Job summary
Are you an inspiring and patient focused Clinical Lead in Children Services, with a passion for supporting your colleagues to deliver excellent care at the heart of the community? If this sounds like you, we would like to invite you to apply for a Clinical Lead role within our Children and Young Peoples Community Nursing Team based in Chichester.
Key duties of the job
This role will sit within the Leadership team for the Chichester Children and Young Peoples Community Nursing Team, which is one of the teams that comprises the Sussex Wide Children and Young Peoples Community Nursing Service. The role supports and deputises for the Band 8a Matron role, working alongside the Service's Team Lead and Practice Development Nurses. The role is to ensure the smooth clinical delivery of the service, working across professional and clinical disciplines, aligning clinical standards with operational performance.
About us
We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.
Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.
Why work for us?
Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and well‑being. Varied environments: community hospitals, patients' homes, and bases across Sussex. Flexible working options: part‑time, flexi‑time, annualised hours, and flexi‑retirement. Excellent training, development, and research opportunities. Cost‑effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton. Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks. Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust. Beautiful Sussex location near the South Downs and coast.
Our values
Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence guide everything we do.
We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.
Job description / responsibilities
Clinical leadership:
As the Clinical Lead in Children's Community Nursing we will have advanced and specialist expertise in clinical, children's nursing care, research, audit, practice development and educational support. We will contribute to the development of the countywide Children and Young Peoples Community Nursing Service plan and, together with other senior nurses, ensure policy and practice is developed and delivered in line with Trust and national best practice standards, and undertake priority clinical projects to improve service provision locally and Trust wide.
Clinical expertise:
* Promote the health and wellbeing of children/young people and their families to ensure the provision of high quality, safe, clinical nursing care.
* Hold an independent clinical caseload and be proficient in clinical nursing assessments and interventions for children in the community.
* Work closely with other health professionals within the Trust and across the health economy, and across statutory and third sector agencies.
Provide education, training and competency assessment of clinical nursing skills for colleagues, students, parents, carers and children on the caseload.
Nurse Prescribing:
We will undertake training to become a Non‑Medical/Independent Nurse Prescriber (V300) and prescribe appropriately for children in the community.
Communication and working relationships:
* Provide, receive and understand complex, or sensitive information relating to children and young people with a range of health needs.
* Communicate information effectively with members of the multi‑professional team and external stakeholders.
* Work with children and families to teach them and junior staff/carers about their condition and its management.
* Communicate proactively with staff on the clinical condition and treatment/discharge plans of children and ensure accurate records are kept.
* Lead and support the team in coordinating the discharge process and ensuring high standards of written and verbal advice for children and their families.
* Ensure that the Team Lead, Matron and/or General Manager are informed of pertinent clinical and management problems in a timely manner.
* Report and, where necessary, escalate any safeguarding or patient safety concerns for the children on the caseload.
* Work in partnership with PALS and senior management to provide resources within the team for the management and local resolution of patient related complaints.
* Work with senior manager and HR department to support and participate in the recruitment and retention of staff.
* Act as an ambassador / role model for Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust and the Nursing Profession. May be asked to give presentations to university students and other interested bodies about the work of the community nursing service.
Key responsibilities:
* Support the Team Lead with recruitment of staff and workforce planning.
* Support budgetary responsibility for the team and work closely with the Matron and General Manager.
* Ensure Health and Safety requirements are met and all incidents are reported and investigated.
* Lead the team to take part in the End of Life Care on‑call rota.
* Support the team lead to ensure a safe and consistent service is delivered.
* Set and maintain clinical and service performance standards, and support data collection and analysis.
* Lead and manage day‑to‑day operational nursing, personnel, performance and allocation of work.
* Support the clinical leads on developing a countywide health needs profile and secure funding for provision.
* Work in partnership with the team lead on staff development and performance and ensure all appraisals are completed annually.
* Educate and support staff with continuous professional development and best clinical practice.
* Lead change management within the team and initiate development of the service to meet complex health care needs.
* Implement clinical policies, write and maintain care standards and clinical policies in line with Trust requirements.
* Ensure health records are maintained, compliant and accurately recorded.
* Follow established procurement processes for medical devices and consumables.
* Assist the Named Nurse for Child Protection in coordinating child protection processes in accordance with Trust policy.
* Initiate, maintain and analyse service data to demonstrate activity and identify service needs.
* Regularly evaluate clinical effectiveness of care and adjust where necessary.
* Develop, implement, and evaluate guidelines and teaching tools for children/families and colleagues.
* Participate in nursing research and audit projects relevant to clinical community practice.
The successful candidate will join a team which delivers excellent children nursing services to the residents of Sussex, working in collaboration with our system partners across health, social and voluntary care. You must have a full valid driving licence and access to a car for work purposes.
Our key priority is the care and welfare of our patients and you will be an essential part of this dynamic service providing high quality community care to those who rely on us to enable them to return to, or remain in, their own homes.
Person Specification – Qualifications and/or professional registration
Essential qualifications:
* Registered children’s nurse.
* BSc/MSc Specialist Practice in Community Health/Specialist Practitioner Children’s Community Nurse or BSc/MSc Children’s Nurse Practitioner.
* Physical Assessment of Children/Young People at level 6/7 or equivalent.
* Relevant study at Level 7 and willingness to work towards a Masters qualification.
* ENB 998 / Mentorship module or equivalent.
* Community Nurse prescriber (V100) or willingness to undertake training.
* Non‑Medical/Independent Nurse Prescriber (V300) or willingness to undertake training.
* Specialist Practice Teacher/PGCE or willingness to undertake.
Desirable qualifications:
* Postgraduate certificate in Management / Leadership / Change Management.
* Community Nurse prescriber (V100) or willingness to undertake training.
Essential experience:
* Extensive post‑registration relevant clinical children’s community nursing experience at Band 6 or above.
* Significant experience working with diverse children and families in the community setting including complex care, palliative care and end‑of‑life care.
* Recent experience in a relevant leadership role.
* Proficient in teaching, mentoring, supervising and coaching.
* Ability to develop policy, protocols, guidelines and educational materials.
* Extensive experience planning, managing and coordinating programmes of care with allied health, social, education and volunteer agencies.
* Evidence of clinical audit, service evaluation and critical analysis.
* Understanding of financial and budget management.
* Advanced clinical assessment, differential diagnosis and referral skills.
* Effective and proactive assessment and management of risk.
* Critical thinking and decision making, advanced clinical judgment and problem solving.
* Analytical skills including clinical reflection and action planning.
* Excellent understanding of children’s communication and emotional needs.
* Skills in critical appraisal and evaluation of research and evidence.
* Implementation of research and audit in practice.
* Ability to disseminate knowledge through publication or presentation.
* Ability to prioritise service workload and maintain quality care under pressure.
* Ability to organise and respond efficiently to complex information and distressing news.
* Ability to multitask and travel as required with a valid driving licence.
Desirable experience:
* Other relevant advanced nursing qualifications at level 6/7 (e.g. Palliative & Complex Care, Advanced Communication, Safeguarding).
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here: Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.
Employer details
Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust
Westhampnett Centre, Westhampnett Road, Chichester, PO19 7HH
Website: https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/work-with-us/
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