DIRECTOR OF NURSING

(Permanent, Full Time)

Details of Service:
Mercy University Hospital (MUH), is a Section 38 Voluntary Hospital, founded in 1857 by the Sisters of Mercy. MUH is a city center acute hospital, treating over 140,000 patients across all services annually. The hospital employs circa 1,550 staff and has an annual operating budget in excess of €150m. The hospital is a registered charity and operates as a not for profit entity.
MUH provides complex diagnostic, medical and surgical services at local, regional and national levels on a 24/7 basis. The hospital currently has 316 beds providing a general hospital function of acute unscheduled care (24/7 Emergency Department) as well as a wide range of scheduled elective diagnostics and both day case and complex elective surgery. There is an on-site acute HSE mental health service with 50 in-patient beds.
The hospital is a leading provider of healthcare education affiliated with UCC and many of the post graduate training bodies. MUH is committed to being an exemplar model of 'one hospital on multiple sites' and this is evidenced through the governance of off-site MUH services on St Mary's Health Campus including the Mercy Local Injury Unit and the Transitional Care Unit and the offsite Medical Oncology Unit at the Lee Clinic.


The post holder will report to the Chief Executive Officer of Mercy University Hospital and will be professionally accountable to Chief Director of Nursing and Midwifery, South/South West Hospital Group


The Director of Nursing is responsible and accountable for all aspects of the professional leadership and management of the Nursing Department at Mercy University Hospital. This includes ensuring there is effective, patient centered professional practice in accordance with statutory professional and clinical governance requirements.


The Director of Nursing:

• Holds corporate management responsibility as a member of the Executive Management Board.
• Will be the principal advisor to the Executive Management Board on professional nursing issues.
• Is responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of quality standards of nursing care.
• Will contribute significantly to the safety, quality and risk management practices of the Hospital, taking a lead as required.
• Will take a lead role in managing the Scheduled Care portfolio and through strong multidisciplinary collaboration will ensure unscheduled care provision is safe and timely for patients, families and carers.
• Will direct a range of functions, which directly impact on patient experiences.
• Works collaboratively with Clinical Directors to ensure that the clinical governance agenda is delivered within divisions providing the lead for nursing matters and advice on others.
• Provides advice to the Chief Executive Officer on issues relating to nursing, clinical governance and patient safety.

Responsibilities - The post holder will be responsible for;

• Continually seek to improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of services to support the provision of excellent patient care.
• Ensure that the shared organisational vision and strategic aims, values and culture of the Hospital are actively promoted, and that clear leadership is provided.
• Provide inspirational and highly visible leadership to all nursing and nursing support staff across the Hospital.
• Enable, motivate, and empower nursing staff to demonstrate personal and professional leadership at all levels and act to challenge approaches, which fall short of national guidance, best practice, and professional standards.
• Key objectives for the nursing service will be set on an annual basis with the Senior Nurse Leadership Team
• Develop, maintain, and review the nursing organisational structure in the context of directorate structures and strategy implementation.
• Have in place robust nursing governance structures that support effective decision making and continuous quality improvement in patient care.
• Ensure that modern standards of clinical nursing care are in operation and that regular monitoring of nursing care is undertaken through audit.

Eligibility Criteria:


(Are registered, or are eligible for registration, in the General Nurse Division, and other divisions as relevant to the specific service, of the Register of Nurses and Midwives, as appropriate, maintained by the Nursing & Midwifery Board of Ireland [NMBI] (Bord Altranais agus Cnaimhseachais na h Eireann).


And
Have 10 years post registration nursing experience and 5 years nursing management experience at a minimum of Clinical Nurse Manager 2 (CNM 2) level of which 3 must have been in an acute setting.


And
Have successfully completed a post registration programme of study, as certified by the education provider, which verifies that the applicant has achieved a National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) major academic Level 8 or higher award maintained by Quality & Qualifications of Ireland (QQI) or can provide written evidence from the Higher Education Institute that they have achieved the number of ECTS credits equivalent to a Level 8 or higher in a health care or management related area.


And
Candidates must possess the requisite clinical, leadership, managerial and administrative knowledge and ability for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.


Closing date for applications is 1pm Friday 27th September 2024, with interviews provisionally scheduled for week of 14th October 2024
Informal enquiries can be made to 021-4935344
A copy of the job description is available on request


The MUH reserve the right to create a panel for this post from which permanent, fixed term and specified purpose vacancies of a full or part time duration may be filled.