Akeso Nursing Unit Manager

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The Nursing Unit Manager is responsible for maintaining the best practice standards in the nursing unit. He/she maintains these standards by leading, planning, co-ordinating and evaluating services performed in the nursing unit. The Nursing Unit Manager ensures optimal patient care through detailed staff development and medical/nursing research.
The Unit Manager will be responsible for co-ordinating improved quality nursing care by ensuring compliance to professional and ethical practice.
The incumbent will also be responsible for monitoring and ensuring that nursing care and service delivery is implemented and practised within a multi-disciplinary quality assurance team. In accordance, the incumbent will be accountable for co-ordinating capacity-building, mentoring and training.
The role of the Unit Manager is to ensure ongoing support and training of the permanent staff in accordance with Akeso policies and procedures.

KEY WORK OUTPUT AND ACCOUNTABILITIES

CONSISTANCY OF CARE

Key responsibilities
• The Nursing Unit Manager is a role model for staff at all times and in all spheres.
• The Nursing Unit Manager plays a pivotal role in providing clinical leadership and ensuring delivery of high-quality mental health and physical health care to patients within the Akeso Clinic. The Nursing Unit Manager has knowledge, skills, attitude and role models a high standard of practice at all times.
• The Nursing Unit Manager has advanced skills and knowledge in the specialised field of mental health and will have decision-making responsibilities over the delivery of clinical care across the Clinic to ensure it reflects the organisation's mission and vision.
• The Nursing Unit Manager provides strong and consistent leadership through developing a cohesive and effective nursing team and processes to enhance patients' outcomes while maintaining privacy and safety for staff, patients and visitors.

The position description is a broad indication of the work required from the individual employee holding a particular position. The employee may be required to undertake certain duties which may not be indicated in this position description. • • The description is regarded as a precise specification of duties but should be regarded as a guide to main responsibilities.

• The Nursing Unit Manager is a leader, able to lead a nursing unit to the benefit of maintaining practices and procedures of medical care. He/she has excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. A Nursing Unit Manager exhibits professionalism and models these characteristics for nursing staff. He/she maintains awareness of current nursing trends. He/she forms part of the nursing management team and works collaboratively with the Nursing Services Manager and the

Hospital Manager.
• Nursing unit objectives are drawn up by the Nursing Unit Manager in collaboration with the Nursing Services Manager.
• Co-ordinates nursing staff on a day-to-day basis in accordance with the nursing acuities, including managing nursing staff assignments.
• Monitors and evaluates the nursing staff working under him/her.
• Delegates supervisory duties to other persons on the nursing staff (eg Registered Nurse).
• Promotes team-building and positivity amongst staff.
• Orientation of new staff.
• Directs the nursing staff regarding appropriate clinical practices to ensure quality care to patients.
• Takes a leading role in incident management and provides guidance to staff.
• Delegates staff's duties on a daily basis / shift by shift in accordance with the nursing acuities.
• He/she conducts clinical and quality rounds and submits daily reports to the NSM.
• He/she carries out clinical risk assessment from time to time.
• To be on call on a rotational basis.

Administrative duties
• Identifies the need to develop new policies through consultations, needs analysis, meetings and observations.
• Takes an active role in policy and procedures review processes.
• Keeps self-informed of all hospital policies guiding nursing practice.
• Attends ward rounds where necessary and allocates a Registered Nurse in his/her absence.
• Attends meetings within the clinic: Operational meetings (weekly), meeting with Nursing Service Manager and Hospital Manager (weekly) and provides feedback to nursing staff as indicated.
• Plans and draws up the duty roster in a timely manner.
• Ensures that every shift has the right skill mix and maximises the utilisation of human resources within the nursing discipline.
• Timely completion of time sheets to nursing agencies and Hospital Manager.
• Liaises with nursing agencies regarding staffing.
• Fills in shifts as the need arises and in keeping with the nursing acuities.
• Utilisation of the delegation sheet to ensure equal distribution of duties, enhances accountability and ensures that resources are utilised to the maximum.
• Conducts monthly ward meetings and submits minutes to the NSM.
• Drafts a yearly staff leave plan and adjusts it according to ward needs in consultation with the NSM.
• Drafts a yearly in-service training programme and adjusts it to the ward needs in consultation with the NSM.
• Initiates progressive discipline and issues verbal, written warnings and final written warnings in consultation with the NSM.
• Participates in the initiation and conducting of staff disciplinary enquiries.
• Involved in nursing staff recruitment and retention processes.
• Conducts job interviews with the Nursing Service Manager.
• Submits overtime ward report monthly.
• Delegates RN for ECT weekly.

