Supporting StatementFirst and foremost I would like to thank you for your consideration of my application and hope that you will find appropriate information in the following pages to support my application for this post.

I am a results oriented Health Professional who is driven, analytical, versatile, flexible and conscientious. I have first class communication skills and am dedicated to striving for excellence in all that I do.

My Key Strengths include:

- A proven ability to handle a variety of responsibilities in a fast-paced ever changing healthcare environment through strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.- A commitment to developing and implementing quality improvement, risk management and clinical governance strategies.- The provision of specialist education and development resources that fosters and promotes professional development and lifelong learning. - Being a credible clinical leader and role model who embraces multi-disciplinary and multi-professional working that facilitates service improvement and patient centred care.- Proven strategic and operational capabilities that are patient focused and which promote best practice.- Being a team player with the ability to work independently under my own initiative.- Being an adept change agent who possesses a clear, honest, reliable and approachable disposition.- Possessing organisational, priority setting and time management skills.

Throughout my life, I have undertaken teaching and learning activities with a wide variety of people from many different walks of life. As such, I have the ability to communicate information on a variety of different levels in order to assist others with personal and professional growth and development. I continue to develop and update study day sessions to enable the most current information to be relayed that ensures both the services provided and practice undertaken within the unit facilitates quality improvement while assisting in minimising risk and promoting lifelong learning.

Lifelong learning is about the growth and development of staff that assists in realising personal potential in order to shape and change things for the better thereby ensuring individuals are equipped with the knowledge and skills to enable flexibility within the work place that will support change and improvement from a personal and organisational perspective. Lifelong learning was identified by the UK Department of Health (DOH) (2001) in their ‘working together learning together’ document that identified learning and development as key to delivering the United Kingdom (UK) Government’s vision of patient centred care (DOH, 2001). The learning packages and study days I have developed therefore provide evidence of my commitment to lifelong learning within multi-professional groups, and which operate as part of the UK Nursing & Midwifery Council’s CPD process for Nurses that supports local and national philosophies associated with lifelong learning. As a clinical leader and role model I recognise that the pace of change in knowledge, technology, new skills and roles demands the provision of opportunities for lifelong learning that will support the quality, productivity and prosperity of an organisation. Therefore in my current role I have provided surgical staff with learning opportunities that sustain a learning and knowledge sharing culture and supports and sustains a lifelong learning philosophy.

I have worked independently, as part of a team as well as in partnership with others; with much success thus illustrating I can both lead and follow. My leadership style has a situational focus which

1 Robert Street, Otatara, Invercargill, RD9, 9878 | sharade93@yahoo.com | +64 275511412

enables me to flex and adapt in terms of the situations I encounter. Essential to this style of leadership is effectiveness in terms of four communication components; communicating expectations, listening, delegating and feedback all of which form the basis of successfully mentoring and developing staff. Maintaining clinical credibility within my current role has played an important part in developing and maintaining the respect and influence of colleagues that has the ability to positively change organisational processes and practice. Not only do I support staff clinically on the floor but I also set time aside throughout the year to practice as a nurse. Aside from keeping my own skills current, this time affords me the opportunity to observe firsthand how policy and practice interface on the ‘shop floor’ while identifying information for practice development potential. The practical application of my leadership style then assists with promoting job satisfaction, a willingness to work while establishing the highest calibre of performance possible.

I am well educated and have a love of learning and knowledge acquisition which I feel stands me in good stead for any position I undertake as there is always something new to be learned. Being committed to maintaining high standards and excellence provides me with a solid foundation from which to develop and progress clinical governance issues. Regular attendance at multi-disciplinary meetings and forums provides a platform to assess organisational processes, organisational and personal performance as well as the relative risks associated with the day to day activity within the Perioperative unit that culminates in proactive action planning that ultimately aims to move the service forward. Working and supporting staff clinically has enabled me to identify risks in practice as well as practice that contravene the Nursing Council rules, standards and code of conduct. I have also been instrumental and leader in standardising policies and processes across the district for surgical services across Southern DHB. I have also been lead for RCA across the district to provide recommendations to reduce the risks for the service, responding to the MoH and the HDC with the investigative findings. Many of the initiatives I have been involved in demand political awareness and skills that lend themselves to both influencing and persuading. I am articulate, discrete, confidential, professional, honest, trustworthy and have integrity all of which afford good multi-disciplinary and multi-professional relationships to develop and flourish. Skills in personal effectiveness have enabled me to articulate the rationale for the introduction of new and different ways of working gaining buy in from both senior level management as well as staff at ‘grass roots’ level.

