1

Be clear about the role of the ward manager

Be clear about what 24-hour responsibility means

Be clear about what makes a good leader

Make sure your decisions are informed ones

Clarify your objectives

Understand your legal responsibilities

Be clear about your matron/line 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

Be aware of the impact of your role on others

2

Manage your time

Define your workload

Organise your office

Control your diary Keep up with your emails Cut interruptions

Don’t waste time with unnecessary reading

Handle meetings effectively

Learn to let go through delegation

Be proactive

3

Create a positive working environment Plan ahead

Set meaningful objectives with your team

Be a good listener

Feedback with sincerity

Know your staff well

Never talk disapprovingly of others

Get your staff to take more responsibility

Have a system for dealing with patient’s relatives

4

Manage staff performance

Get to know your HR advisor

Write everything down

Make appraisals work

Know how to handle unacceptable behaviour

Handle poor performance/incompetence

Know when and how to discipline

Actively manage sick leave

Ensure all staff have appropriate training, development and support

Provide additional support for mentors

Reduce staff stress

Inform and involve all of your team

Consider team-based self-roistering

5

Make sure care is patient-centered

Maintain your clinical skills

Ensure all patients have a full assessment and care plan

Be clear about what health care assistants can and cannot do

Eliminate long handovers

Use task-orientated care only when appropriate

Work towards the named nurse (or primary nursing)

Make sure patients are informed

Performance indicators, audits and benchmarking

Manage staffing shortages

Take the lead on ward rounds

6

Manage your budget

Know what you budget is Priorities pay

Go through your monthly budget statements

Manage annual leave

Manage your unplanned absence allowance

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

7

Improve quality and safety

Quality indicators

Identify mistakes and risks

Investigate complaints appropriately

Tips for calling or meeting with the complainant

Investigate incidents appropriately

Make improvements

8

Instigate a rolling recruitment programme

Review the post with the person who is leaving

Write a good advert and application packages

Shortlist and arrange interviews properly

Get the best out of the interview process

Follow up all candidates personally

Arrange a good induction programme

Continually explore all other avenues to get staff

Don’t discriminate

Keep accurate, objective records

Succession plan

Fully involve your team in all aspects of recruitment

9

Be politically aware

Understand how health care is managed nationally

Keep up with what’s going on

Know your Board of Directors and their priorities

Choose your meetings carefully

Network - get to know the right people

Be diplomatic

Work with your Director of Nursing

Get recognition for your work

Choose your mentor and mentees with care

Plan ahead for your own needs

10

Look after yourself

Set up a peer group or action learning set

Develop the role of your deputy

Get yourself a mentor

Choose carefully who you talk to and what you say

Reduce stress

Get over mistakes and move on

Remember it’s only a job

11

Be a good role model

Be smart

Make a good first impression

Always smile and be positive

Speak clearly

Be relaxed and in control

Make your writing distinguishable

Be aware of how others see you

Set an example with your choice of language

Never moan or gossip about others

Don’t stagnate

12

Manage your manager

Clarify 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 pressurized into taking on extra work without funding

If you are doing extra work without funding, take action

Keep the communication channels open

Write clear and timely reports

Know how to conduct a good investigation

13

Manage difficult situations

The difficult manager

The problematic colleague

Allegations of bullying/harassment within your team

Staff complaints

Helping your staff to act

Dealing with racism or other forms of discrimination

Unsafe staffing levels

Cliques

Be specific about expanding nursing roles

Be proactive with enforced moves or mergers of services

14

Manage difficult team members

Staff who refuse to look professional or wear proper uniform

Staff who refuse to accept change

Staff who can’t seem to priorities their work

Staff labeled as lazy

Staff with alcohol problems

Members of staff who don’t get on

Staff who seem careless and sloppy

Staff who manipulate situations for their own gain

Staff who moan and winged

Staff who are continually late for duty

15

Get the best advice

Know where to go for legal advice

Know where to go for professional advice

Utilise the chaplaincy department

Use but don’t abuse the nurse specialists

Help patients and relatives access the right advice

Keep up to date with risk management issues

Consult policies, procedures and guidelines

Maximise computer access

Utilise the knowledge and skills of your nursing colleagues

Utilise the practice development team

16

Question external directives

Is another link nurse role really needed?

Has the bed manager considered all other options?

Are you managing a team of nurses or auditors?

Has your line manager questioned the decision?

Do some quality indicators actually lower the quality of care?

Are senior managers aware of the implications of their decisions

Are consultant/specialist decisions always appropriate?

Does your union steward know?

Is the Chief Executive aware of what is happening?

Rely on your own common sense