Sister/Charge Nurse

Yorkshire Regional Spinal Injuries Centre (YRSIC) is one of 12 specialist spinal injury centres in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

It is a 32 bedded unit with a large catchment area, treating both male and female patients of all age groups from Yorkshire, Humberside and beyond. Our catchment area covers a population of over 7 million and we admit approximately 120 newly injured patients each year.

The post holder will be a valuable part of an integrated multi-disciplinary team who provide effective patient centred care to the spinally injured patient.

They will provide expert tailored treatment, advice, consultation, support and guidance to patients, carers and referring trusts whilst working as a highly skilled expert practitioner liaising within multi-professional teams to promote and provide seamless pathways of care. The post holder will work closely with consultants and senior staff to manage patients appropriately and gain support and advice to ensure continuity of care. At YRSIC we are excited to offer nursing positions for newly qualified and experienced nurses. We are committed to support new members of staff to ensure they feel confident and enjoy working as part of our team. You will be given the time and support to build your confidence whilst learning how to care for spinal cord injury patients. Additionally, you will be provided with a buddy on every shift during your supernumerary status to ensure you feel supported and welcomed as part of our team.

Main duties of the job

The YRSIC offers specialised rehabilitation to people with a spinal cord injury leading to neurological deficit.

The YRSIC provides care to people who have sustained damage to the spinal cord at any level resulting in a change, either temporary or permanent, in the normal motor, sensory or autonomic function of the spinal cord as a consequence of injury or disease.

We are committed to providing life-long care to spinally injured patients. Consequently, healthcare provision is accessible in the event of necessary re-admission for those who have developed complications of spinal cord injury or for those who require further rehabilitation.

We provide a dedicated multidisciplinary team of the following services: Medical, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Clinical Psychology.

The main duties within the job role are caring holistically for patients with spinal injuries. We admit directly from the main trauma centres, accepting a wide range of patients with a mixture of acute spinal injuries.

We also accept patients back for further rehab, urological surgeries, pressure ulcer repairs, intrathecal pump insertion and continued care.

The team are very passionate and dedicated to providing care to spinal cord injuries and you will be made to feel very much part of our MDT who display the values and behaviours of the Trust, working together to ensure one another is supported.

About us

We provide care and support to cover a population of over 7 million and we admit approximately 120 newly injured patients each year. Always striving for excellence, we are at the forefront of innovation and research and we invest in teaching and the development of our workforce. We live by our values of caring, improving, being respectful and maintaining high standards. We listen and learn because we aim to make Mid Yorkshire the best place to work and the best place to receive care. Our team members regularly go the extra mile with events that benefit our patients and take every opportunity to celebrate the care they deliver with their patients. We invite you to join our forward-thinking, friendly, and supportive team. We have a clear vision, and you could be part of this! If you share our values and you want to make a difference to the lives of our patients and their families and carers, we would love to hear from you. Uphold the Trust's values and behaviours of caring, respect, high standards and improving and behave in a manner fitting with the responsible position of the post holder, maintaining the public confidence.

Job responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

The Registered Nurse will maintain a nursing culture which is open to change, new ideas, concepts and innovations.

This will be achieved by:

• Participating in the development and delivery of a philosophy of care which involves/respects the rights of patients, carers and staff.
• The ability to communicate and negotiate with patients and their visitors in order to promote their comfort, safety and wellbeing. To be aware of barriers to effective communication which may be evident such as cognitive, expressive and receptive impairment, embarrassment, anxiety, pain, fear, visual/hearing impairment and to seek guidance from senior staff if required to implement strategies.
• Ability to relate to all staff and patients in a confident manner, demonstrating good listening skills and able to work effectively as part of a team.
• To constructively challenge multidisciplinary practices which impact on care, providing drive and enthusiasm for effective planning regarding patient flow.
• To ensure patients are involved in decisions about their care and treatment and that they have sufficient information to do this.
• Creating, maintaining and enhancing effective working relationships.
• Recognising areas of conflict and assisting in the management of this to promote a healthy working environment.
• Maintaining an awareness of national and regional initiatives.
• Participating in the individual performance review process.
• Participating in the implementation and monitoring of the Trust's Nursing Charter standards.
• Acting as a positive ambassador for the Trust.
• Contributing to the Trust's Shared Leadership process.
• Striving for continuous improvements in the delivery of high quality patient focused care.
• Submitting new ideas/innovations aimed at improving patient care.
• To assist in reviewing referrals and prioritising according to clinical need.
• To engage patients in the consent process to facilitate compliance with their treatment programme.
• To accept clinical responsibility for identified caseload, prioritising accordingly and managing own time.
• To ensure that accurate nursing records are maintained for each patient.
• To provide accurate statistical information in line with local standards and requirements.
• To be a visible, accessible and assertive resource for staff, patients and relatives providing support and guidance.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Current NMC Registration
• Evidence of Continual Professional Development
• Teaching Qualification
• Assessors Qualification
• Evidence of continued learning

Knowledge and Awareness

• Up to date knowledge of current nursing issues and practice
• Up to date knowledge of current issues within Spinal Injuries
• Awareness of current professional nursing issues
• Mentorship and preceptorship skills.
• Demonstrates a willingness to further enhance knowledge

Skills and abilities

• Ability to plan, assess, implement and evaluate complex patient care
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships
• Effective communication skills, verbal and written
• Demonstrates leadership skills
• Ability to motivate self and others
• Ability to adapt to changing pressures at work
• Ability to prioritise own workload and work autonomously
• Experience writing guidelines, policies and procedures
• Able to teach in formal and informal settings

Personal attributes

• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent communication skills both verbally and written
• Decisive
• Visionary
• Adaptable and flexible
• Willingness to gain knowledge and develop professionally
• Organised

Experience

• Experience within Spinal Cord Injuries
• Sufficient or significant proven experience as a senior band 5
• Evidence of participating in the development of patient care
• Experience of working within a specialised multidisciplinary team
• Experience with patient education
• Experience of working across Trust boundaries
• Evidence of further development within the Spinal Injuries care

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.