Senior Sister/Charge Nurse

Overview

Main area Emergency Department Grade 7 Contract Permanent: internal rotation days, nights and weekend. Hours Full time – 37.5 hours per week (internal rotation, days, nights, weekend). Job ref 216-LH-M7070741

Employer University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust. Site University Hospital Plymouth, Emergency Department. Town Plymouth. Salary £47,810 – £54,710 Per Annum. Closing 14/10/2025 23:59

Senior Sister/Charge Nurse

7

Job overview

Do you want to work in a Major Trauma Centre nestled between Dartmoor National Park and the sea? Are you passionate about emergency and trauma care? We are looking for a motivated and experienced Band 7 Senior Sister / Charge Nurse to join our Emergency Department team at Derriford Hospital, University Hospitals Plymouth. You will able to work a full 24 hr shift pattern including nights and weekends. If that\’s you, we\’d love to hear from you!

Preference will be given to internal Trust staff, as well as ‘Priority’ and RAt Risk status including NHS At Risk staff throughout Devon who are able to display recent relevant experience as dictated by the Person Specification.

Main duties of the job

• To effectively lead and co-ordinate the operational management of the Emergency Department. Supervising the activities of the multi-disciplinary team and promoting collaborative working relationships to facilitate the rapid delivery of holistic, seamless care for all patients.
• To manage and maintain patient flow, escalating delays in the delivery of care and management of patients, in accordance with Trust Escalation Procedures, to meet National Performance Targets.
• To make informed decisions, involving patients and public, to ensure agreed clinical standards and targets are met.
• To be the Emergency department Senior Nurse on duty, being the nurse in charge of the department, offering professional nursing advice and leadership to the MDT.
• To provide effective leadership and support to a defined team of nursing staff, taking line management responsibilities including developing strategies for undertaking appraisals.
• To work effectively as a member of the Emergency Department Senior Nurse Team, responding with vision and innovation to the demands upon emergency services.
• To organise the department and its resources to respond to sudden unexpected demands, including a Major Incident.

For full details please see attached job description.

Working for our organisation

We are a people business – where every member of staff matters and can make a difference. Patients are at the heart of everything we do. Joining University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust means becoming part of a team of dedicated staff, who are committed to leading the way through innovation, clinical excellence and great customer care. The Trust has great opportunities for career development in a highly progressive working environment. We offer all of this in a vibrant, modern city with a historic reputation for adventure.

Please note that all communication will be electronic; please check your email account regularly. If you have any issues with applying online and need additional support including reasonable adjustments with the application process please contact the recruitment team on 01752 432100. We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants around less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. Please contact the recruiting manager to discuss this prior to your application submission. We commit to giving this full consideration in each case. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds to apply for our roles, as diversity strengthens our teams. It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Communication and Working Relationship Skills

Promote effective communication within the multi-disciplinary team, to patients, carers, visitors and external agencies. Receiving and reporting sensitive information, as appropriate taking into account rules of confidentiality. Communicate with teams throughout the wider hospital in order to deliver seamless care.

• Represent and promote the Emergency Department at a corporate level.

Analytical and Judgemental Skills

Using professional judgement ensure optimal patient flow through the Emergency Department.

• Work flexibly and be able to adapt to the dynamic needs of patients and staff within the department to maintain safety.

For further details please see the attached JD & PS

Person specification

Qualifications

• Proven Teaching and assessing course (Mentorship or equivalent demonstrable experience)

Knowledge & Experience

• Demonstrable experience in an Emergency Department setting
• Demonstrable experience within a similar role
• Leading and managing staff.
• Demonstrable experience in recruiting and selecting staff.
• Extensive demonstrable experience within a similar role
• Flexible to the needs of the service.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL COMMUNICATION WILL BE ELECTRONIC, PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL ACCOUNT REGULARLY INCLUDING YOUR JUNK FOLDER.

If you need support with the online application process or require reasonable adjustments with the application and/or interview process please contact the Recruiting Manager for this post.

We recognise that work life balance is important for our colleagues and so we invite requests from applicants about less than full time/flexible working for our advertised roles. We recommend contacting the manager of the role prior to applying and we commit to giving requests full consideration.

We welcome and encourage applicants who identify with all protected characteristics to apply for our roles. We believe that diversity strengthens our teams and improves our patients\’ experience. At UHP we aim to create an inclusive workplace and hospital where everyone feels they belong and included.

It is sometimes necessary to close vacancies before the closing date. If you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been shortlisted.

Providing false information is an offence & could result in the application being rejected or summary dismissal/police action if an applicant is successful.

Please note that if you are successful in your application and accept the position you agree that the Staff Health and Wellbeing Department can access your health records from your current/previous employer in order to check the status of your inoculations & screening tests. This is an automated process and the information will only be used for these purposes prior to your taking up the position with us.

For Doctors Roles: Unsolicited CVs and Candidate Profiles/Details. University Hospitals Plymouth has a commitment to sourcing candidates directly and as such we do not accept speculative CVs from agencies. We do, however, work with a defined list of preferred HTE Framework suppliers who may be invited to support us in sourcing candidates for particular roles. In line with our preferred supplier list, we only pay agency fees where we have a signed agreement in place and an agency has been instructed by the Trust’s Medical Workforce team. We do not pay agency fees where speculative and unsolicited CVs are submitted to the Trust or Trust employees by any other means than the official route above. Where this is not observed the Trust reserves the right to contact these candidates directly and initiate discussions without payment of any agency fee. Any candidate details (written or spoken) or CVs referred directly will not constitute an introduction. The Trust will under no circumstances be responsible for recruitment fees in relation to these contacts. Submission of unsolicited CVs will not be considered further and will be deemed acceptance of this Agency Protocol.

In order to establish and maintain good working relationships with the Trust’s agency suppliers, we ask that this Protocol is adhered to and thank you for your co-operation.

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.