Lead Nurse Workforce

We are seeking a robust, flexible, and dynamic leader for a 12-month secondment into the role of 8B Lead Nurse for Workforce at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

You will need to have had experience of operational nursing leadership at a Matron level and have an ambitious innovative approach to developing our nursing and AHP workforce.

You will work alongside nursing and AHP leaders, workforce, and education colleagues to develop the recruitment, retention, and development of a sustainable workforce. Reporting to the Executive Chief Nurse, this role will play an important part in ensuring the Trust meets safe staffing standards.

They will provide visible professional leadership to ensure that care safety, quality and staff wellbeing is at the centre of all workforce decision making and developments. They will also lead key workstreams related to career pathways and the developments of longer-term workforce strategy.

We are looking for a compassionate visible leader, who can challenge the status quo in an inspirational way and who models professionalism and civility in all they do. They will be resilient and self-motivated to make tangible and lasting improvements to the nursing and AHP workforce agenda.

Main duties of the job

The lead nurse provides clinical and professional leadership for the NMAHP workforce agenda at The Christie. The post holder will report to the Chief Nurse, providing visible leadership, monitoring, and maintaining professional high standards. They will need to be an innovative and dynamic practitioner committed to improving the patient/client experience, improving standards of care and services, leading the nursing contribution at a senior level in line with the Trust's Values and Behaviours. The lead nurse will support the Chief Nurse in the delivery of recruitment, workforce planning and development, safe staffing work streams and continuous improvements in standards across the Trust. They will be responsible for leading improvement work streams and projects across the Trust both responding to and contributing to informing the local and national policy agenda on recruitment, workforce, safe staffing and quality improvement. You will manage human and financial resources and line manage teams ensuring key performance indicators are met and services are high quality and responsive.

About us

The Christie is one of Europe's leading cancer centres, treating over 60,000 patients a year. We are based in Manchester and serve a population of 3.2 million across Greater Manchester & Cheshire, but as a national specialist around 15% patients are referred to us from other parts of the country. We provide radiotherapy through one of the largest radiotherapy departments in the world chemotherapy on site and through 14 other hospitals highly specialist surgery for complex and rare cancer and a wide range of support and diagnostic services. We are also an international leader in research, with world first breakthroughs for over 100 years. We run one of the largest early clinical trial units in Europe with over 300 trials every year. Cancer research in Manchester, most of which is undertaken on the Christie site, has been officially ranked the best in the UK.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The post holder will provide highly developed improvement expertise from within the organisation and develop an internal consultancy approach to ensure the implementation of innovative solutions in order to meet workforce requirements and support the principles of safe and effective staffing in line with national policy. They will lead improvement programmes that are designed to bring about workforce transformation ensuring sustainable outcomes are achieved, hence contributing to the key quality and performance outcomes within the organisation. They will work closely with multidisciplinary teams and relevant departments internal and external to the Trust, to ensure workforce systems and programmes of work are responsive and support nursing and AHP staff to respond to the transforming professional agenda.

Service Development and Leadership

Provide effective clinical and professional leadership which demonstrates the values and behaviours identified within the Trusts framework. Demonstrate effective leadership by promoting and role modelling expected leadership behaviours at all times. Support the Chief Nurse to take forward and implement the Trust Nursing, Midwifery and AHP vision and strategic workforce plans in order to deliver clinically and financially viable services, maintaining a focus on the delivery of high-quality patient care standards. Develop and implement innovative strategies to guide and coach teams in developing and strengthening leadership skills in order to meet the responsibilities of their role and provide succession planning. Actively contribute to developing recruitment and workforce strategy across the Trust Provide line management and develop individuals within the NMAHP team. Maintain an insight into the patients and familys journey by utilising workforce and safe staffing experience. Deliver service changes informed by workforce, service and safe staffing feedback, and surveys using co-production methodologies to enable the provision of responsive workforce strategies. Enable a culture where all individuals are able to contribute equally by ensuring effective communication systems, written, verbal and the use of Information Technology is embedded. Contribute to the development, delivery and evaluation of the trusts Nursing and Midwifery Strategy Commitments and lead on the development and delivery of recruitment, workforce and safe staffing policy and strategies. Proactively promote equality and diversity in line with legislation and policy both for patient groups and employees. Be responsive to and work collaboratively to problem solve and lead in difficult and problematic situations arising from services. Promote an environment which is conducive to learning, education, training, research and development, fostering innovative practice and proactively implementing changes to address knowledge and skills gaps. Ensure systems are in place to ensure that every member of staff has an annual appraisal and a personal development plan aligned to the Trusts vision and objectives and is supported to deliver their personal objectives. Demonstrate an appreciation of the efforts of individuals and teams by celebrating achievements, recognising individuals and teams who demonstrate the Trust Values and Behaviours. Lead projects as identified by the Chief Nurse Act as mentor and resource person for staff, as appropriate to the role.

