Staff Nurse - Paediatric Intensive Care

Job overview

We are looking for experienced Paediatric Nurses to join our nursing teams of Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Evelina London .

We offer a well-established, dynamic multi-professional team with a wealth of experience. Critical care is a fast paced environment, that provides endless opportunities to learn and develop.

Our education team provides critical care education locally and regionally, and supports and prepares all nurses who wish to embark on a career in critical care with all the skills they need.

Research, evidence-based practice, risk management and staff development are actively supported and promoted.

As part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Evelina London is there for children, young people and women from London to South East England and provides specialist care for families around the UK and across the world.

Every year, the number of children and young people Evelina London cares for, in our hospitals and throughout our local community, continues to grow. We support families from pre-conception, before birth, throughout childhood and into adult life.

Closing date: 27th June 2024

Interview date: 1st July 2024

Main duties of the job

Our nurses have the opportunity to gain a wide variety of experience caring for children requiring medical and surgical management, including those undergoing complex cardiac, spinal, ENT and airway surgery, some of whom require the joint care of the many specialist services within Evelina London. Experienced nurses will have the opportunity to develop skills in ECMO, renal replacement therapy and retrieval.

If you have what it takes to be an amazing Evelina Nurse, and have the appetite to join a forward thinking, positive environment, where aspiration and innovation are encouraged, we want you to join us. 

Post qualification experience is required for this role and they are not currently opened to newly qualified nurses. For NQN applications please see the current vacancy open for NQN within critical care.

Working for our organisation

Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation

At Evelina, we are reminded every day of how important life is, and how important it is to look after the health and wellbeing of our staff as they balance of responsibilities in and out of work. We are committed to supporting flexible working; we want to support you to work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or another flexible pattern. If it works for the service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

We are committed to supporting professional development, and have excellent training and educational offerings. Recognising that looking after babies, children and young people is incredibly rewarding, but can also bring challenge we offer amazing resources to help support our staff’s emotional wellbeing and resilience.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Job Description for full details of duties and responsibilities. 

Responsible for carrying out clinical practice within designated clinical areas, ensuring that high quality, current evidence-based nursing assessment, care planning, implementation, interventions and evaluations for patients is provided from admission through to discharge.

Will be responsible for the application of knowledge across the range of work procedures and practices, underpinned by theoretical knowledge and practical experience.

To act as advocate for patients within the area, to ensure a patient orientated approach to the delivery of care and to meet standards within the NHS Plan and other relevant guidelines.

To ensure that patients’ receive high quality clinical care and a good patient experience, having regard for their customs, religious beliefs and doctrines.

Recognise and avoid situations that may be detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the individuals.

Will advise on the promotion of health and the prevention of illness.

Recognise the significance of observations made, and use them to develop and initiate nursing assessments and devise a plan of care.

Carry out those activities necessary to conduct a comprehensive assessment of a person’s nursing requirements.

Will ensure that all patients will have a discharge plan that is safe and appropriate for their needs.

Carry out nursing procedures and treatments, checking on and maintaining the highest possible standards.

Work alongside the multi-disciplinary team to ascertain treatments and advise on nursing priorities.

Take a clear and concise history from patients by assessing their health and wellbeing and complete documentation ensuring that all entries are accurate and legible and that all information systems are maintained.

Undertake prescribed physical observations as follows: blood pressure, temperature, respirations, blood sugars, urinalysis, weight and height, and report exceptions appropriates.

Responsible for the correct administration of prescribed medication including transfusion of blood and blood products

Person specification

Education/ Qualifications

Essential criteria

RN1/ RN2/ RN12 or RN Child Registered Nurse on the NMC register. To hold the appropriate level for the area of speciality.

Evidence of continuing professional development

Desirable criteria

Relevant qualifications required or course to area

Previous experience

Essential criteria

Experience of working on own and in a team

Experience of working in the relevant area

Experiencing of co-ordinating a shift

Completion of preceptorship

Experience of administering intravenous drug therapy

Supervision of junior staff

Desirable criteria

Previous experience in other nursing fields

Skills/Knowledge/ Ability

Essential criteria

Able to assess, plan, implement & evaluate programmes of care

Up to date knowledge of current clinical and professional issues.

Knowledge of Evidence Based Practice

Competent in basic life support

Ability to administer prescribed medication including transfusion of blood and blood products

Able to work as an effective team member

Able to prioritise & meet deadlines

Able to manage difficult situations

Uses own initiative and is able to take decisions

An understanding of Audit and Research Based Nursing Practice

Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills

Knowledge of the NMC Code of Professional Conduct

Knowledge of Clinical Governance & a commitment to clinical supervision

Knowledge of the individual’s responsibility towards health & safety

Desirable criteria

IT skills Awareness of the structure and organisation of the NHS

Additional Information

Essential criteria

The ability to undertake reflective thinking on own practice

Flexible and positive approach to work

Manual handling of patients, using lifting aids

Able and willing to work flexible shift patterns, internal rotation to day and night duty and unsocial hours, according to service needs

Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity , gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.