Ward management plays an important role in hospitals. Each ward is headed by a head nurse who is responsible for overseeing the ward and ensuring quality patient care. The head nurse manages staff like nurses, attendants, and students. Key responsibilities include creating duty rosters, supervising care, and addressing any issues. Effective ward management requires teamwork, training, fair treatment of staff, and addressing factors like schedules, interruptions, and orientation of new employees. The overall goals of hospitals and good nursing management are to provide quality care to all patients.

2. WARD MANAGEMENT
Ward management plays a very important role in a hospital. Since wards are the local units of the hospital,
each of them is headed by the head nurse. She or he holds the responsibility to manage each ward
peacefully without any issues, as it reflects the quality of care at the hospital. The head nurse should be
appointed by superintendent to manage the ward of the hospital.
Organization of Ward Management
The head nurse is in charge of each ward in the hospital. The various wards come under her jurisdiction
and she or he is responsible to look after each ward. Under head nurse come the staff nurses, senior and
junior. The student nurses, sweepers, attendants, etc., come under the staff nurses.
Responsibilities of the Head Nurse
1. To plan the duty roster specific to the ward, implement patient classification system and allocate ward in
charge to specific wards
2. To control and coordinate the activities of the specific wards.

3. WARD MANAGEMENT
3. To plan all the activities done by ward in charge in advance, delegate
responsibilities and supervise the activities in the wards.
4. To supervise the nursing care being rendered for all patients and to
take frequent status.
5. To conduct nursing rounds with ward in charges to assess the problem,
plan care, clarify issues, fulfil the requirements and guide the ward in
charge.
6.To maintain the enrolment register of all the staff and ward in charge
and ensure that all the staff reported duty in time.
7.To allocate the alternative staff in case of absenteeism.

6. Criteria to Be Fulfilled for Good Nursing Management
1. All the staff should work with team spirit.
2. Organization should ensure positive reinforcement by rewarding staff talent.
3. Good economic and improved working conditions for all the staff should be established.
4. Follow unity in direction and unity in command. These principles help to reach the goal of quality care.
5. Strict observance of rules and regulations should be implemented in provision of the nursing care.
6. Organization should ensure conducting regular medical and nursing audit.
7. Organization should provide orientation training for the newly appointed staff and encourage their talents.
8. Provision of in-service education and continuing education for all the staff members should be established.
9. Guidance and the counselling unit should be established for the staff to resolve the conflicts and issues that emerge in
the working areas.
10. Above all, there should be a trained and talented administrator to control and oversee the entire management process.

7. Responsibilities of the Ward In charge
The ward in charge staff nurse is ultimately responsible for the functioning
of the ward allocated. She or he is also responsible to:
1. Report to the head nurse for any issues.
2. Plan, control and supervise the activity of the subordinates and also ensure that
the staff are allocated at required areas and provide good care to the patients.
3. Ensure ward cleanliness, safety and security for all the patients in the ward.
4. Oversee the patients' conditions regularly and to care for the concerns of
doctors who take care of the patients.
5. Conduct ward rounds with staff nurse and plan her daily activities accordingly.
6. Coordinate the shift schedule, day/night off in coordination with the head nurse.
7. Meet the health care needs of all patients in the ward.

8. Responsibilities of the Senior Staff Nurses
1. Senior nurses work under the ward in charge. They have to report to the duty in time and sign in the
register.
2. They provide individual care to patients who are seriously ill and are assisted by junior nurses.
3. They report the patient care to ward in charge regularly.
4. They write and record the patient details on the nurse's record.
5. They maintain the patient care which has patient identification data, doctor sheet, diagnostic sheet, etc.
6. They oversee the work of sweepers and attendants, and coordinate and help the student nurse to learn
and practice the nursing care.
7. They keep the units neat and tidy, check linen, drugs and other supplies required in the ward.
8. They identify and order the needed supplies with approval from ward in charge.
9. They allocate duties to the junior and student nurses.

9. Factors Affecting Ward Management
Management of ward is not a simple task. Very efficient coordination is needed to manage
the ward peacefully. A nurse needs to understand the factors that affect the process of ward
management.
1. Good knowledge of ward management: Heads, like the head nurse, the ward in charge, etc.
should be well qualified and sufficiently trained. They need to have thorough knowledge to manage
the ward activities, anticipate the issues and solve problems intelligently.
2. A well-planned work schedule: Intelligent planning of duty roaster and skillful placement of right
staff in right place are important to carry out things correctly. Planning saves time, energy and
material.
3. Implementing the nursing care and starting day work on time: It is always important for any
nurse, irrespective of her level or position, to report to the duty on time. Any lag in this will result in
conflict between nurses. Delay paralyses all kinds of care provided to the patients.
4. Disturbance or interruption of nursing care: There are many situations that arise in the
hospital that may interrupt in provision of care. Absenteeism, leave due to sickness, etc., create
overload the fewer staff on work. Leaves should be taken but patient care should not be interrupted,
all the patients should get adequate continuous care. If at any time a staff shortage emerges, head
nurse should take action to fill the gap and modify the duty roaster accordingly.

10. Factors Affecting Ward Management
5. Implementation and continuation of the ward activity routines: It is a very important basic for every nurse
to get along with ward routine. The routine duties of a nurse includes taking over and handing over the shift
duties, recording the patient details and carefully reporting in the record and to the team members, checking the
unit cleanliness and medicine cards, implementing doctor's orders, summarizing the patient details, handling
telephone calls, checking and ordering the supplies, keeping all the drugs and supplies under check, carrying out
morning care for the patients, etc.
6. Democracy in scheduling and planning: Policies, rules and regulation of work schedule are planned and
implemented after analyzing all nurses' approval. Planning the areas needed, with better coordination from all the
nurses, help to create a peaceful and smooth working environment.
7. Introductory training and orientation to the newly appointed staff: Once the new staff is appointed, it is the
duty of the head nurse to orient the new staff to all the rules and regulations of the hospital. It helps the new staff
to adapt to the new environment quickly and perform the job smoothly and more efficiently.
8. Being fair to all the staff: The organization should strive to ensure timely revision of salaries
9. Maintaining high morale, dignity and respect: It is essential for all organizations to ke and adequate
reimbursement for the staff. morale of the employees high. They should be accorded due dignity and respect as
well.

12. Objectives of a hospital
1. To deliver care to all patients irrespective of any race, color, caste and socioeconomic status.
2. To promote and restore health and prevent illness and complications.
3. To cure illness de improve and maintain health.
4. To create awareness about health problems as primary preventive approach.
5. To early detect and diagnose hidden illnesses and treat them early to prevent complication of the detected illnesses
6. To provide palliative and rehabilitation care for chronic and terminally ill patients
7. To maintain standards and provide quality care 8. To uplift the standards of nursing care, and thereby promote patient satisfaction
9. To administer the leadership roles and delegate task to each staff.
10. To provide quality training and education to the health care professionals, i.e., doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists and other
specialists/technicians.
11. To provide opportunities of in-service and continuing education for the staffs in order to enhance their knowledge and skills
12. To equip and encourage all professionals to conduct research activities in all disciplines that contribute towards the patient care.