Ward leader - Cardiac Recovery Unit

Job overview

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.

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Main duties of the job

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.

Working for our organisation

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.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Delivering high quality, evidence-based and patient focused clinical care through:

• Delivering a high standard of evidence-based care to patients.
• Ensuring good standards of care for the patient are maintained at all times.
• Adhering to NMC Code of Professional conduct at all times.
• Involving and supporting patients, relatives, carers and friends in the care process.
• Promoting well-being and involving patients and relatives in health education.
• Ensuring clear and accurate written and verbal information is given at all times.
• Ensuring contemporaneous record keeping at all times.
• Seeking advice from more senior/experienced members of staff where appropriate.

Working effectively as part of the immediate team and wider multidisciplinary team (MDT) through:

• Liaising effectively with all members of the MDT to ensure patients’ needs are met.
• Exercising leadership and taking the initiative where appropriate.
• Providing support and advice to ward/unit staff (especially junior staff) on clinical and administrative issues.
• Liaising with discharge coordinator / bed manager to ensure effective admission/discharge of patients.
• Keeping the ward/unit sister / charge nurse informed of significant changes and/or anticipated problems.
• Observing a general duty of care for the health, safety and well-being of yourself, work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital.
• Ensuring the rules, policies, procedures and standards of Kings College Hospital NHS Trust Foundation together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations are adhered to at all times.
• Maintaining patient confidentiality, dignity and privacy at all times.
• Adhering to the Trust’s policy on valuing equality and diversity and showing due regard for each patient’s cultural and religious beliefs, gender, ethnicity, age and sexuality.
• Strictly adhering to the National Code of Practice on Infection Control.
• Taking responsibility for your own personal development and keeping up to date with nursing and medical knowledge.
• Being aware of current research and the implications for the ward/unit speciality.
• Acting as a role model at all times and for all staff.
• Acting as practice supervisor and/or preceptor/mentor for junior and newly qualified staff.
• Working with appropriate members of the teaching staff to ensure effective staff development (own and others).
• Participating in Trust and Divisional initiatives to develop nursing practice and support change.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Nurse (RN1) with active NMC registration

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Proficiency in dispensing and administrating oral & IV medication
• Able to manage a deteriorating patient
• Able to manage patients emotional needs and demonstrate empathy and caring
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and verbal)
• Ability to work collaboratively with other staff members

Knowledge and Experience

Desirable criteria

• Acute experience within a paediatric setting

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.