Senior Theatre Practitioner/ODP in Canterbury

Employer East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Kent and Canterbury Hospital Town Canterbury Salary £39,959 - £48,117 pro rata per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 13/10/2026 23:59

Senior Theatre Practitioner/ODP

Band 6

Job overview

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Theatre Practitioner to join our dynamic theatre team. This role is pivotal in delivering safe, high-quality, patient-centred perioperative care within a busy and evolving environment. As a senior member of the team, you will provide clinical leadership, support service delivery across a 24/7 emergency pathway, and play a key role in driving quality improvement and excellence in patient care.

You will act as a role model, supporting the development of staff through mentorship and education, while ensuring compliance with professional, clinical, and organisational standards. The post holder will contribute to a culture of safety, continuous improvement, and inclusivity, ensuring the highest standards of care for all patients.

Main duties of the job

As a Senior Theatre Practitioner, you will deliver high-quality, person-centred perioperative care, ensuring patient safety, dignity, and compassion at all times. You will act as a patient advocate, maintaining confidentiality and supporting patients and families with clear, empathetic communication. The role includes participation in a 24/7 emergency service, including on-call, weekend, and bank holiday working, while promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion for all.

You will maintain clinical excellence through continuous professional development, reflective practice, and adherence to professional standards. As a senior team member, you will support staff development through mentorship, teaching, and supervision, contributing to inductions, training programmes, and the promotion of evidence-based practice.

You will demonstrate professionalism and leadership in line with NMC/HCPC and Trust standards, acting as a role model and escalating concerns appropriately to support a culture of openness and continuous improvement.

You will ensure safety and quality within the theatre environment by adhering to infection prevention protocols, completing safety checks, and contributing to incident reporting, audits, and quality improvement initiatives. You will support clinical governance, safe equipment use, and may assist with theatre coordination, including staffing and rostering.

Working for our organisation

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five
hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates on a Skilled Worker Visa applying for roles Band 5 and above.

There are lots of great opportunities at East Kent Hospitals, where staff are caring and put patients first, innovation flourishes and you can develop your career. We’re on an exciting journey of transformation. With a local Medical School at the centre of our community, a focus on research, clinical leadership and making our trust a rewarding and friendly place to work,
there’s never been a better time to join us. The Trust fully supports the SAS Doctors Charter and is committed to their development through its CPD Framework.

We have a relocation policy for eligible candidates, parking available at Trust sites but we encourage other options, like car sharing or public transport.

The Trust is committed to supporting flexible working to fulfil our pledge as part of The Trust’s People Strategy to help staff to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Please speak with your Recruiting Manager for further information on how this can be managed alongside department expectations and requirements.

The ability to converse easily and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for all customer facing roles.

Most positions require a Disclosure and Barring check and will be exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Posts working regularly or unsupervised with children or vulnerable adults require an enhanced check.

Applicants for eligible roles requiring Skilled Worker sponsorship must meet UK Visas and Immigration eligibility criteria.

We operate a no-smoking policy on all our sites and grounds.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Person specification

Qualifications & Training

• NMC/ HCPC Qualification
• Evidence of on-going personal and professional development
• Degree/ working towards or equivalent experience.
• Practice supervisor / Assessor Training

Skills & Experience

• Continuous recent experience as Band 5 theatre practitioner in an acute setting.
• Experience of mentorship/clinical supervision.
• Demonstrable interest and commitment to the professional development of others.
• Ability to organise and manage day to day departmental activities and the activities of large multidisciplinary team within this.
• Communication skills – able to relate and communicate with patients and staff at all levels and from different professions.
• Understanding of the issues pertaining to clinical risk management.
• Problem solving skills – able to respond to unexpected issues and provide first line response and to identify appropriate sources of secondary support.
• Ability to delegate appropriately and prioritise work independently.
• Good teaching/facilitation skills
• Familiar and participated in the interview process and used TRAC

Governance

• Registered NMC/HCPC
• Adhere to governing body Standards of Proficiency and Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics
• Maintain professional accountability
• Compliance with clinical governance frameworks, organisational policies, and relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

Personal Attributes

• Calm under pressure
• Ability to work flexibly and collaboratively
• Good interpersonal skills
• Understanding of own limitations and seeks management support when appropriate.
• Physically able to perform all aspects of clinical nursing role to include manual handling of patients
• Ability to work as part of a Team, leading as necessary.
• Highly motivated to improve patient and staff journey
• Dedicated to the team and high standards
• Can work off own initiative and remain dynamic in thinking.

Other Requirements

• Aware of and adhere to the Trust’s Vision & strategy
• Has an understanding of the political agenda within healthcare
• The post holder will develop the skills and theoretical knowledge through unit competencies required to fulfil the whole range of duties of the post.
• IT Literate
• Abilities to troubleshoot and manage workload
• Staff motivator and advocate
• Ability to support and deputise for Theatre Coordinators
• Worked across a variety of Peri operative areas within you career

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