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

CHAPTER 1 - BE CLEAR ABOUT YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES . Be clear about what 24 hour responsibility means . Be clear about what makes a good leader . Don't just use your line manager for guidance . Agree your Personal Development Plan . Be clear about your legal responsibilities . Be clear about your manager's role . Remember you are the patients' overall advocate . Don't take on other people's pressures . Balance your clinical work with administrative duties . Promote good working relationships with other health professionals in your unit CHAPTER 2 - PRIORITISE YOUR TIME . Define your workload . Organise your office and diary . Keep up with your emails . Cut interruptions . Learn to speed read . Choose carefully which meetings to attend . Beware non-clinical managers . Under promise and over deliver . Be proactive, not reactive (Question decisions and directives) . Delegate effectively CHAPTER 3 - CREATE A HAPPY WORKING ENVIRONMENT . Have a plan . Set objectives with your team . Know your staff well . Feedback with sincerity . Be a good listener . Never talk disapprovingly of others . Empower your staff to take more responsibility . Have a system for dealing with patient's relatives . Deal with conflict . Implement Clinical Supervision CHAPTER 4 - MANAGE AND TREAT YOUR STAFF WELL . Develop a close professional relationship with your HR advisor . Keep file notes . Make appraisals work . Deal with poor performers . Know when and how to discipline . Keep tabs on sickness . Deal with unauthorised absence promptly . Inform and involve your team in everything . Ensure all staff have appropriate training, development and support . Ensure your staff consider each others needs CHAPTER 5 - MAKE SURE CARE IS PATIENT-CENTRED . Know your stuff . Ensure all patients have a full assessment and care plan . Be clear about what HCSW's can and can't do . Make sure patients are involved and informed . Eliminate long handovers . Work towards a Primary Nursing model . Stop task orientated care . Use Essence of Care wisely . Prioritise when short-staffed . Take the lead on ward rounds CHAPTER 6 -GET YOUR BUDGET RIGHT . Know what you budget is . Prioritise PAY . Make sure your budget matches your 'off-duty' numbers . Manage annual leave allowance . Manage sickness/absence (and maternity leave!) allowance . Forward 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 - RESPOND WELL TO COMPLAINTS . Work on the content, not number of complaints . Make sure your staff are equipped to deal with verbal complaints . Write a draft response before investigating . Investigate sensitively . Maintain contact with the complainant . Hold a meeting if appropriate . Know what to do if you suspect misconduct, negligence or criminal intent . Put up a complaints/comments board . Take action to put things right . Share all complaints with your team CHAPTER 8 - BE POLITICALLY AWARE . Keep up with what's going on . Choose your meetings carefully . Get to know the right people in your Trust . Plan ahead . Be diplomatic . Talk of 'we' rather than 'I' . Make time for your line manager and Director of Nursing . Know your Trust Board and their priorities . Network . Choose your mentor and mentees with care CHAPTER 9 - BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL . Never moan or gossip . Be smart . Always smile . Always make a good first impression . Be relaxed and in control (never lose your temper) . Talk with confidence . Make your writing distinguishable . Work on your strengths . Be aware of your weaknesses . Mind your language . Socialise with care CHAPTER 10 - LOOK AFTER YOURSELF . Recognise symptoms of stress . Recognise and deal with any staff stress . Get yourself a mentor from the Trust Board . Join or set up a peer support group . Get over mistakes and move on . Train up your deputy ward manager . Choose who you talk to carefully . Get a union rep on your team . Drink plenty of water and eat! . Remember it's only a job CHAPTER 11 - HAVE A ROLLING RECRUITMENT PROGRAMME . Review the post with the person who is leaving . Write good adverts and recruitment packages . Shortlist and arrange interviews . Get the best out the interviews . Follow up all candidates personally . Keep accurate, objective records . Arrange 2-week induction + PDP's for all new recruits . Continually explore all other avenues to get staff . Involve your team . Succession plan CHAPTER 12 - MANAGE DIFFICULT SITUATIONS . Deal with your difficult manager . Deal with members of staff who don't get on . Deal with any allegations of bullying/harrassment properly . Deal with grievances appropriately . Take action if staffing levels are dangerously low . Break up any cliques . Take action when morale is low . Protect your staff from being used by others . If the work is not funded, don't do it . Deal with that problematic colleague CHAPTER 13 - MANAGE DIFFICULT STAFF . Don't allow bad behaviour . Deal with staff who refuse to undertake a task . Deal with staff who refuse to wash/wear proper uniform/look professional . Deal with staff who refuse to accept change . Deal with staff who work too hard . Be fair but firm with staff who demand more than others . Don't put up with difficult agency nurses . Know what to do when staff allege unacceptable behaviour from a colleague . Deal with any drug / alcohol problems immediately . If you suspect criminal activity, take action CHAPTER 14 - MAKE TIME FOR YOUR MANAGER . Be clear about your 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 to taking on extra work without funding . If you are doing extra work without funding, take action . Keep your manager informed . Present solutions, not problems . Write good and timely reports . Be careful about taking on extra projects CHAPTER 15 - GET THE BEST ADVICE . Know where to go for legal advice . Know where to go for professional advice . Tap into the resources within your chaplaincy department . Use but don't abuse the clinical nurse specialists . Be clear what PALS is for . Use those policies . Get the best Health & Safety advice . Build external links . Consult HR at the earliest stage . Use your mentor CHAPTER 16 - QUESTION EXTERNAL DIRECTIVES . Is another link nurse role really needed ? . Has the bed manager considered all other options ? . Is that audit really necessary ? . Has your line manager questioned the decision ? . Is that performance target worth lowering the quality of care for? . Are HR aware of the implications of their decision? . Are consultant/specialist decisions always right ? . Use your union steward . Don't be afraid to contact the Chief Executive directly . Rely on your own common sense