Careers – Join The Team!

Job Title and Grade

Director of Nursing (Person in Charge)

Reference

Publication

DON / PIC

June 2020

Reporting Relationships

The Director of Nursing (PIC) reports directly to the CEO.

The Director of Nursing has overall responsibility for the following staff;

• Assistant Director of Nursing
• Deputy Person in Charge
• Staff Nurses
• Office Administrator
• Health Care Assistants, Multi Task Assistants, Activities Coordinator, Cooks, Domestic Staff, Maintenance Staff.

Purpose of the Post

The primary role of the Director of Nursing (PIC) will be one of professional and business leadership in the day to day operations of the Residential Home. S/he will be responsible for the overall management of the Home, operating at all times in accordance with the policies of Western Alzheimers, ensuring that the Home meets the applicable legislative and regulatory standards.

Role and Responsibilities

The Director of Nursing will be responsible for the following in relation to residents:

·       Ensure that the provision of a high standard of care and service to the resident, and their family members /representatives, in Marian House is consistent with the mission, vision, values and strategic plan of Western Alzheimers.

·       Promote and maintain resident safety and provide quality care through respecting the dignity, privacy and rights of the resident.

·       Ensure that Marian House is operated in a manner that respects the age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, family status, civil status, race, religious beliefs and ethnic and cultural back­ground of each resident.

·       Encourage recognition of the resident as an individual; ensuring residents’ rights, needs and comfort are given priority during the provision of care.

·       Manage the Marian House in a manner that maximises the resident’s capacity to exercise personal autonomy and choice.

·       Ensure effective communication with residents in a manner that meets the resident’s needs. Ensure that resident’s communication needs are addressed. Where a resident has specialist communication requirements, such requirements are recorded in the resident’s care plan and communicated to staff.

·       Effectively communicate with resident family members and visitors on an on-going basis.

·       Ensure continuity of care by providing information concerning the resident’s circumstances, medication, treatment and/or ongoing support by medical and other professionals to Health and Social Care Professionals, or any subsequent care provider, as appropriate.

·       Ensure that the resident is safe from physical or sexual abuse, psychological abuse, financial or material abuse, neglect or acts of omission, or discriminatory abuse, through deliberate intent, negligence or ignorance by others within Marian House. Where a concern arises for a resident’s safety, all reasonable and proportionate interim measures are taken to protect them pending the outcome of any assessment or investigation.

·       Ensure the preparation of an individual care plan, based on the assessment, for a resident no later than 48 hours after that resident’s admission, making the individual care plan available, in an accessible format, to the resident and, where appropriate, his or her family members /representative.

·       Ensure, where a resident declines to engage in the individual care planning process, that arrangements are made to address the resident’s assessed needs and to include their aspirations and wishes insofar as these can be ascertained.

·       Ensure the formal review, at intervals not exceeding 4 months, the resident’s individual care plans and, where necessary, ensure it is revised, after consultation with the resident concerned and where appropriate that resident’s family members /representatives.

·       Support, and work towards, a restraint free environment. Manage and respond to challenging behaviour in so far as is practical in a manner that is not restrictive. Ensure that all interventions in response to behaviour that is challenging are in line with National Policy, reviewed regularly, demonstrably inform learning and practice development.

·       Ensure that each resident is informed about what personal information is being maintained, who has access to this information, including other professionals, and how they can access their personal information.

·       Ensure that the resident’s palliative and end of life needs are identified and implemented in so far as possible. Following the death of a resident, ensure that appropriate arrangements, in accordance with that resident’s wishes in so far as they are known and are reasonably practical, are made.

·       Ensure that the resident is supplied with adequate food and drink that is appropriate to their needs and provides resident choice.

·       Ensure that all relevant information about a resident is obtained prior to admission.

·       Ensure the resident is discharged from Marian House in a planned and safe manner.

Be responsible for the following in relation to Governance and Leadership:

·       Develop and maintain competency levels necessary for professional practice.

·       Undertake the role and responsibilities of the Person-in-Charge in line with the Health Act 2007, related regulations and the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) standards, including those relating to HIQA notification requirements and quarterly reporting.

·       Oversee the organisation and day to day management of Marian House.

·       Oversee the delivery of services to residents with all members of staff.

·       Involvement in the development and implementation of the Marian House Strategic and Operational Plans.

·       Promote effective communication between all professionals involved in the care and treatment of residents, with due regard for the residents’ wishes about the sharing of their information.

·       Act as a liaison with outside agencies and a resource person to staff members, carers or volunteers who have protection concerns. Be responsible for reporting allegations or suspicions of abuse to the HSE or to An Garda Síochána in accordance with any national guidance.

·       Collaborate, consult and communicate with other staff regarding the appropriate use of nursing assessments, diagnosis, planning, interventions, and evaluation of resident care.

·       Participate in the overall management of Marian House as part of the Management Team.

·       Participate as a member of  Marian House Teams as deemed required, including the  Care Team, the Quality Safety Risk Management Team and the Infection Control Team.

·       Attend/chair meetings as required and keep staff briefed on developments in Marian House.

·       Demonstrate behaviour consistent with the values of Marian House.

·       Ensure resident confidentiality. Resident information shall not be discussed outside of the Marian House, except within professional capacity and in the interest of the resident with the expressed permission of the Registered Provider.

·       Lead, by example, a professional, punctual and dedicated team.

·       Ensure that the procedures to be followed in the event of fire are displayed in a prominent place in the residential home.

·       Oversee financial expenditure and value for money.

·       Manage relationships with external organisations and contractors in order to promote and maintain good working relationships and high standards of nursing and service for residents.

