Deputy Ward Leader- Ward A in Wigan

Main area Elective orthopaedic short stay ward Grade NHS AfC: Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

Part time
• Flexible working

36 hours per week (Need to be able to work Monday to Sunday days or nights) Job ref 302-25-7634129SS

Site Wrightington Hospital Town Wigan Salary £38,682 – £46,580 Pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 28/12/2025 23:59

Choose Well – Choose WWL

Job overview

We are looking to recruit a Deputy Ward Leader at Wrightington on Ward A. The role is 36 hours per week and involves working a full Monday–Sunday rota including days and nights.

Wrightington is a centre of excellence and also orthopaedic hub for Greater Manchester. Elective orthopaedic procedures are carried out for patients the length and breadth of the country and even the Falkland Islands.

Ward A is a short stay ward which is extremely fast paced

If you are interested in furthering your career in orthopaedic care or are ready for the challenge of stepping up to a Band 6 position then please apply.

Main duties of the job

You will possess excellent interpersonal communication skills able to interact with the wider multidisciplinary team to ensure smooth running of the ward.

You will have a basic knowledge of what is expected to fulfil the Deputy ward leader role. Have the skills to defuse conflict/disagreements but also be able to empathise to the needs of staff and patients.

An understanding of audit/research would be beneficial.

Working for our organisation

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement, and living our values ‘the WWL Way’.

WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.

At WWL we value the benefits a rich and diverse workforce brings to our community and therefore welcome applications from all sections of society.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Key results from the job holder

• To assist in the response to immediate patient needs within hospital setting.
• Assess, plan, implement and evaluate the nursing care of patients in accordance with their clinical pathway and individual needs.
• Assist in research and audit projects, both medical and nursing orientated and provide statistical information by which clinical trials can be measured. Assist in the co‑ordination of drug trials.
• Development of and involvement in committees, working parties and meetings concerned with on‑going developments of the ward.
• Develop and co‑operate with local Health Education Units in information exchanges.
• Liaise with consultants on the outcome of all assessments, monitoring and meetings where appropriate.
• Observe the NMC Code of Professional Conduct. Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and clinical guidelines for self and others, participate in the development of same.
• Continually monitor standards of care and lead the improvement of care, be responsible for benchmarking, audit and research within the ward environment.
• Promote everyone’s equality, diversity and rights.

Planning and Organisational Duties

• Manage the unit area in the absence of the unit manager, co‑ordinating the activities of the unit team and deploying resources effectively
• Ensure that all drugs and treatments are correctly administered in accordance with NMC Guidelines, Nursing Procedures and Drug Policies.
• Ensure effective emergency plans and procedures are in place and that staff are able to respond appropriately in emergency situations.
• Ensure that all work is carried out in a safe manner and with due care to Health and Safety regulations.
• Assist in ensuring a safe place of work is maintained and that defects in plant, premises or equipment are identified and reported for corrective action promptly.
• Comply with Mandatory training in accordance with Trust policy.
• Participate on a rostered basis carrying the senior nurse bleep, dealing with emergency situations and offering advice to ward areas.
• Organise own workload and adjust priorities in response to issues in the work place.
• Assist in analysing and forecasting the workforce needs for service development.
• Undertake regular departmental audit and the development and implementation of action plans.

Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Establish an effective working relationship with medical staff and other disciplines within the hospital.
• Recognise and respond to issues which require urgent attention, reporting to other members of the multi‑disciplinary/management team as necessary.
• Expeditiously handle complaints and problems providing accurate and timely follow up after consultation with Modern Matron/Departmental Head.
• Ensure effective communication is maintained between the rheumatology unit and the rheumatology specialist team.

Responsibility for Finance

• Ensure and manage the effective use of all financial resources in providing and delivering the service.
• Identify and implement cost improvement and SAVI programmes within the service.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• Adhere to Trust policies and maintenance of the professional Code of Conduct.
• Using developed listening skills and insight into the organisational culture; formulate and implement policies to enable teams to make their best contribution to effective care delivery.
• Participate in annual performance review to identify staff members’ personal development needs and ensure that issues of poor competence are addressed.
• Support the unit manager in managing staff absence in accordance with the Trust policies.

Person specification

Qualifications

• 1st Level Registered Nurse (relevant branch). Evidence of continuing professional development since registration
• Leadership qualification. Post registration qualification relevant to the speciality. Teaching/assessing certificate. Willingness to undertake a degree.

Experience

• 2 years post registration experience relevant to the clinical speciality. Experience of teaching/assessing/ supervising others in a clinical setting. Regularly in charge of ward.
• Auditing standards of care. Experience of return to work interviews, PDR’s.

Skills

• Specialist nursing skills relevant to rheumatology. Leadership. Clinical teaching and assessment skills. Basic ward management skills.
• Audit. Research awareness. Willingness to develop personal skills with the rheumatology service.

Knowledge

• Up to date clinical nursing knowledge relevant to the speciality

Additional

• Good record of attendance. Carry site bleep for arrest and fire response, on a rota basis. Speak English to an appropriate standard relevant to their role, i.e. with confidence and accuracy, using correct sentence structures and vocabulary, and without hesitation.

Our Trust prefers candidates to submit applications online. Please contact the Recruitment Team on 01942 244000 if you have difficulty applying online.

Using AI when writing job applications
If you choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) or other tools to assist in writing your application, it’s essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting statement to reflect the skills and experience to match your job application. Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting statement is not advocated by Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as it could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process. Please refer to the attached \”Applying for a role in the NHS guidance\” for further information regarding the use of AI.

The Trust reserves the right to close adverts earlier than the stated closing date if there is a high volume of applications.

We endeavour to inform all applicants of the outcome of their application by email or SMS text message.

Guidance on Completing Your Application

Applications are scored against the person specification, therefore we recommend that you use the supporting information section of your application form to demonstrate how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role, providing illustrative examples where possible.

On-Call

Please note that some roles may require you to participate in an on-call rota, if the role is predominantly operational.

WWL has signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment. and will recognise your continuous or ‘unbroken’ service in any Greater Manchester Local Authority or NHS organisation, Transport for Greater Manchester, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service or Greater Manchester Combined Authority; giving you access to our service-related benefits.

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.

Name Sharon Williamson Job title Ward Leader Email address sharon.e.williamson@wwl.nhs.uk Telephone number 01257 488215 Additional information

Available Monday to Friday 7.30 till 15.30

If you have problems applying, contact

Address Buckingham Row
Brick Kiln Lane
Wigan
WN1 1XX
Telephone 07786529678