Head of Night Nursing

Job Title:Head of NightNursing (Assistant Director of Nursing equivalent) Reporting to:Director of Clinical Affairs Contract Type: Permanent Hours of work: Full Time (35 Hours/week) 9am to 5pm Mon - Fri. Weekend on-call (from home) is required on a rota basis Location: The Society operates a hybrid working model with a combination of remote and in-person (Dublin office) attendance days are Wednesday & Thursday weekly. Direct Reports: Team Leads/Managers and Night Nursing Admin Team WHO WE ARE The Irish Cancer Society is a community of patients, survivors, volunteers, supporters, health and social care professionals and researchers. Together, we are working to save lives and improve the lives of people affected by cancer. A cancer diagnosis impacts all areas of a persons life. At the Irish Cancer Society, we aim to reduce this burden of cancer and improve the quality of life for everyone affected by cancer, from diagnosis to end of life. Core to the delivery of our services is our Night Nursing Service. This service provides End of Life care for patients in their homes, to allow people to die surrounded by their loved ones, should they wish. We offer up to 10 14 nights of care with nurses going into homes typically from 11pm 7am. We also offer twilight hours of care between 5pm- 11pm. You Will: Lead our night nursing service, ensuring high quality patient centred care, and managing the effective operation of the service. The Head of Night Nursing should be an experienced Registered healthcare leader, passionate about palliative care, who wants to make a real difference for people affected by cancer by leading Ireland's largest in-home end-of-life care service. Main Duties & Responsibilities Service operations and management: Ensure the safe, high-quality and patient- centric delivery of night nursing care, including implementation of quality standards (e.g. HIQA, Safer Better Healthcare Standards) Operate the service within scope of practice and NMBI code of Professional Conduct in line with principles of best practice and clinical governance. Oversee the management of bookings (requests for nurses) from Community Specialist Palliative Care (CSPC) Teams and health care providers, ensuring the service operates effectively, efficiently and with unwavering patient focus. Continually assess the service processes, and amend as you see fit, building in efficiencies and quality improvement. Ensure that night nurses are provided with regular support and supervision. Safeguard nurses, families and the ICS by updating clinical and operational procedures and policies; making sure they are developed, maintained, and regularly updated, to reflect best practice. Resolve any service complaints in accordance with policy and highest standards of transparency, patient-centricity and fairness. Prepare the annual night nursing service budget and oversee the ongoing management of this budget. Oversee the approval of invoices, payroll and expenses. Support risk management initiatives and maintain a risk register. Ensure day to day management of and compliance with HSE service level agreements. Engage with External organisations and adhere to MoUs already in place. Leading and managing a high-performing team: Manage, motivate and inspire a high performing team. The team is made up of an administration and operations team, two team leaders who support the night nurses, and a flexible bank of about 200 night nurses. Attract, recruit and retain a bank of night nurses, who can deliver high standards of safe patient care and work in accordance with our values Ensure the professional development of all members of the team, identifying training needs, and opportunities for mentoring, coaching and development. Foster a great team culture within the Night Nursing team Relationships and partnerships: Develop and maintain strong relationships with CSPC Teams and other healthcare providers, to advance the service and provide a seamless service to patients. Ensure that CSPC Teams and other healthcare providers requesting night nurses are aware of operational guidelines for the service and use influence to work with these stakeholders to continually improve operations. Work effectively with colleagues across the Societys Services Department and wider organisation, to ensure the integration of the night nursing service in the Society and that the full range of supports and services are made available to all patients and families we work with. Work effectively across the organisation to support awareness of the service and the Society, contribute to the promotion of the Societys brand, and support the Societys fundraising. Performance, service development and clinical governance Provide strategic input for short, medium and long-term requirements of the night nursing service and ensure targets, KPI's and quality standards are met across all areas of the service. Participate and lead research projects and other strategy projects within night nursing and across the organisation. Provide a key role in the clinical governance of the Irish Cancer Society Effectively analyse data related to service performance and delivery, and report on same. Make effective use of data and statistics, to understand the service, obtain insights and identify ways to mitigate or resolve any challenges identified. Ensure that feedback is obtained about the service and be responsive to opportunities