There be and is hereby established a Division
of Community Nursing Services in the City of Vineland Department of
Health.
The governing authority shall appoint a Nursing
Administrator, as recommended by the Director of Health, as the administrative
head of the Division of Community Nursing Services, who shall be responsible
for all operations, subordinate employees and agents of said Division.
The Nursing Administrator shall have at least
one of the following qualifications:
A.
A master's degree in nursing or a health-related field
and two years' combined community health nursing and progressive management
experience in community health nursing with supervisory or administrative
experience in home health care or in a health-care setting; or
B.
A bachelor of science degree in nursing or a health-related
field and three years' combined community health nursing and progressive
management experience in community health nursing with four years'
supervisory or administrative experience in home health care or a
health-care setting.
The Nursing Administrator shall be responsible
for, but not limited to, the following:
A.
Ensuring the development, implementation, and enforcement
of all policies and procedures, including patient rights.
B.
Planning for and administering the managerial, operational,
fiscal and reporting components of the Division.
C.
Participating in the quality assurance program for
patient care.
D.
Ensuring that all personnel are assigned duties based
upon their education, training, competencies and job descriptions.
E.
Ensuring the provision of staff orientation and staff
education.
F.
Establishing and maintaining liaison relationships,
communication, and integration with Division staff and services and
with patients and their families, in accordance with the philosophy
and objectives of the Division.
G.
Directing of patient care services provided to patients.
H.
Establishing written policies as set forth in this
article.
In the absence of the Nursing Administrator,
the Alternate Nursing Administrator, designated by the Director of
the Department of Health, shall serve as the Nursing Administrator.
The Division shall establish written policies
and procedures governing patient care that shall be adopted by governing
authority and shall include at least the following:
A.
Criteria for admission and discharge of patients.
Admission criteria shall be based solely upon the patient's needs
and the ability of the Division to safely meet the medical, nursing
and social needs of the patient. Discharge policies shall preclude
punitive discharge.
B.
Criteria for physician orders for home health services,
including time frames and other requirements for written, verbal,
and renewal orders. Physician orders for physical therapy, occupational
therapy, and speech therapy shall include the modality, frequency
and duration of treatment.
C.
Protocols for initiation, implementation, review and
revision of plans for care and services.
D.
Protocols for reassessment of patients, in accordance
with time frames documented in the service plan by each health-care
practitioner.
E.
Protocols for providing continuity of care by the
same health-care practitioner whenever possible.
F.
Provision of care in accordance with the plan of care.
G.
Provision of emergency care.
H.
Requirements for a discharge plan for each patient
developed prior to the patient's discharge, and methods for including
the patient or the patients family in planning and implementing the
discharge plan.
I.
A patient referral system for additional sources of
care.
The governing authority shall appoint a twelve-member
advisory group to review policies, evaluate programs and make recommendations
to the leadership for change or further study. Membership shall include
the Nursing Administrator, a nursing supervisor, a physician, three
consumers, a representative of physical therapy services, occupational
therapy services, speech-language therapy services, social work, and
dietary counseling. The advisory group shall meet at least annually.
