A Nurse's Survival Guide to Leadership and Management on the Ward / Edition 3

by Brian Dolan FRSA, MSc(Oxon), MSc(Lond), RMN, RGN, Amy Overend FRSA RGN DipHE QIS

Overview

When you become a ward or unit manager, sister or charge nurse, your responsibilities change and you need a very different set of skills compared to your previous roles. You are now required to manage a team of staff with a set budget and are responsible for maintaining an environment in which people can work well.

This book will help you to:

• Identify your responsibilities and best approaches as a manager to provide patients with a high standard of care through your staff;
• Read through examples, suggestions and tips following a highly practical approach;
• Manage your staff, time and budget;
• Create a positive work environment;

Features:

• Completely updated and revised content written by well-known authors with extensive experience in the field;
• New sections on responsible use of social media, working with different generations in the workplace; how to make an impact, taking care of yourself etc.
• Leading teams in the context of enduring financial and staffing constraints

Part of the A Nurse’s Survival Guide series.

Key features:

• Completely updated and revised content written by well-known authors with extensive experience in the field;
• New sections on responsible use of social media, working with different generations in the workplace; how to make an impact, taking care of yourself etc.
• Leading teams in the context of enduring financial and staffing constraints

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780702076626
Publisher:	Elsevier Health Sciences
Publication date:	02/06/2019
Series:	A Nurse's Survival Guide Series
Edition description:	Updated
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Director of award-winning health services consultancy since 2001 (Health Service 360)
Author/editor of eight books on emergency nursing/leadership/education
Work in UK, NZ, Australia and Ireland undertaking whole systems and leadership/culture change
Visiting Prof of Nursing, Oxford Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Research (OxINMAHR)
Honorary Prof of Leadership in Healthcare, Salford University
Originator of both #EndPJparalysis and #Last1000days social movements to value patients’ time and safety

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - The role of the ward manager

Be clear about what 24-hour responsibility means

Be clear about what makes a good leader

Make sure your decisions are informed ones

Clarify your objectives

Understand your legal responsibilities

Be clear about your matron/line manager’s role

Remember you are the patients’ overall advocate

Balance your clinical work with administrative duties

Be aware of the impact of your role on others

Chapter 2 - Manage your time

Define your workload

Organise your office

Control your diary

Keep up with your e-mails

Cut interruptions

Keeping abreast of your reading

Getting the best from meetings

Chair meetings effectively

Learn to let go through delegation

Be proactive

Chapter 3 - Create a positiver working environment

Plan ahead

Set meaningful objectives with your team

Be a good listener

Feedback with sincerity

Know your staff well

Never talk disapprovingly of others

Get your staff to take more responsibility

Have a system for dealing with patients’ visitors

Deal with conflict

Implement clinical supervision

Chapter 4 - Manage staff performance

Get to know your HR advisor

Write everything down

Make appraisals work

Know how to handle unacceptable behaviour

Handle poor performance/incompetence

Know when and how to discipline

Actively manage sick leave

Ensure all staff have appropriate training, development and support

Provide additional support for mentors

Reduce staff stress

Inform and involve all of your team

Consider team-based self-rostering

Chapter 5 - Make sure care is Patient-Centred

Maintain your clinical skills

Ensure that all patients have a full assessment and care plan

Be clear about what health care assistants can and cannot do

Eliminate long handovers

Use task-orientated care only when appropriate

Work towards the named nurse (or primary nursing)

Make sure patients are informed

Performance indicators, audits and benchmarking

Manage staffing shortages

Take the lead on ward rounds

Chapter 6 - Manage your budget

Know what your budget is

Prioritise pay

Go through your monthly budget statement

Manage annual leave

Manage your unplanned absence allowance

Plan your study leave allowance

Get your staff involved in non-pay

Be more active in the business planning process

Don’t do anything without identified funding

Meet regularly with your finance advisor

Chapter 7 - Improve quality and safety

Quality indicators

Identify mistakes and risks

Investigate complaints appropriately

Tips for calling or meeting with a complainant

Investigate incidents appropriately

Make improvements

Chapter 8 - Instigate a rolling recruitment programme

Review the post with the person who is leaving

Write good adverts and application packages

Shortlist and arrange interviews properly

Get the best out of the interview process

Follow up all candidates personally

Arrange a good induction programme

Continually explore all other avenues to get staff

Don’t discriminate

Succession plan

Fully involve your team in all aspects of recruitment

Chapter 9 - Be politically aware

Understand how health care is managed nationally

The Value of The Board of Directors

Choose your meetings carefully

Network – get to know the right people

Be diplomatic

Work with your director of nursing

Get recognition for your work

Choose your mentor and mentees with care

Plan ahead for your own needs

Chapter 10 - Look after yourself

Set up a peer support group or action learning set

Develop the role of your deputy

Get yourself a mentor

Choose carefully who you talk to and what you say

Reduce stress

Get over mistakes and move on

Remember it’s only a job

Chapter 11 - Be a good role model

Be smart

Make a good first impression

Always smile and be positive

Speak clearly

Be relaxed and in control

Make your writing distinguishable

Be aware of how others see you

Set an example with your choice of language

Never moan or gossip about others

Don't stagnate

Chapter 12 - Manager your manager

Clarify expectations

Work with, not against, your manager

Act, if an important decision has been made without your consultation

Act, if a change in another department has a knock-on effect in yours

Don't be pressurised into taking on extra work without funding

If you are doing extra work without funding, take action

Keep the communication channels open

Write clear and timely reports

Know how to conduct a good investigation

Chapter 13 - Manage difficult situations

The difficult manager

The problematic colleague

Allegations of bullying or harrassment within your team

Staff complaints

Helping your staff to act

Dealing with racism or other forms of discrimination

Unsafe staffing levels

Cliques

Be specific about expanding nursing roles

Be proactive with enforced moves or mergers of services

Chapter 14 - Manage difficult team members

Staff who refuse to look professional or wear proper uniform

Staff who refuse to accept change

Staff who can't seem to prioritise their work

Staff labelled as lazy

Staff with alcohol problems

Members of staff who don't get on

Staff who seem careless and sloppy

Staff who manipulate situations for their own gain

Staff who moan and whinge

Staff who are continually late for duty

Chapter 15 - Get the best advice

Know where to go for legal advice

Know where to go for professional advice

Utilise the chaplaincy department

Use but don't abuse the nurse specialists

Help patients and relatives access the right advice

Keep up-to-date with risk management issues

Consult policies, procedures and guidelines

Maximise computer access

Utilise the knowledge and skills of your nursing colleagues

Utilise the practice development team