Deputy Ward Sister/Charge Nurse

Job overview

Join our dynamic team as a Band 6 deputy Sister/Charge Nurse in the Children and Young People’s Emergency Department at one of the UK’s largest paediatric trauma centres. This senior leadership role offers the chance to lead a skilled nursing team in a fast-paced environment, caring for children and young people with acute illness, injury, major trauma, mental health concerns, and life-threatening emergencies.

You will provide visible clinical leadership, support patient flow, ensure compliance with policies, and drive quality improvement and service development initiatives. Mentoring, supervising, and developing staff is key, alongside maintaining governance, safety standards, and operational efficiency.

We offer professional development opportunities to enhance leadership, management, and advanced clinical skills. Nottingham Children’s Hospital holds ANCC Pathway to Excellence accreditation—the only children’s hospital in Europe with this distinction—reflecting our commitment to staff engagement, excellence, and innovation. If you are an experienced paediatric emergency nurse with a passion for leadership and high-quality care, we welcome your application.

Main duties of the job

As Deputy Charge Nurse in the CYPED, you will provide senior clinical and operational leadership to ensure safe, effective, and compassionate care. You will maintain high standards of nursing practice, patient safety, and quality across the department.

You will lead the delivery of evidence-based care, working with the wider MDT to identify challenges affecting care quality and develop action plans to address gaps. Patient pathways and experiences will be regularly evaluated to ensure effectiveness and satisfaction.

Acting as the senior clinical point of contact, you will manage deteriorating patients, safeguarding concerns, and complex or high-risk cases. You will oversee patient flow, triage, and resource allocation to support timely and efficient care delivery and help achieve national and local performance standards.

You will supervise, support, and mentor the nursing workforce, promoting professional development, competence, and wellbeing. In partnership with the senior leadership team, you will manage staffing, shift coordination, sickness management, and maintain appropriate senior nurse presence.

The role includes supporting audits, quality improvement, and service development initiatives, ensuring learning is embedded and improvements sustained. You will also provide guidance and reassurance to patients, families, and staff, representing the patient and family voice in decision-making.

The post requires working a full range of shifts, including nights and weekends.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Band 6 deputy Charge Nurse provides senior clinical and managerial leadership within the Children and Young People’s Emergency Department, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and patient-centred care in a highly complex and fast-paced environment.

Clinically, the post holder will act as a visible senior leader, providing expert clinical guidance and supervision to the nursing team. They will be clinically competent in the assessment and treatment of children and young people presenting with a wide range of injuries and illnesses, including major trauma. The Band 6 will be trauma trained and skilled in advanced clinical interventions, including intravenous medication administration, Entonox use, plastering and immobilisation, and ECG acquisition and interpretation appropriate to role. They will take responsibility for coordinating nursing care and supporting complex clinical decision-making to ensure high standards of care and patient safety.

The Band 6 will act as a senior point of escalation for deteriorating patients, safeguarding concerns, and high-risk or complex cases, working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure timely intervention. They will promote and maintain adherence to paediatric emergency care standards, Trust policies, and evidence-based best practice.

Operationally, the Band 6 will support the senior leadership team in the day-to-day management of the department, including staffing coordination, shift planning, sickness management, and maintaining minimum senior staffing levels across all shifts. They will oversee patient flow, triage processes, and resource allocation to optimise waiting times, throughput, and overall departmental efficiency.

From a governance and quality perspective, the Band 6 team will oversee the management of complaints and compliments, ensuring timely responses, learning, and feedback to staff and families. They will review and manage Datix incident reports, leading investigations where appropriate and ensuring action plans are implemented and monitored. The post holder will support and contribute to clinical audit, quality improvement initiatives, and compliance with governance and safety standards, embedding learning into practice.

The Band 6 will also play a key role in staff development, mentoring and supporting junior nurses and students, fostering a culture of learning, reflection, and professional development. They will contribute to appraisal, return-to-work processes, and ongoing competency assessment, supporting staff wellbeing and performance.

Throughout all aspects of the role, the Band 6 deputy Charge Nurse will demonstrate compassion, professionalism, and strong leadership, acting as an advocate for children, young people, and their families. They will work within a collaborative and supportive multidisciplinary environment, leading by example and contributing to continuous improvement in patient care and outcomes.

Applicant requirements

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.