Deputy Ward Sister/Charge Nurse

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Band 6 deputy Charge Nurse provides senior clinical and managerial leadership within the Children and Young People's Emergency Department, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and patient-centred care in a highly complex and fast-paced environment.

Clinically, the post holder will act as a visible senior leader, providing expert clinical guidance and supervision to the nursing team. They will be clinically competent in the assessment and treatment of children and young people presenting with a wide range of injuries and illnesses, including major trauma. The Band 6 will be trauma trained and skilled in advanced clinical interventions, including intravenous medication administration, Entonox use, plastering and immobilisation, and ECG acquisition and interpretation appropriate to role. They will take responsibility for coordinating nursing care and supporting complex clinical decision-making to ensure high standards of care and patient safety.

The Band 6 will act as a senior point of escalation for deteriorating patients, safeguarding concerns, and high-risk or complex cases, working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure timely intervention. They will promote and maintain adherence to paediatric emergency care standards, Trust policies, and evidence-based best practice.

Operationally, the Band 6 will support the senior leadership team in the day-to-day management of the department, including staffing coordination, shift planning, sickness management, and maintaining minimum senior staffing levels across all shifts. They will oversee patient flow, triage processes, and resource allocation to optimise waiting times, throughput, and overall departmental efficiency.

From a governance and quality perspective, the Band 6 team will oversee the management of complaints and compliments, ensuring timely responses, learning, and feedback to staff and families. They will review and manage Datix incident reports, leading investigations where appropriate and ensuring action plans are implemented and monitored. The post holder will support and contribute to clinical audit, quality improvement initiatives, and compliance with governance and safety standards, embedding learning into practice.

The Band 6 will also play a key role in staff development, mentoring and supporting junior nurses and students, fostering a culture of learning, reflection, and professional development. They will contribute to appraisal, return-to-work processes, and ongoing competency assessment, supporting staff wellbeing and performance.

Throughout all aspects of the role, the Band 6 deputy Charge Nurse will demonstrate compassion, professionalism, and strong leadership, acting as an advocate for children, young people, and their families. They will work within a collaborative and supportive multidisciplinary environment, leading by example and contributing to continuous improvement in patient care and outcomes.

Person specification

Training & Qualification

Essential criteria

• Current level one NMC registration RN (Child) or RSCN
• Proven Leadership Experience
• Degree or working towards
• Completed IV package
• Possession of a mentoring course
• APLS

Desirable criteria

• Continuing professional development/reflective profile
• Formal leadership and management training
• Research training/experience
• Have a suitable teaching and assessing qualification
• Possession of a mentoring course
• CVL competency packages
• Injury trainned

Communication and Relationship

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication skills
• Demonstrate Basic IT Skills
• Produce timely, accurate written/electronic records and documents
• Recognition of own level of competence and limitations and able to communicate these to all members of the MDT
• Can minimise interpersonal conflict and barriers to communication

Desirable criteria

• Demonstration of team working and ability to work within a team
• Evidence of negotiation and influencing skills
• Evidence of leadership training

Experience

Essential criteria

• Supervision of non-registered staff, pre-registration and post basis students
• Evidence of ability to mentor
• Ability to manage the clinical area or ward efficiently and effectively
• Ability to convey sensitive information in an empathetic manner to patients, relative/carers and staff.
• Caring for children with life limiting conditions
• Experience of managing staff

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrate an involvement in link nurse, or project work
• Audit or research within the clinical area
• Providing staff with feedback on their individual performance and use of the knowledge and skills framework
• Recent or current experience within the speciality
• Experience of managing KPI performance

Analytical and Judgement skills

Essential criteria

• Demonstrate an ability to assess, plan, deliver, prioritise and evaluate patient care
• Ability to identify own learning needs
• Demonstrate and understanding of the deputy sister/charge nurse role
• Able to respond to problem situations and to ensure that effective interventions are put in place

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrate leadership skills & ability to effectively lead a team
• Demonstrate an ability to prioritise workload of self and others
• Demonstrate effective time management skills
• Demonstrate effective resource management

Physical skills

Essential criteria

• Physically able to perform the full range of nursing duties
• Dexterity and accuracy in undertaking clinical skills, use of equipment and documentation
• Competent and capable of using medical equipment
• Able to undertake patient and manual handling manoeuvres and non-patient manual handling manoeuvres

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of moving and handling training

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at the NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

Applicants are kindly requested to refrain from using AI at any stage during the recruitment process.

Closing Dates: Please submit your application form as soon as possible to avoid disappointment; we reserve the right to close vacancies prior to the published closing date if we receive a sufficient number of completed application forms.

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