Job overview

The Paediatric Senior Sister plays a pivotal leadership role within our busy Children's Emergency Department (CED) workforce at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS).

We are looking for an enthusiastic and committed registered nurse to join our team as a Senior Sister/Charge Nurse.

Within a large teaching hospital, we’re also the regional children’s major trauma centre. The purpose-built service is a standalone department offering an 11-cubicle acute illness and injury service, a safe room, eight bedded children short stay, children’s X-ray within the service and a treatment/procedural room.

The adult and children's emergency departments maintain strong links between the two services combining training courses and leadership where beneficial to both teams.

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care. 

 We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

 Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

 We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

The post holder will be working alongside the matron and other senior sisters to ensure excellent clinical standards and care are maintained.

This team will analyse, monitor and implement actions that ensure the service delivery is safe and effective in line with the Trust values.

You will be responsible for the daily operational management and service delivery process within the department, along with the line management and development of the nursing team.

You will ensure the smooth running of the department, leading by example, working as a key decision maker alongside the multi professional team, leading on aspects of clinical care and focusing on patient safety, experience, and quality assurance frameworks.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR:

The successful candidate will demonstrate excellent communication, interpersonal skills and show clinical leadership experience with a passion for emergency care nursing.

They will be educated to a degree level with evidence of on-going education and qualifications pertinent to this specialty.

They must be able to demonstrate a compassionate approach to the care of patients and the public, whilst also possessing the ability to ensure robust clinical operational demands are met.

In return we can offer the opportunity to work with a nationally regarded, multi professional team who put patients first, always strive to improve care for patients and pride themselves on their teamwork.

As a Major Trauma Centre, we are providing an excellent level of care for both adults and children; through examining how we provide major trauma care we seek to constantly improve.

The department has a reputation for innovation and is increasingly recognized for its clinical academic work in emergency care. Your professional and clinical development is important to us, and we are committed to supporting you to achieve your goals.

The Emergency Department is a 24-hour service, a degree of flexibility will be required to meet service requirements.

For an overview of the position, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification document. This includes a detailed breakdown of the key responsibilities, role expectations, and the qualifications we are looking for.