Deputy Associate Director of Nursing

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and ambitious senior nurse leader to join the Emergency and Integrated Medicine Division at Whittington Health.

This is one of two Deputy Associate Director of Nursing posts within the division, providing senior nursing and operational leadership across a defined portfolio.

The post will have specific responsibility for the Emergency Department, Ambulatory Care Services and Acute Assessment Unit (AAU), while working collaboratively across the wider division.

As a key member of the divisional senior leadership team, you will work closely with the Associate Director of Nursing, Clinical Director, Director of Operations and AHP Lead.

You will have significant responsibility and accountability for the delivery of:

• High-quality, safe and effective patient care
• Patient experience and clinical outcomes
• Operational performance, patient flow and service delivery
• Workforce performance, productivity and effective deployment of resources
• Financial performance and delivery within agreed budgets
• Quality improvement, risk management and clinical governance

Main duties of the job

Clinical and Professional Leadership

• Ensure that, as a group, the nursing services successfully contribute to the Trust's clinical strategy.
• Ensure that the services have appropriate mission statements and objectives in line with this and that the ICARE values are incorporated into the work of all teams and individuals.
• Provide guidance, support and professional leadership to all nursing staff in their clinical areas with regards to service provision.
• Act as a positive role model through the provision of effective professional leadership for relevant clinical areas, maintaining high visibility through undertaking activities such as clinical practice or observations of care.
• Be highly visible, approachable and available to respond to patients, relatives, carers and staff, maintaining open and honest communication channels.
• Monitor clinical standards, evaluate patient care, ensuring practice is evidence-based and that clinical guidelines and care pathways are developed and implemented.

Job responsibilities

• Work to support the development and delivery of the Governance agenda including clinical and non-clinical aspects of care and service delivery.
• Deliver the outcomes necessary for Peer Review to ensure the quality and safety of care as well as optimising the patient experience throughout the patient journey.
• Work closely with the Patient Experience Team to implement systems to monitor clinical standards ensuring high standards of care, that are evidence-based and integral to service delivery, involving patients and others in developing and enhancing services.
• Ensure systems are in place in the clinical areas to enable local and national initiatives to be implemented, monitored and evaluated including the Nursing High Impact Actions and NICE Guidance.
• Ensure there are mechanisms in place to ensure National performance measures are achieved in their clinical areas (such as infection control targets and peer review measures).
• Carry out regular reviews of incidents, complaints and risk assessments as well as other clinical audits ensuring that appropriate follow-up is taken to address and reduce risk and that learning is disseminated across the nursing team and the Division.
• Identify and deal effectively with poor practice and declining standards of care.
• Meet with patients and their families as required, resolving their concerns.

Person Specification

Education /Qualification

• Registered Nurse
• Master's degree or equivalent level of experience, skills and knowledge
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Management qualification (or equivalent experience)

Skills and Ability

• Able to lead a service and make decisions and judgements about the best possible way forward in a complex work environment where the evidence base is evolving.
• Experience working at band 8a level or above within ED setting.
• Able to influence and work with local partners in Health and Social Care developing new services.
• Computer literate, able to use Word and Excel.
• Demonstrates high standards in written and verbal communication.
• Proven ability of analysis of information from databases.
• Ability to develop and use a Risk Strategy.
• Proven ability of managing a budget.
• Able to develop good professional relationships with staff, clients, working partners and the general public.
• Experience of implementing New Ways of Working principles.
• In-depth experience of working in Mental Health Services where multidisciplinary working was embraced as part of service delivery.
• Ability to meet agreed/specified service targets.

Personal Qualities

• High level of enthusiasm and motivation.
• Ability to lead and work within a team fostering good working relationships.
• Regard for others and respect for individual rights of autonomy and confidentiality.
• The ability and skills to act as an advocate for a new service, to engage and foster good professional relationships with all health professionals in promoting the good integration of this service within the wider health care system.