Charge Nurse – Infection Control Specialist

About the role

The Charge Nurse provides age‑appropriate patient care in line with the Nursing Scope of Practice and leads the patient‑care team to maintain high clinical standards during each shift. The role also drives the infection control programme, offering expert advice to clinical and non‑clinical stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Facilitate the infection control programme, advising on best practices and collaborating on departmental policies.
• Support occupational health, laboratory and environmental health teams during blood‑borne pathogen or body‑fluid exposure incidents.
• Participate in risk and needs assessments for infection prevention across all departments.
• Serve on the infection prevention and control committee and assist with policy review and product evaluation.
• Implement evidence‑based infection prevention strategies in partnership with a multidisciplinary team.
• Provide consultation on infection control throughout change processes and build consensus among stakeholder groups.
• Communicate with SEHA and the Department of Health on reportable infectious diseases and epidemic situations.
• Design, implement and analyse surveillance systems using NHSN definitions, collecting and reviewing data under supervision.
• Perform active surveillance of device‑ and procedure‑associated infections and compile surveillance reports.

Required profile

• Registered Nurse with a valid licence and knowledge of the Nursing Scope of Practice.
• Demonstrated understanding of microbiological and epidemiological principles related to infection control.
• Experience supervising a patient‑care team and maintaining clinical standards.
• Ability to communicate effectively with health authorities such as SEHA and the Department of Health.
• Strong analytical skills for interpreting surveillance data and recommending corrective actions.

Required skills

• Infection control programme management
• Epidemiological surveillance and data analysis
• Microbiology and epidemiology knowledge
• Implementation of evidence‑based infection prevention strategies
• Risk assessment for infection prevention