Deputy Sister/Charge Nurse

Job overview

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• Promote and help to manage delivery of a quality nursing service, setting and monitoring clinical standards in NICU and Transitional Care.
• To be responsible for the assessment of patient care needs, the development, implementation and evaluation of programmes of care.
• To work as a Shift Leader and Deputise for the Ward Sister/Charge Nurse after completion of unit specific competencies and shadow charging.  This is based on working shifts rotating from night and day covering a 7 day week, in accordance with the nursing philosophy of Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust.
• To take responsibility for an area of clinical practice appropriate to the ward environment. This could involve audit, Infection Control, Fire Warden, Manual Handling, Health & Safety and others

The successful candidate will have strong leadership, communication, and critical thinking skills, with a clear commitment to family-centred care. A neonatal qualification (ENB 405/QIS or equivalent) and significant post-qualification experience in a Level 2 or 3 neonatal setting are essential.

This role and interview will be part of the NICU recruitment event on the 9th July 2026, 9am-5pm

Main duties of the job

• To have joint responsibility with other Unit Sisters for the operational management and service delivery processes within the Neonatal and Special Care Unit.  This includes line management of all ward staff, managing and monitoring resources within a defined budget and contributing to the corporate agenda.
• To lead and promote a quality service using research and evidence based practice including the setting and monitoring of clinical standards.
• Rotation onto night and day shifts

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Practice and Professional Leadership Responsibilities

• Lead and supervise a safe, high standard of nursing practice and the delivery of evidenced based Patient care in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, the Trust’s Strategy for Nursing and Trust/Unit Policies and Procedures.
• Lead by example in the demonstration of high standards of clinical care.
• Act as an advocate for the neonate.
• Contribute to the Corporate nursing and patient care agenda.
• Develop and maintain own competence in agreed basic and advanced clinical skills.
• Act as a source of speciality expertise within the Directorate and across the Trust as appropriate.
• To ensure that clinical and housekeeping practice follows policies/procedures designed to prevent Hospital acquired infection.
• Ensure the promotion and provision of health education for patients and their carers.
• Actively promote and implement research and evidence based practice.
• Lead a programme of standard setting and audit to implement change that meets patient requirements and improves standards. Seek feedback from carers.

Management Responsibilities

• Deputise for the Sisters in their absence.
• Ensure that complaints and incidents are dealt with proactively in conjunction with Divisional Governance Team.
• To investigate Datix incidents and complaints using Root Cause Analysis as a tool and provide reports as required.
• Develop, implement, monitor and evaluate associated action plans based on reflective practice and review of processes.
• Contribute to the recruitment and selection process.
• Taking a lead in the retention of nursing staff on the Unit.
• Responsible for effective and efficient deployment of staff, planning appropriate skill mix in relation to workload and within the defined budget.
• Manage the ward in accordance with budget and contract requirements and ensure the most effective use of pay and non-pay resources.
• Promote good working relationships and collaborative working with the multi-disciplinary team, both within the Unit and the rest of the Trust.

Education

• Maintain a suitable learning environment for all staff working in the ward
• Liaise with the CPE to provide additional CPE support
• Ensure that registered nurses understand the educational objectives of all staff and students, acting as a mentor, assessing performance as appropriate

Clinical Governance Responsibilities

• In conjunction with the Head of Nursing/Matron, take a lead role in the planning and implementation of quality and risk management initiatives and targets, including CNST, RPST and Controls Assurance requirements
• Actively develop and maintain evidence-based quality standards that are regularly audited, and initiate appropriate changes in practise
• In conjunction with the Head of Nursing/Matron, participate in the agreed programmes of clinical benchmarking

Learning and Development

• Maintain own professional standards and education by attending relevant study sessions, mandatory training  and reporting back to team members