Job Description

JOB TITLE : NURSE TEAM LEADER

REPORTING TO : HEAD OF NURSING SERVICES

AREA : NURSE

Overview

The Nurse Team Leader will be responsible for the efficient and effective leadership of the nursing team as well as the SVNs and PCAs. You will work closely and collaboratively with the Head of Nursing Services (HONS), other Team Leaders and Leads across the Practice to ensure the efficient delivery of outstanding patient care. You will work enthusiastically with the nursing team to help maintain a happy and efficient working environment, whilst ensuring practice and group polices are always adhered to. This role requires strong, inclusive, decisive leadership, clear communication and the ability to inspire and motivate the team in order to deliver the Linnaeus nursing strategy and achieve the practice’s goals. The position will include providing performance reviews, training and co-ordination for all relevant associates working within your team. Approximately 80% of the working week will be spent undertaking operational clinical duties as part of the nursing team providing an excellent service to patients within the practice.

Main purpose & goals

• Inspire, lead and manage the Surgical nursing team, Anaesthesia nursing team and Surgical PCAs and drive a gold standard culture of excellence

• Maintain an overview of the Surgical nursing team, Anaesthesia nursing team and Surgical PCAs and ensure the highest standard of nursing and client care across the team

• Demonstrate a high level of knowledge, understanding and practical skills, allowing you to effectively lead by example

• Liaise with other Team Leaders and departments to ensure efficient patient flow throughout the hospital

• Utilise Lead Nurses within your area of responsibility, to effectively manage the team and coordinate workflows for the day to day running of the clinical service

• Ensure that Evidence Based Nursing practice is central to the approach of the team, to provide safe and effective holistic patient care

• Encourage and facilitate the nursing team in your area of responsibility to engage with and contribute to quality improvement activities, e.g. clinical audits and VetSafe reporting

• Work closely with the HONS and other team leaders to ensure strong clinical and operational performance within the nursing team Ensure there is senior nursing input into the development and implementation of improvements within the practice to support the operational needs of the business

• Ensure that the nursing team works in line with practice policy and Linnaeus business strategy

• Provide an efficient, courteous, and helpful service to all clients, suppliers and external contacts in a consistent timely manner, in line with practice policy.

• Support the recruitment and selection of nursing staff in the area of responsibility, followed by facilitating the appropriate induction, training, support and management of new starters

• Support the recruitment, development and performance of clinical supervisors and assist all clinical supervisors to ensure that standardisation training is undertaken

• Liaise between the other nursing Team Leaders, HONS, Heads of Services and other teams within the practice to ensure effective lines of communication at all times, ensuring appropriate cascade of information

• Promote our services, associates and products, both in and out of the practice.

• Understand, contribute to, implement and provide training on practice and group policies as appropriate.

Key responsibilities

• Represent the nursing team within your area of responsibility at nurse leadership meetings. You will be expected to provide information to these meetings but also cascade relevant information back to the team, ensuring effective lines of communication.

• Work closely with the Veterinary Surgeons, HONS and non-clinical teams, including the attendance of regular meetings to ensure all areas of the practice work together effectively and efficiently

• Ensure efficient running of the clinical service at all times through management of the nursing team in your area of responsibility, but also supporting when necessary, either with coordinating workflow or with general nursing duties

• Assist with OOH, Bank Holidays and weekend cover as required

• Ensure members of the nursing team in your area of responsibility understand their roles and responsibilities and have clear objectives to work towards

• Ensure the RVN’s and PCAs within your area of responsibility, have the appropriate skillsets to provide outstanding patient care

• Effectively manage and maintain the nursing and PCA rotas to ensure resource deployment that allows the practice to care for the patients, clients and referring vets in a manner reflective of the practice’s commitment to excellence

• Establish surgical training for the nursing and PCA teams and monitor the skill sets of the team to ensure they are up to date and relevant to the practices requirements

• Achieve optimum performance and full engagement from each individual member of the Surgical team including PCAs by motivational methods, undertaking appraisals, conducting meaningful conversations, leading by example and maintaining exceptionally high personal standards

• Actively participate, and have accountability for the induction of new associates into the teams to ensure that a full and effective induction is carried out and recorded, including a skills scanning of each new starter

• Lead engagement discussions with your team annually following the engagement survey feedback, regularly reviewing and communicating on the plan to help drive improvements and improved engagement

• Encourage amongst your team and personally participate in shared learning on both a practice and a group level whilst engaging and collaborating with the central support nursing team

• Demonstrate an ability to motivate the team you lead and encourage them to work effectively together, in a positive and friendly atmosphere

• Ensure that patient records are completed accurately and that all patient care instructions are followed by the nursing team in your area of responsibilities

• Ensure your area of responsibility is maintained to a high clinical standard, in terms of infection control, effective stock rotation/ replenishment and that equipment is well maintained

• Monitor the performance of team members, perform regular performance reviews and ensure that the appropriate training and support is provided, in order for the nursing staff to implement the highest standards of care required at all times

• In collaboration with the HONS and HRBP, effectively manage any performance, disciplinary or attendance concerns within the nursing team

• Contribute to development of the hospitals patient flow system to ensure that all clinical cases are dealt with efficiently

• Play a central role in shaping an efficient and effective clinical service within the hospital environment through the promotion of excellent clinical standards and effective leadership of the nursing team in your area of responsibility

• Ensure efficient rota management to provide adequate cover with regards to OOH provision, holiday and CPD requests, Public Holidays, scheduling of in-house training and rota amendments due to unforeseen absence, including shift changes where appropriate.

• Manage and monitor overtime requests and highlight excessive claims to the HONS

• Encourage and oversee the reporting and reviewing of clinical incidents as part of the Practice Clinical Governance Policy, through the effective use of VetSafe

• Provide support and guidance to the Lead Nurses within the Surgical Team, delegating appropriately to the Lead Nurses and assisting to develop them as leaders within the practice

• Promote the practice and group policies and guidelines that apply to all employees, within your area

• Ensure profit opportunities and efficiency savings are maximised within your area of responsibility, for example, accurate pricing of procedures, efficient use of resources and the use of preferred suppliers

• Assist with practice marketing initiatives e.g. Open Evenings, Open Days etc

• Actively participate in external CPD appropriate to your role for your own personal development

• Contribute to internal and external CPD/ seminars as appropriate to your job role

• Ensure compliance in the use and recording of pharmaceuticals in accordance with both the Veterinary Surgeon’s Act 1966 and with Linnaeus SOP’s

If you would like to discuss this position in more detail prior to applying please do contact Rebecca Coleman at Rebecca.coleman@linnaeusgroup.co.uk directly