RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Lead the OPD nursing team to ensure the safe, efficient, and coordinated delivery of OPD services while acting as an advocate for patients and their families.
• Support registered nurses in developing skills and competencies in order to fulfil their roles and responsibilities.
• Assess nursing practice development needs within the department.
• Be responsible for ensuring an optimum outpatient environment for patients and their families including the appropriate supports for registered nurses to deliver person centred care.
• Adhere to, develop and disseminate best practice policies, procedures, protocols and guidelines based on evidence based practice to support the department, in collaboration with other members of the nursing and multidisciplinary team.
• Participate in continuous quality improvement processes such as audit, action based outcomes, validation projects and patient satisfaction surveys.
• Initiate, participate in relevant nursing research. Promote awareness of ongoing and current research and new developments into issues affecting patient care and patient experience within the OPD Department.
• Be an active leader in the development of quality improvement projects/initiatives within the OPD department.
• Evaluate patient pathways and optimise the patient journey.
• Foster good working relationships with all members of the clinical team.
• Maintain accurate records complying with legislation and best practice.
• Demonstrate expert knowledge of and clinical expertise in the delivery of patient care.
• Liaise with relevant stakeholders in relation to the planning and implementation of patient flow initiatives.
• Implement the strategic vision and direction of nursing, and support nursing staff in Mercy University Hospital.
• Ensure that the requirements of NMBI for the practice of professional nursing are met and upheld at all times.
• Ensure that modern standards of clinical nursing care are in operation and that regular monitoring of nursing care is undertaken through audit.
• Use the outcomes of audit to develop action plans and support their implementation.
• Foster a culture of audit and action based outcomes.