Job summary
- Main area
- Neonatal
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time
- Part time
- Job ref
- 409-7040882
- Employer
- Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Whiston Hospital
- Town
- Prescot
- Salary
- £37,338 - £44,962 per annum pro rata if part time
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 09/04/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Sister/Charge Nurse - Neonatal Unit
NHS AfC: Band 6
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Job overview
1.0 WTE Band 6 Permanent full/part time Neonatal Unit
We are looking to appoint a Band 6 sister/charge nurse to join our friendly, senior neonatal nursing team. The unit has 15 cots, 2 of which are high dependency and provides short term ventilation to sick or premature neonates prior to transfer to neighbouring neonatal intensive care units.
We would welcome applications from experienced neonatal intensive care nurses who are qualified in speciality and committed to ongoing learning and development of themselves and others. The post holder will be required to work closely with the existing nursing and medical workforce including our Consultant team, Ward Manager, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Neonatal Nurse Specialist and Neonatal Nurse Educators.
The post holder will be expected to work collaboratively both within the department and alongside our Maternity colleagues who we are working closely with in order to introduce Neonatal Transitional Care.
If you would like more information and/or to arrange an informal visit then please contact Katy Hope Neonatal Unit Ward Manager on 0151 430 1511
Main duties of the job
- To deputise for the ward manager with continuing responsibility for providing a seamless, safe service.
- To be a competent and caring Neonatal Nurse able to look after sick and/or preterm babies and their families that require special care, high dependency care and intensive care that is of the highest standard and evidence- based.
- To support the ward manager, have shift management responsibility as required. Through effective leadership ensure the continuing provision of a seamless, safe and optimum service.
- To ensure that patients receive an effective episode of care during their stay on the neonatal ward that is holistic and caters for all their needs
- To assist in ensuring all record keeping on the unit is relevant, legible and comprehensive and audited regularly.
- To participate in and encourage effective clinical developments/improvements that will enhance practice.
- To participate in ensuring all information given to parents, whether written or verbal, is at all times professional, up to date and legible.
Working for our organisation
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
- To deputise for the ward manager with continuing responsibility for providing a seamless, safe service.
- To be a competent and caring Neonatal Nurse able to look after sick and/or preterm babies and their families that require special care, high dependency care and intensive care that is of the highest standard and evidence- based.
- To support the ward manager, have shift management responsibility as required. Through effective leadership ensure the continuing provision of a seamless, safe and optimum service.
- To ensure that patients receive an effective episode of care during their stay on the neonatal ward that is holistic and caters for all their needs
- To assist in ensuring all record keeping on the unit is relevant, legible and comprehensive and audited regularly.
- To participate in and encourage effective clinical developments/improvements that will enhance practice.
- To participate in ensuring all information given to parents, whether written or verbal, is at all times professional, up to date and legible.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
- To use clinical leadership skills to assist in supporting and empowering the Unit’s team to provide optimum care at all times, fostering an environment that welcomes planned, effective change to enhance patient care.
- To collaborate with the Unit Manager to establish effective networks locally and nationally to ensure all components of the service provided are of the highest standard and in line with the most recent, robust evidence, standards and guidance.
- To maintain clinical credibility and to act as a role model to junior colleagues
- To facilitate and encourage effective clinical developments that will enhance practice
- To ensure the ward environment is clean, welcoming and family-friendly at all times.
- To ensure infection control policies and procedures are implemented and adhered to at all times
- To ensure fortnightly hand hygiene audits and other infection control initiatives and audits are completed and findings actioned as required
- To maintain professional registration.
- To adhere to the NMC code of conduct.
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIEs
- Responsible for ensuring that all patient records are updated contemporaneously, including electronic records.
TEACHING & TRAINING RESPONSBILITIES
- To take an active role in facilitating the unit’s staff to complete annual mandatory training, including child protection training, in accordance with Trust and departmental policy.
- To participate fully in ensuring a structured and individualised orientation programme for new staff is operational.
- To be responsible for the annual performance reviews of a team of band 5 nurses and other relevant personnel in agreement with the unit manager and that their agreed personal development plans (PDPs) are operational.
- To participate fully in organising and actively participating in the unit’s in-house education program.
- To participate actively in ensuring nursing/midwifery students allocated to the unit receive appropriate experience and education, including an effective orientation and mentorship.
- To facilitate a culture of life-long learning for both self and all staff.
- To ensure realistic and measurable learning objectives are part of the staff’s PDPs.