·       Manage the selection, use and review of suppliers to Marian House.

·       Ensure that staff and residents are aware of health and safety procedures.

Be responsible for the following in relation to Staff Management:

·       Delegation: Ensure that where directing delegation of care, the delegation is appropriate to the definitions and philosophies of nursing. Delegation shall take into account the levels of experience, competence, role and scope of practice of the staff member taking on the delegated task.

·       Be accountable for roles or activities delegated to junior staff, where appropriate.

·       Be responsible for the recruitment, development and supervision of staff.

·       Facilitate the arrangements necessary and participate where appropriate, in education, training and supervision of other staff as the need arises. Ensure that minimum mandatory training requirements for all staff are met and updated on an ongoing basis. Ensure there is an updated training matrix for all staff.

·       Ensure there is appropriate staff available at all times within  Marian House to provide safe and effective care and to meet the residents’ needs. Ensure that the staff of  Marian House includes at all times at least one registered nurse.

·       Ensure that all staff receive appropriate training in relation to safeguarding residents, whistleblowing and the prevention, detection and response to abuse.

·       Ensure all staff have adequate education and training regarding resident rights.

·       Ensure that individuals involved on a voluntary basis in  Marian House have their roles and responsibilities set out in writing, receive supervision and support and provide a vetting disclosure in accordance with the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Act 2012 (No. 47 of 2012).

·       Ensure all relevant staff can communicate effectively with residents.

·       Ensure that staff have up to date knowledge and skills, appropriate to their role, to respond to and manage behaviour that is challenging.

·       Ensure that staff receive training in, are familiar with, and implement all policies and procedures within Marian House.

·       Create and promote open communications, healthy working relationships, and stimulate initiative amongst the team.

·       Motivate team members, by agreeing goals and objectives, through performance review.

Be responsible for the following in relation to Quality and Safety Management System:

·       Support and implement the Quality and Safety Management System, including resident involvement. The Quality and Safety Management System shall encompass ongoing monitoring of the service and care provided within Marian House, including internal auditing of processes.

·       Identify and review Key Performance Indicators for Marian House.

·       Ensure the effective management and implementation of the Incident Management Process and Risk Management Process within Marian House, including adverse event reporting in line with regulatory requirements and internal policies and procedures. Where an incident occurs, and where the safety of a resident is compromised, take all reasonable and proportionate interim measures to protect the resident pending the outcome of an investigation.

·       Ensure that visitors to a resident are not restricted unless such a visit would pose a risk to the resident concerned or to another resident or if the resident concerned has requested the restriction of visits.

·       Recommend the development and/or revision of policies and procedures to the Registered Provider in line with applicable laws, standards and best practice and be responsible for the development, implementation and compliance to Marian House’s policies and procedures (JCI, 2012).

·       Ensure the implementation of evidence based, clinical best practice within Marian House.

·       Ensure compliance with food safety legislation and that staff receive training in relation to it.

·       For the purposes of ongoing quality monitoring and continuous improvement, collect data on trends and ensure continuous improvement measures are implemented to ensure the care and service provided meets or exceeds resident expectations.

Be responsible for the following in relation to Regulatory Compliance:

·       Ensure that applicable legislation, regulatory requirements, best practice and relevant codes of practice are met.

·       Ensure that all legally required certificates and licences are kept up to date and are displayed where required.

·       Manage the ordering, storage, administration and record requirements for medication in accordance to the following legislation:

o   Irish Medicines Board (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2006 (No. 3 of 2006).

o   Medicinal Products (Prescription and Control of Supply) Regulations 2003 to 2015.

o   Misuse of Drugs Acts 1977 to 2016.

o   Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2017 (S.I. No. 173 of 2017)

o   Health Act 2007 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 415 of 2013).

·       Act as the point of contact for all inspection and regulatory agencies and comply with all reporting requirements.

The foregoing should not be considered exhaustive.

The above Job Description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all duties involved and consequently, the post holder may be required to perform other duties as appropriate to the post which may be assigned to him/her from time to time and to contribute to the development of the post while in office.

Qualifications, experience and knowledge

Essential

• A registered General Nurse on the Register of Nurses held by Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland.

·     Evidence of continuous professional development.

·     Have an in-depth knowledge of the ageing process.

·       have at least three years’ experience nursing older people in the last six years

• have a minimum of three years experience in a management capacity

• possess a post-registration qualification in nursing of the older person or be prepared  to undertake a contractual commitment to undertake such a programme upon appointment

• possess a post-registration qualification in healthcare management or equivalent or be prepared  to undertake a contractual commitment to undertake such a programme upon appointment

• have the clinical, professional, managerial and administrative capacity to properly discharge the functions of the role

• Demonstrate sound knowledge and clinical nursing practice together with future trends in Care of Older Persons.

Health

A candidate for and any person holding the office must be fully competent and capable of undertaking the duties attached to the office and be in a state of health such as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Essential skills, competencies and/or knowledge

Professional knowledge

Essential

·       Demonstrate sound knowledge and clinical nursing practice together with future trends in Care of Older Persons

·       Shows evidence of current legislative policies pertinent to Care of the Older Persons

Desirable

·       Knowledge of organisation of health services and trends nationally and internationally

·       Ability to source both theoretical and technical information

·       Professionalism in the application of theory to daily practices.

·       Critical thinking to be able to recognise resident problems and adapt to changes quickly.

·       Ability to recognise shortfalls or limitations of their competencies.

Core Aptitudes:

·       Act as a good role model

·       Excellent communication and interpersonal skills

·       Teaching skills

·       Has ability to manage change

·       Personal and people development

·       Application of equality

·       Information collection and analysis

·       Quality and service improvement