Junior Sister - Thomas Cook Children’s Critical Care

at  Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

We are seeking Band 6 Junior Sisters/Charge Nurses who ideally have significant experience working within a paediatric critical care or HDU setting and who have undertaken a relevant HDU course. Adult qualified nurses with critical care experience or paediatric experience will also be considered. You will be supported via a comprehensive development programme including local competencies, a preceptorship programme and a clear career pathway. Future opportunities include the PICU course and other specialist courses.
Join us and you’ll enjoy the support of a thoroughly committed team. We welcome informal visits or discussion to explore what we can offer you.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in South East London is a large teaching hospital at the forefront of academic and nursing excellence. At the heart of King’s is the Variety Children’s Hospital (VCH) offering a wide range of services and specialities for children and young people at local, regional, and international level. Within the VCH is a 16 bedded Children’s Critical Care Centre providing both high dependency (HDU) and intensive care management.
Working in the Children’s Critical Care Centre will provide you with the opportunity to care for Intensive Care and High Dependency patients admitted under a variety of specialties:
Neurosurgery
Trauma
General medicine and surgery
Liver disease and liver transplantation
Small bowel transplantation
Support and development opportunities are vital in our philosophy of providing the best care to our patients and valuing our staff. Development opportunities are actively encouraged and you will be supported in gaining relevant qualifications. Opportunities include the Paediatric Intensive Care (PICU) course, Paediatric Acute Nursing in Critical Care (HDU) course and Student Assessment training.
We boast a fantastic education team - two Practice Development Nurses and a Clinical Facilitator who will help support you in training and working on shift. They, with senior nurses and other colleagues, will help in supporting you via a comprehensive development programme including local competencies, and a clear career pathway.
The following post offers challenging opportunities for dynamic and highly motivated children’s nurses within the Children’s Critical Care Centre.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.
We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.
King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.
Clinical Practice
To adhere to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and adhere to this at all times
To demonstrate clinical expertise in the care of any patients receiving treatment in the ward/ department
To assess, plan, implement and evaluate the needs of patients on the Ward on an ongoing basis, co-ordinating the care given by all members of the clinical team
To accurately assimilate and interpret clinical information about the patients’ condition, promptly report changes and instigate remedial action as appropriate
To act as a resource person to others, providing accurate information, advice and support to the multidisciplinary team, patients and their relatives
To ensure that accurate records are maintained reflecting both changes in the patient’s condition and the treatment delivered.
To ensure that patients and their relatives are updated regularly with accurate information, and ensure that this is presented in a way that they understand
To ensure that Clinical Guidelines are implemented and to be actively involved in auditing practice in conjunction with Line Manager and practice development staff
To ensure that practice is evidence based and with support assist in the development of policies and protocols within the clinical area.
To uphold high standards of nursing care, according to existing policies and protocols within the clinical area
To support the Ward Managers and Modern Matron in processes of continuous quality improvement, formally evaluating standards of care and assisting in the implementation of changes in the light of such
To contribute to the health education of patients and their families, ensuring that all patients receive appropriate advice and support to maintain a healthy lifestyle
To actively support the implementation of the Trust nursing strategy and uphold the ethos of the local philosophy
Education and Research
To act as a mentor to junior staff members, responsible for the orientation, supervision and ongoing development of junior and student nurses, in conjunction with Line Manager and Practice Development staff.
To act as practice supervisor, responsible for completing competency documents for junior staff within agreed timeframes
To act as a mentor to students undertaking further education as requested, ensuring a positive learning experience and facilitating the development of their clinical skills
To contribute to the wider educational activities within the Care Group – ensuring attendance at and contributing to the delivery of educational activities within the Care Group
To promote and encourage the application of research and of evidence based practices
To participate in any research projects conducted in the clinical area as appropriate
Management
To manage the clinical workload effectively, ensuring care is prioritised appropriately
To contribute positively towards the delivery of a cost effective service, adjusting staffing levels to meet demand and assisting the ward manager to keep within agreed resources
To assist with the ongoing organisation of the ward, co-ordinating the activities of the clinical area
To liaise with Medical Personnel and Bed Manager to ensure optimal bed usage at all times, facilitating timely admission and discharge of patients.
To act as a team leader to an identified group of staff, monitoring and documenting the development of their clinical skills
To develop own skills in recruitment and retention, sickness management and performance management as determined by line manager.
To actively support the process of risk management – ensure incidents are reported appropriately and helping identify ways of preventing errors and accidents to both patients and staff.
To make a positive contribution to service development affecting the clinical area and positively influence others to adapt to change.
To actively promote customer care, assisting in resolving local ( informal ) complaints and supporting the ward manager to investigate formal problems
To assist with the monitoring of stock levels of clinical stores and technical equipment, resolving any shortfall as appropriate
To maintain standards of hygiene and cleanliness within the clinical area, actioning remedy as appropriate and reporting deficits to Modern Matron, as appropriate
To communicate varied and complicated information (verbally and in writing) in a way that is understood and gets the important facts across
To carry the Unit bleep as required, resolving local problems/ conflicts, keeping managers/others informed and maintaining positive team dynamics across the Care Group at all times
To take a leadership role in crisis situations, resolving problems across the Care Group as necessary.
To maintain confidentiality with regard to personal information pertaining to staff. To attend and contribute to departmental meetings as required.
Personal Professional Development
To work within and accept responsibility for maintaining agreed levels of clinical competence
To keep up to date with NMC, Trust and Care Group policies and guidelines and to adhere to these at all times.
To be a fully active and committed member of the multidisciplinary team operating in the Care Group
To demonstrate an insight into own professional development, contributing to the process of identifying own educational and clinical training needs in conjunction with the ward Manager
Participate in own Individual Performance Review and after suitable training, to be responsible for undertaking this for own team of junior staff.
To ensure own educational commitment is at least sufficient to maintain PREP requirements and to ensure own mandatory training certificates are current, in liaison with Line Manager.
People Management and Performance
Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.
Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.
Ensure the team is compliance with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.
Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.
Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.
Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.
Review skills mix at regular intervals in order to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation / allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date.
Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment.
General
The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.
To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
We want to be an organisation where everyone shares a commitment to delivering the very best care and feels like their contribution is valuable and valued.

AT KING’S WE ARE A KIND, RESPECTFUL TEAM:

Kind . We show compassion and understanding and bring a positive attitude to our work
Respectful . We promote equality, are inclusive and honest, speaking up when needed
Team . We support each other, communicate openly, and are reassuringly professional
To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.
To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
All employees must hold an ’nhs.net’ email account which will be the Trust’s formal route for email communication

Please refer the Job description for details