Sister/Charge Nurse - Adult IPU

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Regularly takes responsibility for being the nurse in charge, carrying out holistic nursing assessments and formulating individualised plans for patient care, managing frequent changes, and leading the shift.
• Responsible for delegating workload to staff, ensure nursing care is delivered to the highest standard and reflects the needs of the patient.
• Ensure that, as far as possible, family and / or carers are included in guiding the care provided and can deliver care where it is safe, and they wish to do so.
• Always maintain confidentiality.
• Uses skills to assess and interpret patient conditions and takes appropriate action
• Liaise with other professionals working within primary and secondary care settings, regarding care when required.
• Accountable for adhering to medicines management policy.
• Always act as an advocate for patient / children and young people.

• Provide support for families and other carers, prior to and following a death, involving other agencies or disciplines when appropriate.
• To be an expert in communication, often leading conversations with distressed patients and relatives and providing supervision and support to the wider team
• Assist medical staff in chaperoning patients, supporting discussions and management of their care.
• Assesses, plans, implements, and evaluates specialist palliative clinical care for patients
• Participate in the education of other professional and non-professional staff.
• Be prepared to mentor students from educational establishments on clinical placements.
• Be prepared for frequent exposure to a variety of circumstances such body odours, bodily fluids, and challenging situations.
• Work as part of a team supporting community hospice services and RADs patients.
• To make decisions appropriate to level of responsibility and be able to justify managing complex priorities on shift.
• To escalate concerns to Ward Manager, Matron, or designated on call Senior Nurse if decisions are required outside of scope of responsibility
• To participate in complex moving and handling scenarios with patients with additional needs, using specialist moving equipment and hoists
• To lead a shift for the full duration which can be up to 13 hours and include day, night, and weekend working
• To maintain contemporaneous patient records
• Act up in the absence of the Ward Manager with the support of the IPU Matron.