for improvement. Keep up to date on developments in palliative care in Ireland, and ensure these developments are reflected in our service. Conduct reviews of the Night Nursing Service on a regular basis to ensure a high-quality service is delivered and implement changes through a continuous improvement culture. Ensure the agreed policies and procedures of Irish Cancer Society are known and understood by staff and implemented. Participate in reviewing and updating existing policies and procedures, related to clinical and nursing affairs cross functionally, and developing new policies as required Ensure the efficient and effective use of nursing resources advising on skill mix and staff allocation. Planning service and nursing innovations and developments. Ensuring an effective learning and development environment for all members of staff. Work with Medical, Nursing, Administration and external agencies to implement and lead a patient focused service level improvement programme/quality management Assist in the capture, analysis, presentation and communication of clinical audit and safety and quality assurance information across our nursing teams cross functionally. Assist in identifying, communicating, implementing, evaluating actions and auditing outcomes relating to recommendations and improvement projects Person Specification: Compassionate and person-centric: you care deeply about patients and their families and understand the importance of person-centred end-of-life care. You place the patient at the heart of your practice. Collaborative people leader: you thrive in collaborative environments. You lead with passion and inspire others to follow., You empower colleagues and team members and support and enable others. A problem solver: you see situations from different angles and are trusted by others to help find solutions. You look for the path forward and remain optimistic and calm through challenges. Technologically Savvy: youre comfortable using technology tools across your work and using technology to support effective processes. Insight oriented: you use data and feedback to generate insights, and can translate these into actions to improve performance, make operations more effective, or improve quality of service. Demonstrate both clinical and professional leadership: Enabling a multidisciplinary team culture of continuous staff learning and development in relation to clinical governance and quality Qualifications and experience: Has been in Healthcare Leadership for 5 years or more, preferably managing a clinical service Registered General Nurse with The Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI), or eligible to register with NMBI or another registered body (CORU) 7 years post-registration experience in the Acute hospital setting within the last 9 years 2 years Management Experience at CNM II level Completed a formal recognised post-registration education relevant to the role (e.g. Management). Post Registration Qualification in Healthcare related profession. Have the ability to practice safely and effectively fulfilling professional responsibility within scope of practice. Demonstrate evidence of continuing professional development. A post-graduate qualification in healthcare management or its equivalent is preferred but not mandatory Strong leadership and communication skills Knowledge of Irish healthcare regulations and best practice General: The Irish Cancer Society operates a no smoking policy, and the post holder must not smoke in the office or when on Society business outside the office. Be willing to occasionally work outside of normal working hours. All employees are required to be aware of their responsibilities towards health and safety and to adhere to fire regulations. This job description is not exhaustive; it merely acts as a guide and may be amended to meet the changing requirements of the Society at any time after discussion with the post holder. Maintain confidentiality at all times, and compliance with the Data Protection Act is an essential requirement. The closing date for applications is Tuesday 25th February 2025 Please note all CVs are logged through a 3rd party system for processing. WE DO NOT REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF AGENCIES The Irish Cancer Society is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to building an inclusive environment for all employees. We know that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. Some of our Benefits: 23 days Annual Leave a year or Pro Rata equivalent, plus public holidays, Good Friday and Christmas Eve (if it falls on a working day) Service Days - Additional days awarded to reflect long service with the Society. Flexitime Sick Pay Scheme (following Probationary period) Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (after 6 months) Group membership for VHI and HSF (health plans) Bus/Rail Ticket Scheme and Cycle to Work Scheme Death In Service Benefit (from commencement of employment) Paid Family Leave (Maternity, Paternity, Adoptive, Force Majeure and compassionate Leave) Learning and Development Programmes Educational Assistance (Study and Examination Leave) Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) Optional Flu vaccine provided Skills: Nurse Cancer Nurse Managerial Leadership/Management Skills Problem Solving And Decision Making Excellent people skills Benefits: Flexitime Laptop Paid Holidays Parking Pension Fund