Frailty Team Leader

Wirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

The Frailty team in Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) comprises of a multi disciplinary team (MDT) involving consultant geriatricians, Junior doctors, advanced nurse practitioners (ANP's), Specialist nurses for older persons (SNOP), Clinical support workers (CSW's), Physiotherapists, Occupational therapists, integrated discharge team (IDT), Social workers and third party representation from Age UK.

The SNOPs are an integral part of the frailty service within Wirral University Teaching Hospitals and are often the first members of the team that patients meet when attending the Emergency Department (ED), The Older Person's Assessment Unit (OPAU) or The Urgent Medical Assessment Unit (UMAC). They start the process of CGA, liaise closely with other members of the Frailty team and also with community providers including the Community Integrated Response Team (CIRT) and Integrated Care Co-ordination Hubs (ICCH).

The aim of the Frailty Team, as a whole, is to provide a rapid, holistic assessment of frail patients attending Wirral University Hospital and to formulate a management plan for their care adopting a 'Home First' approach.

The role facilitates early discharge from hospital and admission prevention where it has been identified that patients can be managed in community settings.

The SNOP team currently comprises 6 Band 6 nurses, 2 Band 6 physiotherapists, 2 Band 6 occupational therapists and 3 Band 3 CSW's.

Main duties of the job

1. Day to day management of the Specialist Nurses for Older People.
2. Co-ordinate, allocate and prioritise the workload so that staff and resources are used efficiently.
3. Train, supervise and appraise staff.
4. Manage first line sickness absence.
5. Maintain the quality of the work performed by the nursing team within the SNOP service.
6. Write, review and implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOP's).
7. Implement, co-ordinate and monitor training and competence records.
8. Maintain and monitor systems for ensuring staff compliance with Statutory and Mandatory training.
9. Advise and support managers and senior staff in assessment of competence.
10. Collaborate with all members of the clinical team to ensure efficient running of the frailty service.
11. Be highly effective in time-management.
12. Use resources effectively in order to provide quality patient care whilst having an awareness of budgetary issues.
13. Supervise registered and unregistered staff as appropriate.
14. Undertake formal and informal teaching sessions as required.
15. Following appropriate training coordinate SNOP service.
16. Contribute to the monitoring and control of expenditure and use of resources.
17. Line management responsibilities - undertaking formal disciplinary, grievances and absence management meetings, and staff appraisals.

About us

All new colleagues can expect to receive a warm and friendly Wirral welcome from the very first time they make contact with us. We are described as "competent and caring staff" by our patients.

Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is situated on The Wirral peninsula which has a stunning coastline and beautiful countryside surroundings, with great activities for its residents.

We are one of the largest and busiest acute Trusts in the North West of England, comprising of the Wirral's only Emergency Department. We provide a high quality range of acute care services and employ over 6,000 staff, who serve a population of approximately 400,000 people across Wirral, Ellesmere Port, Neston, North Wales and the wider North West footprint.

We have approximately 855 beds trust-wide and our financial turnover is in excess of £337m.

The Wirral is easily accessible with excellent transport links including motorway, train, bus or ferry and within easy reach to the major cities of Liverpool, Chester and Manchester as well as neighbouring North Wales.

Job responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for further information about the Nurse team leader SNOP position available at WUTH.

Person Specification

Qualifications, Specific Experience & Training

• Current NMC registration
• Post registration course in speciality
• Degree or working towards degree level.
• A minimum of 5 years post registration experience
• A minimum of 2 years leadership experience; specifically in the speciality setting
• Holds registered mentor or teaching qualification.
• Working towards masters level study
• Clinical supervision experience
• Experience of working with electronic health records
• Experience of the peri-operative setting

Knowledge and Skills

• IT skills (Word/Excel/Outlook)
• Ability to plan and prioritise own and others workload when under pressure
• Excellent communications skills
• Evidence of working collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team
• Ability to demonstrate initiative, self-motivation and empowerment of others
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of service delivery
• Sound knowledge of the principles and practice of speciality care
• Awareness of current NHS issues
• Evidence of understanding of quality governance
• Experience of project management

Personal Attributes

• Sense of humour
• Excellent leadership skills
• Flexible and adaptable to change
• Able to remain calm under pressure
• Trustworthy and empathetic

Other Requirements

• Ability to work flexibly
• Motivated

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.