropriate patient needs
• To have an awareness of the staff and non-staff budget
• Be aware of Health and Safety issues and ensure relevant risk assessments are undertaken.
• Report and record all accidents and complaints according to the agreed policy, investigating speedily and compassionately
• Ensure all trust policies and procedures are adhered to and new ones implemented as necessary
• Regularly liaise and report to Department Manager/Senior Nursing team on unit affairs and staff development.

Working for our organisation

The Christie is one of Europe’s leading cancer centres, looking after more than 64,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 25% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country.

We are the largest radiotherapy provider in the NHS with one in 20 treatments delivered at The Christie. We have up to 15 linear accelerators operating across our network of sites. We operate the largest chemotherapy unit in the UK on our main site and treatments are also provided at 13 other networked sites, and in patients homes. And as a specialist tertiary surgical centre, we focus on rare cancers, complex procedures, and multidisciplinary approaches to cancer surgery, specialising in colorectal, peritoneal, gynaecological, urological and plastic surgery.

We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We have been named by the UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), as one of the best hospitals providing opportunities for patients to participate in clinical research studies, with more than 800 studies open at any time, caring for over 3,000 patients.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Management and Administration

1. To deputise for and support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.
2. Be responsible for and maintain a safe environment, escalating issues appropriately
3. Monitor admissions are in compliance with admissions policy, monitoring and escalating breaches
4. Provide a welcoming and approachable management support ethic for new staff, AAU junior staff and act as mentor to designated staff ensuring each staff member participates in a personal development plan and act to maximise the potential of others.
5. Act as team leader for the AAU team, ensuring that they are compliant with training requirements.
6. Assess, plan and implement clinical care and maintain associated patient records. Involving auditing appropriate documentation as per care indicators
7. To organise daily work schedule ensuring appropriate and effective skill mix and deployment of staff for appropriate patient needs
8. To have an awareness of the staff and non staff budget
9. Be aware of Health and Safety issues and ensure relevant risk assessments are undertaken.
10. Report and record all accidents and complaints according to the agreed policy, investigating speedily and compassionately
11. Ensure all trust policies and procedures are adhered to and new ones implemented as necessary
12. Regularly liaise and report to Department Manager/Senior Nursing team on unit affairs and staff development.
13. Assist in nursing recruitment process when required
14. Take a progressive approach to the management of short and long-term sickness/absence in collaboration with the Department manager/Senior Nursing team.

Training and Education

1. Participate and undertake research and audit which will influence practice
2. To be up to date in all IV training programs including annual updates and competent in all areas of clinical practice including assessment of critically ill patient and competent in performing ECG’s and blood transfusions.
3. Attend all mandatory study days

Professional

1. Act as a resource giving advice and support to nursing staff regarding emergency admissions and associated issues
2. Liaise closely with the medical team and other members of the MDT in respect of patient care promoting the highest standard of care
3. To develop and maintain a professional interest in all aspects of nursing and associated research
4. To actively seek to review unit performance and workflow, identifying areas for improvement/development, and developing strategies to progress these.

Personal

1. Demonstrate a pleasant and approachable manner and help create and promote a good working relationship.
2. Show professional and courteous manner whilst practicing excellent communication skills at all levels
3. To show respect for members of the team and endorse the AAU philosophy of giving mutual support.
4. Being aware of one’s own limitations, maintain confidentiality and adherence to NMC Professional Code of Conduct
5. Cooperate in own performance review by indicating learning goals and support needs.
6. Actively seek mentorship / supervision to enable reflection and development within the role.
7. Maintain confidentiality with regard to patient information both at work and outside of working hours
8. To be aware of and adhere to all policies including; sickness and absence, confidentiality, uniform and responsibilities under the Health and Safety at work act and be familiar with all risk assessments pertinent to the AAU
9. Report and record all accidents and complaints according to the agreed policy
10. Demonstrates the agreed set of values and accountable for own attitude and behaviour

Person specification

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Nursing Studies
• Post Registration Certificate in Cancer/Acute care or equivalent level of experience
• Teaching & assessing certificate or equivalent experience
• Management Course

Experience

• Experienced in and clinically competent oncology or emergency care
• Experience of leading a clinical team successfully
• Managerial experience

Skills

• Ability to deliver a high quality of care
• Understanding of need for evidence based practice
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills

Knowledge

• Committed to own personal professional development and that of all ward staff
• Confidence in assessing oncological emergencies.

Values

• Ability to demonstrate the organisational values and behaviours

The closing date for this post may be extended if there are insufficient applicants or brought forward if there is a high volume of applicants.

Sponsorship Information

We are an approved sponsoring organisation. Applications will be considered from applicants requiring sponsorship alongside all other applications. Please be aware, not all roles are eligible for sponsorship. You can review the list of eligible role and requirements on the government website.

Pre-Employment Checks

To confirm your suitability for the role, we will carry out pre-employment checks in line with NHS Employment Check Standards . These include:

• Identity verification
• Right to work check
• Disclosure and barring service (DBS)/Criminal record check (dependent on role, payment of this will be the applicants responsibility)
• Professional registration and/or qualification check
• Occupational health assessment
• Employment history and reference validation

All applicants external to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust will be required to provide their HMRC employment history to cover the most recent three years employment. This information will used to validate employment history andreferences.

If you require sponsorship, we will assess your eligibility based on current government guidance. If the role is not eligible and you cannot demonstrate your right to work, your conditional offer may be withdrawn.

The Inter-Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and will form part of the recruitment process. In the event that you are successful following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

No Smoking Policy

You should be aware the Trust operates a No Smoking Policy and therefore employees are not permitted to smoke at work.

Additional Information

We want to ensure that everyone who works at the Christie or uses our services is welcomed, valued and treated with dignity and respect.The Christie values diversity and is committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all and fair representation across the organisation at all levels. In support of these commitments, we particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority people and people with disabilities for this post. Appointment will be only on merit.

We are committed to creating a balanced and diverse workforce. As such we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. Together we will foster inclusion and tackle inequity and health inequalities in cancer care.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust is committed to the highest standards of ethical conduct and integrity in all our activities. We have a zero-tolerance approach to modern slavery in any of its forms, including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking. We are fully committed to acting ethically and with transparency in all our business dealings and relationships, and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure modern slavery is not taking place anywhere in our organisation or supply chains.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.