Senior Sister/Charge Nurse - Adult Critical Care

Job overview

Are you the exceptional individual ready to take advantage of this outstanding opportunity to work within the dynamic and highly skilled Headache Nursing Team at King's College Hospital?

You will have the opportunity to work with patients experiencing a wide range of primary and secondary headache disorders, including complex migraine conditions, and to develop advanced skills in the assessment, management, and ongoing care of these patients.

The team is committed to providing expert specialist care to people with headache disorders throughout their treatment journey, supporting patients in the inpatient, outpatient, and day-care settings. A telephone advice service is also provided.

The candidate must:

• Be a Level 1 Registered Nurse.
• Have clinical experience in Neurology, headache disorders, or long-term conditions (desirable).
• Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Be competent in venepuncture and cannulation.
• Have the ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrate a commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care and supporting service development.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dedicated specialist team and contribute to improving the lives of patients living with headache disorders

Main duties of the job

• Demonstrates Kings Values and the 6 C’s at every opportunity.
• To work as an autonomous practitioner and effectively co-ordinate and deliver an expert nursing service within the specialist area.
• To support ward staff in caring for elective patients with headache, providing advice and instruction about medication regimes and protocols.
• To work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure patients are educated about their condition and treatment options, including new developments as they arise.
• To work in the Headache Outpatient clinical service with colleagues and autonomously.
• To work in the procedure clinic to manage patients and their treatment ensuring best practice.
• To establish novel therapies and manage patient treatment.
• To liaise with primary care where appropriate

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. Transforming Healthcare is the vision at the heart of the King’s Strategy – 2026 to 2031. Together, we are pursuing six strategic ambitions: delivering high-quality patient care; being a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. Achieving these ambitions will require all of us to work as one Team King’s, united by a shared commitment to our values of being caring, collaborative, inclusive and innovative. By living these values every day, we will transform healthcare for our patients, our communities and each other

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

· Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others in own work area through ensuring own and others’ knowledge of relevant local / national policies and procedures, and that these are adhered to

· Work according to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and relevant professional standards and guidelines

· Contribute to the development of services

· Assess peoples’ health and wellbeing needs with support and supervision

· Plan and deliver programmes to address peoples’ complex and changing health and well-being needs with support and supervision

· Monitor and maintain health, safety and security of self and others in own work area through ensuring own and others’ knowledge of relevant local / national policies and procedures, and that these are adhered to

· Work according to the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and relevant professional standards and guidelines

· Contribute to the development of services

· Assess peoples’ health and wellbeing needs with support and supervision

· Plan and deliver programmes to address peoples’ complex and changing health and well-being needs with support and supervision

· Receive direct referrals within a defined speciality, and to provide assessment of the patient’s needs with support of other practitioners

· Promote peoples’ equity, diversity and rights, through ensuring that own and others’ practice is in the best interests of patients

· Plan and deliver research / evidence based care and treatment with guidance and supervision from other health professionals

· Refer to other health professionals when this will improve health outcomes or when risks and needs are beyond own competence and scope of practice

· Develop own knowledge and expertise within the speciality related to patient treatment, care pathways and health promotion

· Work with other practitioners in supporting patients’ information needs, promoting their wishes and beliefs, and addressing their concerns

· Monitor and review the effectiveness of interventions with the patient and colleagues, agreeing changes to meet needs and established goals

· To manage procedure clinic and nurse led clinics as needed to ensure best patient care is delivered and to work with patient to establish efficacy.

· To establish patients on neuromodulation devices and manage use.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria

• NMC Level 1 or Level 15 Registered Nurse
• A clinical expert either through formal qualification (Degree/Masters) and/or extensive clinical experience pertinent to the area or willing to develop this

Desirable criteria

• Higher Degree (MSc) or equivalent in a health related subject, or working towards
• Relevant post-registration qualification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential criteria

• Current Experience within the Headache Speciality
• Ability to impart complex information to patients, relatives and carers, with different levels of understanding

Desirable criteria

• Advanced clinical assessment skills or willingness to develop these
• Relevant, demonstrable experience in specialty area
• To have proven experience of service development
• Experience of running or being involved in research and audit programmes
• Experience of delivering presentations or willingness to develop this skill

Skills and Competencies

Essential criteria

• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Ability to build up a rapport with patients
• Strong leadership skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Computer literacy
• Patient centred approach

Desirable criteria

• Basic Counselling skills
• Project management skills

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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Relying too much on AI can negatively impact your chances of success because automatically generated answers:

• might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile
• often seem generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective
• could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience

We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

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King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.