A Clinician's Survival Guide to Leadership and Management on the Ward, 4th Edition

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

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

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

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

5 Make Sure Care Is Person Centred
5.1 Maintain Your Clinical Skill
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

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 129
6.10 Action Points
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

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 Staff9
8.8 Do Not Discriminate
8.9 Succession Plan
8.10 Fully Involve Your Team in All Aspects of Recruitment
8.11 Action Points

9 Be Politically Aware 173
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

10 Look After Yourself
10.1 Set Up a Peer Support Group or Action Learning Set7
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

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

12 Manage Your Manager
12.1 Clarify Expectations
12.2 Work With, Not Against, Your Manager
12.3 Act If an Important Deci

Brian Dolan, OBE, FFNMRCSI, FRSA, MSc (Oxon), MSc (Nurs), RMN, RGN, Director, Health Service 360; Honorary Professor, Leadership in Healthcare, Salford University, Manchester; Honorary President, AGILE - the Professional Network for Physiotherapists working with Older People; Honorary Adjunct Professor of Innovation in Healthcare, Bond University, SE Queensland; Professor, Coventry University, UK, Amy Lochtie, FRSA, RGN, FSBP, West Yorkshire Innovation Hub Director, Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber; West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board; NHS Assembly member Northwest Clinical Senate member; NIHR Expert Reviewer, UK and Krishna Gohil, MSc, FHEA, PgCert, BSc (Hons) Podiatry, FRCPod, FFPM, RCPS (Glasg), Senior Lecturer in Prescribing and Podiatry, University of Northampton; Non-Executive Director and Fellow, Royal College of Podiatry; Executive member of the Foot in Diabetes UK Committee; Fellow and Regional Advisor, Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians (Glasg), UK