Finance
• The Nursing Unit Manager is not directly involved in financial estimates. However, he/she is expected to be prudent in the supervision and utilisation of human and material resources:
• Assists in and maintains the nursing operational budget.
• Ensures that human and material resources are utilised effectively, efficiently and with control.
• Manage all costs emanating from the department.
• Ensure correct billing, stock management and purchasing.
• Facilitate timeous and accurate compilation of files.

• Ordering of hospital stock – preventing stock-piling, ensuring appropriate use
• Oversees the ordering of patients' medication, orders the ward medication stock.
• Checks and counts schedule drugs weekly.
• Purchases supplies and equipment for the nursing team as needed.
• Accounts for the ward allocated stock monthly to the NSM and the HM.
• Ensures that proper billing is done at the ward level.

Education
• Involvement in ongoing clinical teaching and training (on-the-spot teaching, yearly in-service training) is part of the NUM's responsibilities to the nursing staff.
• Possesses a sound knowledge and understanding of South African Nursing Council (SANC) regulations, Scope of Practice of Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses, and Enrolled Nursing Assistant – keeping abreast with changes in the nursing profession.
• Has sound knowledge of the Mental Health Care Act No. 17, 2002, National Health Act 2003, Department of Health policies, National Core Standards guidelines and Mental Health Policy.
• Responsible for own professional development and education and avails self for courses/seminars and NSM development programmes.
• Leads by example.
• Mentors junior personnel.
• Maintains a leading role in staff orientation programmes.
• Determines the educational needs of staff through consultation, feedback and own observations.
• Develops In-Service training calendar in consultation with the NSM for nursing staff.
• Participates in rendering in-service education to nursing personnel.
• Ensures that all relevant legislations, policy and procedure manuals are available to nursing staff and provides expert advice to nursing staff regarding same.
• Attends conferences and seminars, and provides feedback to nursing staff.
• Keeps self-updated with new developments within the profession.
• Involves self in any research studies occurring within the hospital.

Professional conduct
• To interact with the patient in a polite and professional manner.
• To treat the patient with dignity and respect.
• To listen to the patient and be non-judgemental.
• To be an advocate for the patient.
• To establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship.
• To be an advocate for the clinic.
• To be a role model for peers and subordinates.
• To treat all clinic personnel with dignity and respect.
• To be non-judgemental towards your colleagues.
• To be helpful towards clinic personnel and the general public

General
• Ensures that all Health and Safety regulations are adhered to.
• Performs various tasks as assigned by management.
• Maintains a high level of confidentiality.

Patient care
• Provision of mental and physical health care.
• Promotes and preserves the caring and professional approach of the nursing team in person-centred health and care.
• Liaises with doctors to support detailed feedback regarding patients' care, providing good-quality patient service.

Personnel
• Training, monitoring and management of nursing staff.
• Liaises with Nursing (Services) Manager and staff.
• Promotes and co-ordinates training and development of the nursing department. Assists with patients' and doctors' complaints.
• Ensures Akeso staff members have the necessary documentation on file and have a clear-to-work status.
• Liaises closely with nursing agency regarding staff requirements.
• Works closely with the Nursing (Services) Manager and/or Human Resources department to assist with disciplinary enquiries and relevant labour law legislation.
Ward rounds
• The Nursing Unit Manager will attend and chair all the ward rounds to his/her unit(s). In ward round the NUM is to ensure that all patients on their unit, as well as all matters relating to their unit, are discussed. All discussions are to remain professional and to ensure that effective management of each patient is achieved (assessment, definition of treatment and selection of appropriate referrals). If consultants to their unit are absent from the ward round, the NUM is to ensure that all relevant feedback from ward round discussions are communicated with the relevant consultant(s).
Management of staff members
• The Nursing Unit Manager is responsible for the management of their unit’s co-ordinator as well as all staff members that contribute to their unit(s). This involves providing clear guidelines of the unit’s objectives to all team members (permanent and consultants) that contribute to their unit(s) to ensure consistency in content addressed in both individual and group sessions. The relationship between the NUM and each staff member should be managed to ensure effective feedback can be given to each other. The relationships established should also allow for the NUM to identify and address any conflicts, performance or disciplinary issues and training needs amongst his/her team. The NUM is to remain in control and co-ordinate the leave of all team members so as to ensure that the therapeutic needs of the unit continue to be met effectively.
• The Nursing Unit Manager will remain in close communication at all times with management so as to ensure complete transparency, which will allow management to support the NUM in decisions that are made within the unit(s) and the implementation thereof.