- To participate in facilitating attendance both nationally and locally at appropriate conferences, study days to ensure the unit stays abreast and is a pioneer of developments in neonatal services.
SAFEGUARDING RESPONSIBILITIES
To have appropriate skills and knowledge relating to the process of safeguarding children and child protection including:
- Demonstrate sound knowledge of the current safeguarding agenda, legislation and statutory guidance.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the safeguarding framework, including Early Help, Child in Need and Child Protection procedures.
- Have an awareness of the impact of parental factors on a child including mental health, domestic abuse and drug substance misuse.
- Have an awareness of the increased vulnerabilities of looked after children and the risk of further maltreatment.
- Have an awareness of normal child development and the factors which could indicate abuse or neglect.
- Be able to recognise possible signs of maltreatment or abuse.
- Be able to document safeguarding / child protection concerns, and maintain appropriate record keeping, differentiating between fact and opinion
- Be able to share appropriate and relevant information between multi agency teams – in writing, via telephone and electronically.
- Be able to identify where further support is needed, when to take action, and when to refer to managers, supervisors or other professionals including social services.
- Be able to contribute to multi agency safeguarding / child protection procedures including risk assessments.
- Be able to work with children and families where there are child protection concerns,
- Be able to ensure that children are listened to, and have the opportunity to contribute in decision making as appropriate for their age and development.
- Be able to challenge other professional when required and provide supporting evidence.
- Understand the purpose of and guidance in relation to conducting serious case reviews, serious incident reviews and management reviews and be able to demonstrate learning from such cases.
LINE MANAGEMENT/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES
- To be active in ensuring all types of communication are effective for staff and users of the service.
- To assist as required the Unit Manager in recruiting, retaining and developing all relevant staff.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
- To ensure optimum use of resources and assist the department as appropriate in achieving financial goals and delivering quality care that is value for money,
- To ensure the effective (including cost-effective) use of staff and resources to maintain and develop standards of care and safety as appropriate.
- To actively participate in looking for ways to cost improve the service to benefit the patient journey
RESEARCH & AUDIT
- To participate in appropriate regional research and audit as directed by network lead.
- To have an active involvement in the National Neonatal Audit Program (NNAP)
Closing Date - 9th April 2025
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- RN (Child) / RSCN / RM / RN (adult) Current NMC Registration
- Student Mentorship course or equivalent experience
- Evidence of a commitment to relevant continuing education at degree level or equivalent
- Neonatal Critical Care Qualification (ENB 405 or equivalent)
- Neonatal Life Support provider
- IV Drug Administration Certificate or Competencies
Desirable criteria
- Management Diploma or equivalent
- Child Protection module at degree level or masters level
- Advanced Neonatal Life Support course
- Neonatal transport training
- Post graduate Certificate of Education
- Enhanced Neonatal Nursing Practice
- Examination of the New-born
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Recent relevant clinical experience as a senior neonatal nurse.
- Evidence of clinical expertise in Neonatal nursing
- Evidence of ability to lead and develop nursing practice and promote excellence in clinical practice.
- Safeguarding Children / Child Protection experience
- Evidence of mentoring students and supporting staff development
- Evidence of a sound specialist knowledge base of caring for neonates including critically ill and premature neonates and the impact on the child and their family
- Knowledge of effective shift management and ability to prioritise
- Knowledge of interagency working to ensure optimum service to the infant and family
- Knowledge of infection control management, policy and procedures
- Demonstrates knowledge of clinical governance (CG) at paediatric level
Desirable criteria
- Shift management experience of a small neonatal unit or an area in a larger regional unit
- Experience of transporting infants including critically ill infants
- Experience of critical incident management
- Risk management experience
- Clinical audit experience
- Experience of supporting junior medics
- Experience of assisting with the development of clinical protocols and policies
- Experience of undertaking appraisals and developing Personal Development Plans
Skills
Essential criteria
- Evidence of being an effective communicator with good leadership and interpersonal skills
- Teaching, mentoring, supervisory skills
- Clinical leadership skills inclusive of change management.
- Delivers nursing care in line with Trust policies and protocols.
- Demonstrates good IT skills
Desirable criteria
- Complaints handling skills
- Experience of writing and implementing protocols/policies/clinical guidelines.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Janet Bentham
- Job title
- Matron
- Telephone number
- 0151 430 1809
- Additional information
Janet Bentham Matron
0151 430 1809
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