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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Undertake history and physical examination to accurately assess the patient’s condition. Critically analyse findings to form a diagnosis and develop appropriate treatment plan and discharge patients safely.
• Order, interpret and act upon relevant diagnostic tests and procedures.
• Interpret, convey and relay complex and conflicting information to MDT members/patients/relatives in possibly stressful situations, which may be delicate or offensive in nature i.e. breaking bad news.
• Act as a clinical expert providing continuous support to the nursing staff and other MDT members within and outside designated area of work.
• Undertake advanced (invasive and non-invasive) procedures pertaining to patient need, in accordance with appropriate training and clinical supervision.
• Act autonomously admitting and discharging patients, referring to appropriate specialists/care agencies as appropriate.
• Prescribe medication in accordance with current legislation and trust policy.
• Maintain comprehensive, contemporaneous and accurate nursing/medical records and documentation, utilising information technology where available to facilitate caseload management.
• Effectively manage acute life-threatening conditions in accordance with current ALS/ATLS/APLS/ALERT guidelines (as appropriate to area of work/need).
• Act as a role model through demonstration of high standards of practice, providing a clinical environment that motivates and encourages effective working partnerships.
• Participate in multidisciplinary ward rounds, case conferences, clinical and audit meetings.
• Gain informed consent from patients for procedures undertaken by self or on behalf of others, both written and verbal, according to trust policy.
• Provide evidence-based specialist knowledge and advice to patient’s, families/carers throughout the patient’s journey to meet their physical, emotional and psychological needs.
• Provide clinical expertise in the management of patients utilising specialist theoretical and clinical skills.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Personally prioritise and schedule the management of patient caseloads ensuring optimisation of resources.

TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES 

• Be an agent for change, monitoring and evaluating practice and generating new and innovative solutions to clinical practice problems to enable delivery of a better service and strive towards advancing practice.
• Lead / guide nursing and medical staff in the appropriate and timely care of the patient.
• Act as a resource providing advice, support and guidance to all members of the health care team both within the directorate and trust wide.

LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Provide support for senior nursing staff in relation to staff development and complaints including staff appraisals of own nurse team.
• Participate in the recruitment and selection of staff as appropriate.

GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES 

• Provide evidence-based leadership ensuring that practice is disseminated to the MDT.
• Abide by the Caldicott Principles with regard to confidentiality.
• Act as an effective communicator/negotiator inter-departmentally managing conflict and reconciliation and facilitating change.
• Remain flexible to the needs of patients and the Trust in the provision of quality service delivery.
• Be involved in strategic health planning and respond to trust strategies, initiatives and targets, both regionally and nationally.
• Network locally, regionally and nationally to share and exchange ideas and principles.
• Provide an active leadership role in contributing to own departmental issue pertaining to clinical governance agendas’ and shared governance within the trust e.g. maintaining standards, risk management, clinical audit and research, standard setting, benchmarking, evidence based practice etc.
• Effectively time manage.
• Assist in the development of policy and guideline implementation at local and regional level.

SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES

To be competent at safeguarding children and implementing the Child in Need and Child Protection procedures as appropriate includes the following skills, competencies and knowledge: -

• Be able to recognise child abuse and be able to document accurately child protection concerns according to Laming recommendations, differentiating fact from opinion
• Understand which groups of children are at risk of harm or neglect and know who to contact / inform / seek advice from; know how to contact them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, know when to contact them according to Trust and Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards policies and procedures
• Know when and how to act, when and how to refer and the importance of following up a referral.
• Understand the next steps in the child protection process
• Share safeguarding information appropriately – in writing, by telephone, electronically or in person understanding the difference between information sharing on individual, organisational and professional levels.
• Know what to record, how long to keep it, how to dispose of records correctly, and when to feedback or follow up.
• Have understanding of own (and others’) professional roles and boundaries, including the Named professionals, trust managers and social workers.
• Knowledge of the implications of key national document/reports.
• Understand the assessment of risk and harm.
• Understand and support staff with multi-agency frameworks, investigations, working and child protection assessment processes including the use of the Common Assessment Framework / investigation/working, child protection investigation and the basics of forensic procedures
• Present child protection concerns in a child protection conference.
• Work with families where there are child protection concerns.
• Advise other agencies regarding the health management of child protection concerns.
• Contribute to serious case reviews or individual management reviews.
• Aware of Local Safeguarding Children’s Board and its remit

FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 

• Ensure optimal and economical use of resources exploring potential for cost improvement, without compromising services.
• Be responsible for providing service within pay and non-pay budget.
• Support Matron and Directorate Manager in providing services within budget – identifying early and potential cost pressures.
• Assist Matron and Directorate Manager in developing capital bids and business cases incorporating finance.

RESEARCH & AUDIT

• To be actively involved in the Paediatric Department’s audit programme
• Recruiting patients to appropriate research projects and Liaison with Paediatric Research Nurse