Patient numbers
• The Nursing Unit Manager is responsible for staying abreast of the patient numbers on their unit whilst remaining conscious of the quality of care. They are responsible for ensuring patient numbers are maintained throughout the year and reporting to management any difficulties they may have in doing so. The NUM should be actively involved in the assessment, admission and transferring of all patients across to their unit(s) and should maintain a positive attitude towards high patient numbers to their team. They should also be actively involved in the continual marketing of their unit to encourage new referrals.

Marketing
• The Nursing Unit Manager is responsible for remaining active in the continual marketing of their unit(s). They are responsible for establishing positive relationships with all existing referral sources, as well as being enthusiastic in the development of new ones. They are primarily responsible for the correspondence to all referral sources and for ensuring all relevant feedback is communicated to the referrer to ensure that confidence in the unit’s programme is maintained.
Corresponding with family members
• The Nursing Unit Manager is responsible for ensuring that all correspondence to family members adheres to the National Health Act 61/2003 of 2004 and The Mental Health Care Act 17 of 2004. The NUM is also to ensure that feedback to family members is prompt and effective in notifying the family and ensuring the appropriate referral of the family member when necessary.

Training
• The Nursing Unit Manager will be required to ensure that own training needs are met as well as the needs of their team to ensure that the most effective treatment and management techniques are being implemented at all times.

General
• Ensure that all Health and Safety regulations are adhered to.
• Perform various tasks as assigned by management.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality.

Governance and quality management
• Identify quality improvement opportunities and ensure appropriate strategy and Quality Improvement initiatives are developed and measured.

Risk management
• Investigate all negative incidents and ensure appropriate recording of incidents.
• Monitor safety standards in accordance with the Machine and Occupational Safety Act (Act 6 of 1983). Report all accidents and incidents to Line Manager / Safety Representatives.
• Ensure compliance with protocols, policies and Acts.
• Ensure that all equipment is in working order and properly maintained.
• Control of asset register.

Patient care
• Ensure the unit is providing safe, cost-effective quality patient care in line with the Clinical Governance strategy and evidence-based practice.
• Evaluate the patient’s journey through patient experience and stakeholder input.
• Evaluate nursing quality indicators and clinical outcomes.
• Communicate effectively with patients regarding their care.
• Promote health and wellbeing of patients and staff.
• Ensure the principles of infection prevention and all standard precautions are adhered to.
• Implementing group quality initiatives.

Research activities
• Active involvement in research activities to discover new knowledge about products, processes and services, and then applies that knowledge to create new and improved products, processes and services that meet academic market needs.
• Plans, organises and active involvement in the process and production of all academic-related projects.
• Develops and reviews evaluation and educational strategies.
• Motivates and encourages learners to participate in research within their Scope of Practice.
• Audits and participates in quality improvement programmes to identify problems which may require research.

Accreditation activities
• Implements and maintains standards of health practice required from all accredited bodies and appropriate health legislation.

Administration
• Keeps accurate learner clinical records.

Teaching and learning facilitation
• Facilitates the clinical learning process by understanding, applying and maintaining adult learning methodologies, presentation techniques and course content to ensure that staff acquire skills to a quality and standard in line with national qualifications requirements.
• Focuses on quality orientation in all clinical nursing processes.
• Understands, applies and leverages IT and technology systems, tools and/or equipment to facilitate and reinforce the learning process.
• Clearly conveys information and ideas through a variety of educational strategies in a way that engages staff and helps them to understand and retain the message.
• Develops and controls a learner support system.
• Conducts needs analysis to establish ongoing staff requirements and skill levels.
• Co-operates with NUM and hospital management to establish training needs per department.
• Plans, prepares, implements and manages the education and training requirements as identified per department.
• Facilitates the implementation of practical learning and accompaniment in clinical areas of permanent employees.
• Accompanies permanent staff on a one-on-one basis in the ward setting to facilitate progressive independence and allow for a safe environment to apply knowledge and skills.
• Identifies and conducts remedial education as required for non-performers as well as for high achievers in collaboration with the NUM.
• Facilitates the orientation of all new employees.
• Co-ordinates In-Service training to meet learner and hospital needs.
• Draws up an In-Service training plan in collaboration with NUM.
• Teaches permanent staff on the spot whilst conducting clinical accompaniment on ward rounds and document and record this training.
• Assists with the upgrading of permanent staff – ENA Upgrade and EN Upgrade.

