Alex White

The role of the bed/site manager is to support the lead nurse in the efficient use of beds throughout the division. Assist the development of a strategic framework for bed management. Contribute to the management of the overall patient journey by providing proactive methodologies to facilitate efficient patient flow and continually maintaining excellent written and verbal communications with all members of the multidisciplinary team providing secondary care services. We are required to use expert clinical knowledge in conjunction with sound clinical judgment to facilitate the safe and appropriate admission/transfer of patients out with their specialty, to allow for the safe admission of acute emergency admissions from a variety of sources both internally and externally.

As a site manager we are responsible for the out of hours site management providing support and advice to all nursing staff. Ensuring safe and appropriate staffing levels and competency, making sure the site is safe for its workers and patients.

Responding to fire alarms and liaising with estates to ensure all urgent repairs are carried out.

Out of hours initial responsibility to lead the major incident response team in the absence of a senior manager.

Out of hours the Site Manager is the most senior on duty within the site providing professional support and advice where needed to any staff disciplines when required.

We provide authorisation for bank shifts to ensure safe staffing levels. Give access to the mortuary for bereaved relatives. Provide information to the press/police in the absence of the press officer.

The role of the Discharge Co-Ordinator is to support the management of discharges within the division as well as providing support, education and specialist discharge knowledge for all directorates and including all grades of nursing, medical and members of the multidisciplinary team. To maintain a specialist clinical caseload offering advice and hands on intervention when appropriate to patients, relatives and careers.

To work in conjunction with bed management, social work, AHP's, district nurses, homecare staff, Scottish Ambulance as well as nursing and medical staff to ensure the most appropriate date for discharge to support the utilisation of all beds.

Work autonomously assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating all aspects of discharge planning.

Provide specialist education to all members of the multidisciplinary team and students both formally and informally.

We were responsible for the collation and submission of data to the Scottish Government on delayed discharges and had to report daily, weekly and monthly to ensure all data was accurate. This included regular meetings with social work to update on the progression of assessments that would allow for patients to be discharged from hospital to home or care homes, and a knowledge of the legal system around Adults with Incapacity.

As a senior member of the team I had junior staff working with me, as such I was responsible for their professional development programme, all issues relating to absenteeism and the relating HR process. I was involved in the shortlisting and interview process for staff.

As part of the discharge team we also have. discharge lounges on all the major sites within the trust, and as such, this was part of my line management responsibilities These were areas for appropriate patients to wait to be collected by relatives or Scottish Ambulance service and allowed for earlier discharge from the wards and contributing to the flow of patients from A&E to the wards.

From qualifying in 1992 to commencing my post in the discharge team, I worked in various roles within the health board as a junior and senior staff nurse. My main posts were within surgical receiving and day surgery, however I worked extensively on the nurse bank covering support shifts for many years and therefore worked in all areas and specialties including medical receiving, respiratory, gastro, haematology, breast care, urology, vascular as well as high dependency.