Nurse Team Leader

Purpose

The nurse – team leader ensures high standards of nursing care while facilitating an atmosphere that enables residents to live as independently as possible. The team leader is expected to promote the home’s policies, philosophy of care and CQC standards, as well as supervising and mentoring the RGNs/RMNs.

Reporting to: Clinical Manager

What does the role involve?

With responsibility for a team of nurses, the nurse – team leader is a combination of caregiver, leader, teacher and mentor. He or she plays a crucial role in ensuring that residents receive the best-quality, person-centred care while and that the home remains safe and compliant with healthcare regulations and legislation.

Working a 12-hour shift, the nurse – team leader begins the day with a walkaround of their floor, checking in with residents and talking to the night nurses about any falls or other changes to residents’ health overnight. This exchange of information is critical to the continuity and quality of care.

As the day progresses, he or she juggles myriad responsibilities – ensuring that residents receive the right medication at the right time, conducting skin integrity checks, dressing wounds, overseeing other nursing procedures, evaluating and reviewing the effectiveness of care plans and being responsible for the ordering and safe administration and storage of drugs and treatments. In this way the nurse – team leader plays a pivotal role in maintaining high standards of care and ensuring residents’ independence and wellbeing.

Another important aspect of the role is to meet with families. This is essential for keeping relatives fully informed and involved in the care of their loved ones. Before the day ends, the nurse – team leader prepares handover notes for the night staff to facilitate a seamless transition of care.

Mentoring, supervising and leading the team is also part of the nurse – team leader’s daily duties. As well as conducting supervisions, observations and appraisals, he or she demonstrates complex clinical tasks and manages medication audits and risk assessments. They also work closely with the home manager to ensure that staff are trained and equipped to provide exceptional care.