Quality and risk management
• Maintains professional conduct and standards at all times in accordance with hospital policies and procedures.
• Maintains patient confidentiality at all times.
• Conducts quality assurance activities and risk management.
• Ensures awareness of conditions that affect employee and student safety.
• Focuses on the development of academic and clinical nursing processes to ensure quality orientation.
• Effective administration of all academic activities to ensure compliance with policies and legislation.
• Compliance with all relevant legislative requirements and standards.

TRANSFORMATION OF OUR SOCIETY

Transformation targets
• Ensures achievement of transformation goals as set out by the Transformation Committee.

Build and maintain stakeholder relationships
• Work effectively and co-operatively with others to establish and maintain good working relationships that are mutually beneficial.
• Develop collaborative relationships to help accomplish work goals.
• Create and maintain a positive environment where the differences of others are recognised, understood, and valued, so that all can reach their full potential and maximise their contributions.
• Facilitate permanent staff integration with peer groups, co-workers, agencies and the community.

People management
• Create an environment where staff are aware of the role they play in the provision of quality nursing care and their value to the organisation.
• Assign decision-making, authority, tasks and responsibility to appropriate persons in order to maximise organisation and employee effectiveness.
• Develop a talented nursing workforce.
• Co-operate with Netcare Education Division to ensure appropriate nursing training for the delivery of quality care.
• Facilitate a culture that is supportive of talent management and the initiation of required implementations to hone nursing talent.
• Monitor staff attendance and/or absenteeism and ensures action is taken accordingly.
• Enforce staff dress code within and on leaving the Clinic.
• Facilitate effective change and conflict management.
• Orientation of new staff and students.
• Facilitate staff development, both personal and professional.
• Coaching and mentoring of staff.
• Ensure professional conduct and appearance of staff.
• Promote staff wellbeing.

Teamwork
• Actively participate as a member of a team to achieve goals.

Personal and professional development
• Active involvement in own professional development to maintain a satisfactory level of skill and knowledge.
• Keep up to date with Akeso and Netcare’s evolving policies and procedures.
• Keep abreast of current research in the applicable discipline.

REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION
•A relevant nursing qualification (Diploma in General Nursing / B.Cur Degree) or equivalent NQF 7 qualification
•Registration with the South African Nursing Council as a Registered Nurse
•Compliance with the SANC code for a Registered Nurse and all applicable health care legislations
•One of the following qualifications:
Clinical Psychologist
Clinical Social Worker
Occupational Therapist

Preferred
•Relevant Management qualification
•Appropriate qualification in Education
•Assessor- and moderator-trained

WORK EXPERIENCE
• At least three years' experience in an in-patient environment
• Experience in a supervisory or management capacity
• Registration with BHF and HPCSA / SASSWIP
• Administrative experience in medical recruitment, including compliance, assessment, training and orientation of new staff with regard to company protocol.
• Intermediate computer proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite

KNOWLEDGE
Preferred
• Minimum of four to five years' experience in a nursing management capacity (Nursing Manager / Unit Manager)
• Qualification and/or relevant experience in Nursing Administration and/or Nursing Management

Essential
• A sound knowledge and understanding of South African Nursing Council regulations, Scope of Practice of Registered Nurses, Enrolled Nurses and Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries – keeping abreast of changes in the nursing profession.
• A sound knowledge of the Mental Health Care Act No. 17 (2002), the National Health Act (2003, Department of Health policies, and National Core Standards guidelines and Mental Health Policy.
• Knowledge of and experience in disciplinary action
• Sound financial knowledge and the ability to interpret financial data
• Knowledge of stakeholder relationship management
• Knowledge of educational and business management principles
• Knowledge of the legislative and business climate pertaining to general and nursing education
• Computer literacy

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS
In the event of any physical or psychological limitation that may impair the employee’s ability to perform the required job function, the employee must consult the employer for reasonable accommodation.

WORKING CONDITIONS
• Professional flexibility in working hours while supporting daily business operations.
• Will interact with internal and external customers through several different means.
• Travel to support the functions of the role may be required.

Join the team committed to providing the best and safest health and care.