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

4th Edition - April 6, 2024
Authors: Brian Dolan, Amy Lochtie, Krishna Gohil
Language: English
Paperback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 4 5 2 1 - 3
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 6 0 5 3 - 7

When you become a ward or unit manager or allied health professionals team leader, your responsibilities change and you need a very different set of skills compared with your pr… Read more

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

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When you become a ward or unit manager or allied health professionals team leader, your responsibilities change and you need a very different set of skills compared with 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 together efficiently and effectively. This new fourth edition of the Survival Guide to Leadership and Management on the Ward welcomes AHP Krishna Gohil to the author team of nurses Brian Dolan and Amy Lochtie, and thereby extends its guidance on these crucial skills to both nurses and allied health professionals.

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

Become an even better leader through highly practical examples, suggestions and tips

Manage your staff, time and budget

Create a positive work environment

Familiarize yourself with the new Nursing and Midwifery Council and Health and Care Professions Council standards

Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedications
Abbreviations
Preface to fourth edition
List of Illustrations
List of Tables
1. The role of the ward manager
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Be clear about what 24-h responsibility means
1.3 Be accessible, but create appropriate boundaries
1.4 Minimising risk
1.5 Your professional and managerial accountability
1.6 Be clear about what makes a good leader
1.7 Transformational leadership
1.8 Developing people—improving care
1.9 Shared leadership
1.10 Reducing the risk of work overload
1.11 Find out what you need to know
1.12 Get 360-degree feedback
1.13 Understand your legal responsibilities
1.14 Bed management
1.15 Staffing shortages
1.16 Sending staff to other wards
1.17 Vicarious liability
1.18 Expanded roles
1.19 Duty to report concerns regarding a strategic decision
1.20 Duty to report causes for concern regarding vulnerable people
1.21 Shadow your manager
1.22 Deputising in your manager’s absence
1.23 Build up a good working relationship
1.24 Being the patients’ advocate
1.25 Balancing your clinical work with administrative duties
1.26 Be aware of the impact of your role on others
1.27 Conclusion
1.28 Action points
References
2. Manage your time
2.1 Define your workload
2.2 Taking work home or staying late regularly?
2.3 Struggling to get things done?
2.4 Plan and prioritise
2.5 Creating a calmer, more organised work environment
2.6 Keep everything you need to do on one list
2.7 Set up an efficient filing system
2.8 Ensure the office environment is in good order
2.9 Control your diary
2.10 Set yourself time limits
2.11 Take your breaks
2.12 Utilise technology to support planning
2.13 Book as much annual leave as you can in advance
2.14 Keep up with your emails
2.15 Delegate your emails to someone else in your absence when you are on leave
2.16 Confidentiality
2.17 File emails
2.18 Cut interruptions
2.19 Ward rounds
2.20 Let your staff know what you are doing in the office
2.21 Keeping abreast of your reading
2.22 Scanning
2.23 Getting the best from meetings
2.24 Chair meetings effectively
2.25 Learn to let go through delegation
2.26 Are you still doing the job you were promoted from?
2.27 Delegating to your deputy
2.28 Delegate effectively
2.29 Be your best professional self
2.30 Action points
References
3. Create a positive working environment
3.1 Plan ahead
3.2 Feedback with sincerity
3.3 Do not talk disapprovingly of others
3.4 Encourage your staff to take greater responsibility
3.5 Deal with team conflict
3.6 Implement clinical supervision
3.7 Action points
References
4. Manage staff performance
4.1 Get to know your HR advisor
4.2 Write everything down
4.3 Make appraisals work
4.4 Know how to handle unacceptable behaviour
4.5 Handle poor performance/incompetence
4.6 Know when and how to discipline
4.7 Actively manage sick leave
4.8 Ensure all staff have appropriate training, development and support
4.9 Provide additional support for mentors
4.10 Inform and involve all of your team
4.11 Consider team-based self-rostering
4.12 Action points
References
5. Make sure care is person centred
5.1 Maintain your clinical skills
5.2 Reverse mentoring
