Ward Sisters

“Super Nurses should be Supernumerary”

Helen Young

Director of Nursing and Midwifery

Birmingham Womens’ Hospital

The impossible but most important job in my team - The Ward/Team Sister• 24 hour responsibility for the area

• Lead the Quality of Care

• Lead the Delivery of Safe Care

• Lead the Delivery of Patient Experience

• Lead the Teaching and Training of Staff (MDT)

• Role Model

• Educator

• Manager of People and Budgets and Services

• Expert Practitioner

• Guardian of the 6 C’s

• Staffing Champion

• Mediator and Complaints Manager

and the list goes on ………………

The personal and professional

• Continuously develop professionally

• Learn new skills

• Learn new management techniques

• Reflect

• Revalidate

• Develop Leadership Skills

• Lean Budgeting

• Learn LEAN

• Learn Safety Improvement Science

What you need more reasons??

• Making a Difference Report , 2000

• The Prime Ministers Commission 2010

• RCN Breaking Down the Barriers Driving up Standards (RCN 2009)

• Francis Report

• National Quality Board (2013)

• CNO Staffing Guidance (2013)

• Hard Truths (2014)

How to do it:

• Get the DoN on side quickly

• Use them to get the COO and FD

• Get the NEDS by showing them wards in real life

• Create the right support –Admin Roles for Sister

Support

• Get the right JD and Person Spec

• Get the right Competency Framework

• Get the right recruitment approach (VBR essential)

• Get your Evidence together

• Get the Business Case Right

Leadership, Preparation, Support

• We all know right skills, right place right time!

• Well here’s my mantra for Sisters:

• Right Leadership Development , Right

Preparation for Role, Right Support all the

time

A check list to help not dictate• Do they have supervisory status

• Do they have authority to book staff and buy equipment

• Do they have ward clerks and PA support

• Do they manage housekeeping

• Are they classed as Senior Nursing Management

• Do they get represented at Decision Making Forums for N&M

• To they have training and development specifically for them

• Are they on Leadership Development initiatives

• Have they got Knowledge and Skills /Competency Framework

• Do they meet with the DoN as a group or individual directorates

• Are they involved in Skill Mix and Staffing Decisions

• Do they have access to the ward dashboards and are they responsible for them

• Do they manage the complaints and feedback in their area

• Do you recruit them using a VBR methodology

• Are they directly involved in the pre reg and post reg education of their teams

• Do they have a personal and professional development plan with annual appraisal

Thank you for listening- go fight the fight!

Helen.young@bwhct.nhs.uk