Workforce

Develop workforce data reporting strategies to report workforce and staffing data. Work in partnership with the workforce team to develop and produce workforce data, reports and workforce analysis Manage the utilisation of workforce and staffing data and quality metrics at ward/department level. Maintain up to date knowledge of methodologies to improve safe staffing and workforce solutions. Work collaboratively and professionally with partner/external organisations to ensure effective transformation within The Christie. Provide expertise both within and external to the organisation in order to support the development of workforce systems through local and national healthcare improvement programmes. Advise senior teams on workforce improvement theories, models, tools and emerging solutions, which may impact on services, contributing to the delivery of local and national policy initiatives. Work in close collaboration with the HR team to improve recruitment, onboarding and induction of staff. Support the professional development of staff in particular regarding workforce by contributing to the development of training programmes/ facilitated events that improve leadership, team culture and the integration of service improvement methodologies. Develop innovative strategies to guide and coach teams in developing and strengthening improvement skills in order to meet the responsibilities of their role and provide succession planning. Lead on the development and validation of internal and external safe staffing reports and mandatory data reports including NHSE/I safe staffing reports. Develop and lead on an annual establishment review programme Lead on the rollout and use of Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT) developing an annual census collection programme and census reporting to inform establishment reviews Act as expert to leadership teams on the use of the SNCT and interpretation of census data to inform safe staffing strategies. Act as expert and trust Lead on the use and continuing development of Allocate SafeCare Provide expert support to leadership teams to develop daily safe staffing policy ensuring effective use of SafeCare. Work collaboratively with the workforce team to ensure effective use of Health Roster Develop recruitment resourcing strategy and annual plan to support recruitment and retention. Lead on Trusts nursing and AHP recruitment strategy working with the Resourcing and recruitment team responding to the trusts workforce requirements Utilise a broad range of service improvement methodologies to maximise the opportunity to transform and support quality improvement and service transformation. Using highly developed and complex communication skills to ensure stakeholder involvement, partnership working and delivery of sustainable changes. Maintain own clinical / professional competence and credibility and utilise clinical sessions to role model standards of care and expected behaviour through the Christie CODE process. Measure agreed standards of nursing practice and gain additional accessibility to both patients and families and members of staff. Promote lifelong learning, ensuring all staff have access to continuing professional development opportunities, working closely with the School of Oncology in Fostering innovation in practice and proactively addressing the practice theory gap. Develop links with external organisations for networking and learning purposes, including NHSE/I, Safer Nursing Faculty and AQuA. Maintain up to date knowledge of methodologies or solutions to improve healthcare services through networking regionally, nationally or internationally Provide high quality written and verbal reports on the instruction of the Chief Nurse as requested. Lead on Development of NMAHP job descriptions under the instruction of the Chief Nurse Prepare workforce reports for internal external reporting under the instruction of the Chief Nurse Deliver presentations to a variety of audiences both internally and externally to the Trust. Complete highly complex analysis of quality metrics and project data, including presenting data in a variety of formats. Promote a culture of collaborative working and empower Trust staff to achieve continuous improvement of quality within their role. Promote a positive relationship with all stakeholders. When working with clinical teams ensure high standards of care are being delivered throughout the process of change, in line with Trust policies and evidence-based practice. Act as a role model of standards of behaviour and professionalism within role and workplace. Allocate, coordinate, monitor and assess own workload making adjustments to ensure consistent service delivery.

Clinical Governance/Effectiveness

Lead investigations for serious untoward incidents, complaints. Lead on the management and investigation of temporary staffing incidents, complaints manging the NHSP incident inbox and co-ordinating investigations and responses. Ensure all nurses comply with the NMC regulations and work within their scope of practice. Ensure that there are robust systems and processes in place to ensure that all nurses maintain their professional registration, taking appropriate action in line with Trust policy and professional legislation where issues have been identified. Contribute to the Trusts achievement of the Care Quality Commission Standards and other regulatory standards ensuring a programme of audit and review is in place to maintain required standards in regard to safe staffing and policy. Review and amend risk registers within areas of responsibility, working with the Chief Nurse and Quality and Standards team. Maintain insight into new developments in practice and contribute to programmes of work to implement changes which improve the quality of care. Ensure that processes are in place to enable nursing staff to meet the requirements of NMC revalidation. Foster and develop a culture within the workforce which enables and supports individuals to continually improve services.

Please refer to the Job Description for the full duties and responsibilities of the role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• First Level NMC registration
• Graduate in health related subject
• Relevant Master's degree or working towards

Desirable

• Management/Leadership qualification
• Appropriate teaching qualification

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

• Evidence of relevant study and continuing professional development.
• Detailed knowledge of the NHS and current opportunities and challenges.
• Significant operational management experience at Matron level or above
• Evidence of implementing and managing change to improve services or patient experience
• Experience in clinical audit and benchmarking.
• Experience in managing an operational service including budget management/financial planning and strategic development
• Evidence of using service improvement methodology in the delivery of change within services.
• Experience in management of staff in line with Human Resources policies and procedures.
• Experience of utilising data for improvement
• Experience in the development of policies, protocols and guidelines to support best practice.

Desirable

• Experience in delivering research and development in practice
• Experience in delivering service changes which require staff consultation processes.

Skills & Abilities

Essential

• Evidence of strong leadership skills
• Excellent verbal communication skills
• Excellent written communication skills with evidence of reporting writing and presentations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience in interdisciplinary working/communication.
• Evidence of initiative, planning and finishing skills.
• Evidence of analytic