5.3 Ensure that all patients have a full assessment and care plan
5.4 Be clear about what health care assistants can and cannot do
5.5 Nursing associates
5.6 Eliminate long handovers
5.7 Work toward the named nurse (or primary nursing)
5.8 Make sure patients are informed
5.9 Producing your own information for patients and relatives
5.10 Performance indicators, audits and benchmarking
5.11 Manage staffing shortages
5.12 Take the lead on ward rounds
5.13 Ensure the patient’s own nurse attends the ward round
5.14 Use ward rounds as a learning opportunity
5.15 Action points
References
Further reading
6. Manage your budget
6.1 Know what your budget is
6.2 Prioritise pay
6.3 Go through your monthly budget statement
6.4 Manage annual leave
6.5 Manage your unplanned absence allowance
6.6 Plan your study leave allowance
6.7 Get your staff involved in nonpay
6.8 Be more active in the business planning process
6.9 Meet regularly with your finance advisor
6.10 Action points
References
7. Improve quality and safety
7.1 Quality indicators
7.2 Identify mistakes and risks
7.3 Investigate complaints appropriately
7.4 Tips for calling or meeting with a complainant
7.5 Investigate incidents appropriately
7.6 Make improvements
7.7 Action points
References
8. Instigate a rolling recruitment programme
8.1 Review the post with the person who is leaving
8.2 Write good adverts and application packages
8.3 Short-list and arrange interviews properly
8.4 Get the best out of the interview process
8.5 Follow up with all candidates personally
8.6 Arrange a good induction programme
8.7 Continually explore all other avenues to get staff
8.8 Do not discriminate
8.9 Succession plan
8.10 Fully involve your team in all aspects of recruitment
8.11 Action points
References
9. Be politically aware
9.1 Understand how health care is managed nationally
9.2 The value of the board of directors
9.3 Network—get to know the right people
9.4 Be diplomatic
9.5 Get recognition for your and your team’s work
9.6 Choose your mentor and mentees with care
9.7 Plan ahead for your own needs
9.8 Keep a file for your CV
9.9 Political awareness and social media
9.10 Action points
References
10. Look after yourself
10.1 Set up a peer support group or action learning set
10.2 Develop the role of your deputy
10.3 Get yourself a mentor
10.4 Choose your support system carefully
10.5 Reduce stress
10.6 Learn from mistakes and embrace the experience
10.7 Remember it is only a job
10.8 Action points
References
11. Be a good role model
11.1 Be smart
11.2 Make a good first impression
11.3 Always try to smile and be positive
11.4 Speak clearly
11.5 Be relaxed and in control
11.6 Make your writing distinguishable
11.7 Be aware of how others see you
11.8 Set an example with your choice of language
11.9 Never moan or gossip about others
11.10 Do not stagnate
11.11 Action points
References
12. Manage your manager
12.1 Clarify expectations
12.2 Work with, not against, your manager
12.3 Act if an important decision has been made without your consultation
12.4 Act if a change in another department has a knock-on effect in yours
12.5 Write clear and timely reports
12.6 Know how to conduct a good investigation
12.7 Guiding principles of investigations
12.8 Action points
References
13. Manage difficult situations
13.1 The difficult manager
13.2 The problematic colleague
13.3 Allegations of bullying or harassment within your team
13.4 Staff complaints
13.5 Helping your staff to act
13.6 Dealing with racism or other forms of discrimination
13.7 Unsafe staffing levels
13.8 Cliques
13.9 Be specific about expanding roles
13.10 Be proactive with enforced moves or mergers of services
13.11 Action points
References
14. Manage challenging team behaviours
14.1 Staff who refuse to look professional or wear proper uniform
14.2 Staff who refuse to accept change
14.3 Staff who cannot seem to prioritise their work
14.4 Staff labelled as lazy
14.5 Staff with substance misuse problems
14.6 Members of staff who do not get on
14.7 Staff who seem careless and sloppy
14.8 Staff who manipulate situations for their own gain
14.9 Staff who are continually late for duty
14.10 Action points
References
15. Get the best advice
15.1 Know where to go for legal advice
15.2 Know where to go for professional advice
15.3 Utilise the chaplaincy department
15.4 Utilise clinical specialists
15.5 Help patients and relatives access the right advice
15.6 Keep up-to-date with risk management issues
15.7 Consult policies, procedures and guidelines
15.8 Maximise computer access
15.9 Utilise the knowledge and skills of your colleagues
15.10 Utilise the practice development team
15.11 Case study
15.12 Action points
References
Index