The closing date is 10 December 2025
Salary: £38,682 to £46,580 a year
Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced nurse in orthopaedics. We are looking to appoint a permanent Band 6 Sister/Charge Nurse for the orthopaedic ward L9, which looks after both acute and elective patients who require surgical intervention.
We are looking for a senior nurse to join our team. You will need to be forward thinking, highly motivated, demonstrate strong leadership skills and have a passion for quality improvement.
Expected Shortlisting Date
13/12/2025
Planned Interview Date
19/12/2025
This post will support the band 7 to lead, and to further enhance the team of nurses and other professionals within the orthopaedic ward. The ward is a busy, complex inpatient ward consisting of 26 mixed-sex beds. Key aspects of the role are focusing on the patient experience and patient safety, providing assurance that standards are met for every patient and to ensure the development of the service.
Job responsibilities
The jobholder will play an essential role assisting the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse with the 24-hour continuing responsibility for the effective and efficient management of the ward / department. They will contribute to the provision of professional, clinical, managerial leadership and supervision for the nursing team. The jobholder is responsible for helping to develop and maintain a ward or departments philosophy that has the patient at the centre of compassionate safe and quality care delivery. By assisting with managing the administrative and financial aspects of the ward, the jobholder will support the cost-effective use of resources.
As an experienced nurse the jobholder will assist in co-ordinating activities on the ward or department ensuring effective communication is maintained at all times, providing support to qualified and unqualified nurses within the ward/dept. He/she will play a key role in the assessment of patient care needs and the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.
The jobholder will act as a role model, promoting quality evidence-based practice, developing the nursing team and ensuring effective management of the ward/department in the absence of the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.
The role of the band 6 sister is pivotal in the success of the team. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate good leadership qualities, have an ability to motivate team members, have evidence of supporting change management, as well as excellent interpersonal and communication skills. A commitment to professional development and the development of the team is essential.
Successful candidates will be offered the opportunity to develop their leadership and management skills as well as clinical skills specific to this area with a structured development programme.
PRINCIPAL DUTIES & AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Leadership
Support Senior Sister / Charge nurse in providing leadership to the clinical team
Support and inspire staff to provide efficient, effective, safe, quality care to patients
Deliver a positive patient experience
Promote the building of effective teams and collaboration between teams
Anticipate problems and take preventative or mitigating actions, or have contingency plans available
Assist in the line management of the nursing team, including individual and team performance, attendance, management and workforce planning
Help to ensure the effective deployment of staff is mapped against the flow of patients to provide safe and effective care
Support and participate in local and trust-wide recruitment events
Help to manage the use of bank and agency
Support the senior sister / charge nurse to Investigate and respond to accidents, complaints, untoward incidents and other significant events
Support in the delivery of an effective, safe, quality service within budgetary envelope
Raise and respond to concerns with regards to risk, danger, malpractice or wrongdoing by following the LTHT whistle blowing policy and supporting processes
Deputise for Senior Sister / Charge Nurse in their absence
Clinical
Act in accordance to the Nursing and Midwifery Councils Code: Professional Standards Practice and Behaviour (March, 2015)
Fulfils the requirements as directed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council to maintain and revalidate registration
Supervise ward staff with regards clinical practice and patient experience to promote the delivery of excellent clinical standards
Provide a visible clinical lead and role model to the nursing and wider team by delivering high quality compassionate care as an expert practitioner
Ensure that documentation standards are maintained in accordance with NMC and LTHT guidelines, whether written or computerised.
Promote and maintain positive working relationships between all staff, internal and external to the Trust, involved in the care of patients
Help to set, monitor and seek to continuously improve standards and the quality of patient care, including those standards defined in local and national guidance
Maintain a safe working environment
Ensure the safe use and efficient management of equipment and supplies
Promote compassionate evidence based practice, wherever possible
Work with Senior Sister / Charge Nurse to ensure that clinical governance processes at ward/dept level encompass measures to ensure the quality of the fundamental and essential aspects of care
Balance clinical risk and clinical decision making against context
Work with the Infection Prevention and Control Team and Facilities to monitor the environment to maintain and raise standards
Undertake duties on other wards or departments as and when required by the service
Act in such a way that safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and vulnerable adults at all times. Is familiar with and adheres to the LTHT safeguarding policies.
Quality Improvement
Has a responsibility to improve the quality and safety of our services. It is expected that in fulfilling a clinical leadership role you will be proactive in promoting and using the Leeds Improvement Method. Contribute to quality improvement programmes as required
Keep up to date with and communicate service developments, advances and research.
Through the use of audit, local research, metrics and feedback continually seek to identify practice that needs improvement. Implement and evaluate any resultant improvement plan.
Actively promote patient involvement and feedback within service improvements to promote a positive patient experience
Maintain and sustain the momentum of improvements until they are firmly embedded into the values and culture of the clinical area
Education and Training
Participate in personal appraisal and mandatory training at the required time periods
Help to ensure all new starters, inclusive of temporary staff, have a local induction to the clinical area
Help to ensure all staff have an individual performance development plan and a yearly appraisal
Help to ensure all nursing staff maintain mandatory and priority training requirement.
Support and facilitate re-validation for registered nursing staff, and self.
Promote a learning and development culture to the improve staff skills, knowledge and competence
Help to ensure the induction and development of staff
Promote a positive learning environment within the clinical area to support the development of knowledge and skills in learners.
Support and facilitate work-based inter-professional learning
This is not an exhaustive list of roles and responsibilities, and these may be subject to change with professional and service developments
Person Specification
Other Criteria
Essential
- Able to fulfil Occupational Health requirements for post
Skills & Behaviours
Essential
- Excellent written and verbal skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills
- Organisational skills
- Leadership and management skills
- Ability to communicate effectively within a multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to prioritise workload and met deadlines whilst paying attention to detail
- Ability to work under pressure
- Always demonstrates personal and professional behaviour and integrity
- Compassionate and caring
- Assertive, courageous, flexible, adaptable
Experience
Essential
- Significant post registration experience at staff nurse level or equivalent
- Working with a wide range of professionals including medical, nursing and management colleagues
- Understands the business of the ward
- Understanding of relevant national service guidance pertinent to the service
Desirable
- Clinical Experience within the specialty
- Awareness of Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust guidelines and policies
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (RN Adult for adult clinical areas or RN Child for childrens areas (Level 1 or 2)
- Recognised teaching/assessing qualification
- Evidence of continued professional development
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).