Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Planning and Organisational Duties

• Manage and organise the Emergency Care Centre on a daily basis, by co-ordinating the activities of the unit team and effective deployment of resources.
• Responsible for staff management issues including the delivery and implementation of a comprehensive range of HR duties.
• Identifies, maintains and improves the quality of patient flow during admission and discharge periods through the implementation of best practice.
• Allocates / deploys staff both medical and nursing in response to service demand and patients’ needs.
• Implements best practice and delivery of high standard of nursing care.
• Ensure that staff adheres to Trust procedures and protocols
• Responsible for ensuring compliance with local and national targets.
• Ensures appropriate staffing levels and skill mix in accordance with unit needs.
• Plans, reviews and adjusts staff rosters in accordance with unit/organisational requirements.
• Arrange the reception, transfer and discharge of patients in accordance with the unit’s policies and procedures, through effective liaison with the multidisciplinary team, other disciplines and if necessary external agencies.
• Ensure that effective communication is maintained both within the ward itself and with other relevant external agencies or individuals to ensure the management of the service meets the demands.
• Organise own workload and adjust priorities in response to issues arising in the workplace.
• Recognise and respond appropriately to issues, which require urgent or immediate attention, reporting to other members of the multidisciplinary/management team as necessary.
• Provides support to the organisation in the maintenance of equipment to ensure quality control standards are met.
• Co-ordinate change management strategies in providing an effective and efficient emergency care service.
• Responsibility to keep Matron informed regarding relevant clinical and personnel issues.
• Deputise for the Matron as requested at meetings and other events.
• Ensure self and staff comply with Trust’s policies, procedures and clinical guidelines.
• Responsible for proactive risk recognition, record and report untoward incidents and actively carry out steps to minimise further risk.
• Participate in the Trust’s quality monitoring programme.
• Ensure all staff are aware of major Incident / decontamination procedures.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Responsible for ensuring all patients are triaged and have a comprehensive assessment of their nursing needs.
• Maintains a responsibility for ensuring that patient’s care is planned, implemented and evaluated in accordance with their individual health care needs and varying levels of complexity.
• Provides expert nursing intervention and makes complex judgements when specialist knowledge and experience are required in ensuring optimum care and treatment is maintained.
• Support the provision of health education during patient consultations.
• Ensure that patients and their relatives are properly informed about their condition, treatment and expected outcomes.
• Ensure the accurate maintenance of records is compliant with legal, professional and organisational standards.
• Collect, analyse and evaluate information, report and act in accordance with unit protocols and guidelines.
• Work in close collaboration with members of multidisciplinary team to ensure that patient needs are met.
• Undertakes investigative procedures in accordance with unit guidelines. Interpreting and acting upon results as appropriate.
• Maintains safe administration of medicines, concordant with the NMC and Trust policies.
• Supervise and direct the work of more junior staff be ensuring that instructions regarding ongoing patient care needs are followed.
• Recognise and respond appropriately to urgent and emergency situations.
• To ensure effective communication and sensitivity is maintained when dealing with people regarding difficult matters and / or difficult situations, in highly complex situations with both patients and relatives e.g. sudden bereavement, violence and aggression.
• To manage highly complex patient needs in resuscitation e.g. Trauma, cardiac arrest, thrombolysis, intubated patients, sudden death and paediatric acute illness.
• To support staff in dealing with sudden, traumatic difficult situations.
• Responsibility to maintain professional accountability through the practice of safe standards in compliance with the NMC Code of Conduct.
• Undertake additional training to develop extended skills e.g. nurse generated x-ray and PGD’s.
• Participates in the management of complaints, responding to and taking appropriate action.
• Records and reports untoward incidents to the unit manager and in their absence, actively carries out steps to minimise further risk as advised.
• To work as an Emergency Nurse Practitioner, following appropriate training. To receive patients directly with undiagnosed minor injuries / illnesses. Assess, diagnose, prescribe and treat those patients consulting with senior colleagues as necessary.
• Complete Occupational Health referral forms as necessary

Responsibility for Research

• Maintains personal, professional knowledge and understanding of current issues relating to Emergency Care through commitment to self-development and through additional studying and reading.
• Promotes and demonstrates innovative practice and implements changes required to meet the changing needs of the service.
• Deliver nursing care on the basis of available valid evidence and as a detailed in clinical guidelines and protocols.
• Monitors and evaluates standards of care and contributes to the development of health care services.
• Take a lead role in the audit within the unit sharing learning with others and assist in ensuring that identified scope for improvement is realised.
• Participates in the development and application of evidence-based practice within care delivery.
• Facilitate a supportive learning environment for all levels of staff including student nurses.
• Supervises the role of mentor/preceptorship/supervisor to other members of the unit team as appropriate.
• Assist members of the unit team to identify their own training and development needs and support them in achieving individual goals.
• Formally assess the competence of staff and students producing verbal and written reports as required by the unit manager, the university or other departments or agencies.
• Deliver health education to patients and their families in accordance with their needs.
• Ensure own compliance and compliance of others with regards to mandatory training and PREP requirements.
• Participate in teaching/training sessions to all grades of staff.
• Promotes the nursing and midwifery strategy and encourages staff to be involved in achievement of standards.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Maintain effective communication, both written and verbal with all professional colleagues, hospital departments and other agencies in co-ordinating the overall management of patient needs.
• Adhere to Trust policies and maintenance of the professional Code of Conduct.
•  Maintain effective communication skills to liaise with patients, staff and visitors to receive and process information maintaining confidentiality.
• Utilise the Trusts IT resources appropriately and in adherence to policies and procedures.
• Maintain accurate and legible records.
• Attend departmental and directorate meetings as required and disseminate necessary information to the staff.
• Responsible for the day-to-day management and supervision of a group of staff.
• Manages the unit including the deployment and supervision of staff, ensuring that trusts policies and procedures are adhered to.
• Actively involved in selection, recruitment and retention of staff
• Actively conducts IPR/PDP process. Undertakes IPR/PDP of staff to monitor their performance and identify corporate and individual objectives
• Implements the Trusts attendance management policy and monitors staff sickness.
• Plans, supervises and monitors staff rostering to facilitate maximum care delivery in line with Improving Working Lives initiatives.
• Ensure that all newly appointed staff receive an induction to the unit and obtain mentorship as appropriate.
• Act as a role model and leader by means of personal example and direct involvement in the professional activities of the unit.
• Responsible for maintaining own professional accountability through the practice of safe standards in compliance with NMC policies.
• Ensure that all staff understand and adhere to the relevant policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Contribute to ensuring the effective use of all resources.
• Maintain adequate stock levels and ensure appropriate ordering of stock.
• Provides support in the maintenance of a balanced budget and identifies changes in the service delivery to increase efficiency in conjunction with the divisional and unit managers.
• Ensures that each individual patient receives prescribed treatment and the most appropriate cost-effective care within the resources available.