One particular initiative I have been involved and lead on is the standrdisation of district wide surgical count policy. The impetus for this initiative was initially centred around patient safety whilst providing clear and concise processes for the surgical team. The findings of the evaluation highlighted the fact that policy and practice were, in fact, inconsistent resulting in a generalised dissatisfaction amongst the multidisciplinary team that participated and illustrating that the right support mechanisms that facilitate integration were not well embedded within the surgical services and therefore required review. This policy has also been adopted by South CanterburyHospital.

Literature as well as international and national policy and guidelines pertaining to surgical were reviewed in pursuit of this initiative culminating in the development of a consistent policy. In order to effect the desired change implementation required management support or ‘buy in’ as well as strong leadership and multi-level organisational understanding, therefore this initiative involved instituting change management strategies. While still in its infancy the new policy has received much positive feedback and compliance by the staff has improved dramatically as a result. In order to close the loop, further evaluation and audit of this initiative is required to establish its successes and weaknesses or areas for review and further refinement.

I have a good working knowledge of our current computerised patient system. I have developed a number of organisational specific business cases. Every project I undertook I managed to bring in on

1 Robert Street, Otatara, Invercargill, RD9, 9878 | sharade93@yahoo.com | +64 275511412

or before time and with fiscal savings and staffing level improvement reflecting my exceptional project, organisational and time management skills.

I consistently work alongside our Risk Manager which realises both efficiency savings as well as embedding a quality and safety culture within the organisation. Working within the wider practice development environment has exposed me to as well as enabled me to take part in developing and managing risk, quality and governance processes that provide the evidence and assurance required I have participated in organisational wide audits that feed into essence of care and patient safety forums within the organisation. Work such as this is pivotal in demonstrating both the effectiveness and efficiency of clinical interventions and the impact on quality alongside value for money targets. Hence my current role has provided me with the opportunity to influence the direction of policy and practice locally thus helping the workforce demonstrate its value and effectiveness within the current turbulent social, political and economic climate.

Undertaking District wide initiatives has also provided me with an organisational wide exposure to a number of groups, including those associated with risk and patient safety and I feel I am able to offer professional opinions and ideas within these forums articulately and with confidence. I believe in such circumstances I demonstrate good interpersonal skills and high professional and personal integrity and have the ability to challenge appropriately at many levels. My intellectual ability to adapt and flex enables me to offer a positive contribution at the meetings I attend, utilising my analytical skills and offering an energetic and positive outlook. Having said this I am somewhat of a realist, am very self aware, and know my own limitations and, therefore, when to abstain. I am confident that I have the academic ability to attain a masters degree

Having completed and attained post graduate study as well I feel I have a good command of the English language and am therefore articulate in both verbal and written communication. Having worked in a number of vocational settings has afforded me experience in report writing from a variety of perspectives while accommodating some diverse and interesting formats. Having input into investigations from practice incidents has enabled me to analyse both human behaviour and organisational processes that culminate in recommendations and the possible implementation of new strategies, policy and/or guidelines. These experiences enable lessons to be learned and consequently practice to change. Changes in practice often require motivational and negotiation skills together with persistence, resilience and the ability to innovate which are skills and characteristics I feel I possess. Finally, I feel having the ability to look outside the square, will assist and contribute to facilitating quality improvement while minimising risk and thereby enhance and streamline service provision.

1 Robert Street, Otatara, Invercargill, RD9, 9878 | sharade93@yahoo.com | +64 275511412