SCBU Ward Manager

Job summary

CDDFT have an exciting opportunity for an experienced neonatal nurse to join our team as ward manager for the Special Care Baby Unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

The role is full time at 37.5 hours per week

The successful candidate will work collaboratively within the SCBUs and across perinatal services in CDDFT to provide leadership and management of the nursing team to ensure safe, effective and family focused care of infants requiring specialist support.

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will work collaboratively within the SCBUs in CDDFT and be based and primarily responsible for the unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

They will manage the nursing workforce within the SCBU and supervise and develop the team. They will be responsible for coordinating the provision of nursing services and ensure high clinical standards are maintained.

They will role model compassionate and inclusive leadership and drive a culture of development and engagement to enable the team to deliver quality care whilst maximising the professional development of every member of the workforce.

They will play a lead role in the governance of the SCBU, and support staff in quality improvement, audit and monitoring of performance.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Details

• Date posted: 03 September 2026
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 7
• Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year per annum / pro rata
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full-time
• Reference number: C9439-2627-RP-N300
• Job locations: Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust, Hollyhurst Road, Darlington, County Durham, DL3 6HX, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities

Professional / Management Responsibilities:

To strive for excellence in all aspects of the delivery of safe, high quality patient care, ensuring all nursing care is delivered in accordance with Trust policies, procedures and guidelines.

To act as a positive role model at all times providing professional and clinical leadership to establish a committed and motivated team with a clear purpose.

Ensure a high level of professional awareness both personally and throughout perinatal services, paediatric services and CDDFT by chairing/attending appropriate meetings, seminars and other forums.

Work as part of the senior leadership team in assessing implications of trends in workload, clinical or professional practice, identifying the effects on service provision and initiating change where appropriate.

Working collaboratively across the SCBUs to manage the allocation of appropriate skill mix nursing resource, ensuring that the needs of the clinical areas are met in an effective and efficient manner with optimisation of allocated resource and off duty planning in line with Trusts Roster Policy ensuring rota patterns provide safe staffing levels and optimising health and well-being needs of staff.

To effectively supervise and manage sickness absence, other leave and bank usage in accordance with Trust policies, regularly reporting all issues regularly to Paediatric and Neonatal Matron.

Ensure that budget resources within the area of responsibility are deployed and used effectively and efficiently within budgetary limits to ensure a cost-effective service.

Take a leadship role in policy development and evaluation.

Ensure that staff are fully conversant with and practice in accordance with statutory requirements, agreed policies and procedures, observing NMC Codes and Guidance at all times.

Regular competency review for nursing staff within the unit and coordinate professional development and appraisal to achieve a motivated and efficient nursing workforce.

Provide leadership and development opportunities and supervise development of staff to ensure effective succession planning. Maintain oversight of delegated activities to ensure and gain assurance that performance is optimised.

Communicate both formally and informally with other disciplines and support staff to ensure appropriate exchange of advice and information and the maintenance of a collaborative approach to service provision across the care groups.

To monitor and utilise Patient Experience feedback to improve and maintain an excellent patient experience.

To ensure effective engagement with service users and their families; listening to them, demonstrating compassion, empathy and partnership working regarding care and treatment.

To ensure care is delivered within duty of candour guidance, ensuring nursing staff are open and candid with all service users in all aspects of care and treatment including when any mistakes or harm have taken place.

To adopt an open culture sharing learning outcomes of incidents and complaints with the clinical teams and demonstrate changes in practice as a result of complaints and incidents to embed a culture of learning.

To work with Human Resources on the resolution of complex HR issues

Undertake regular departmental walkabouts engaging with all patients and their families/carers and proactively resolving any issues ensuring high standards of care delivered and monitored through regular quality care indicator audits and spot checks.

Monitor monthly environmental audits to ensure a safe and clean environment is maintained, and to act on findings to ensure required actions are completed within a timely manner. To maintain and monitor a safe and clean environment within the ward/department in accordance with the Trusts Health and Safety, Clinical Risk and Infection Control Polices.

Provide active leadership to Trust wide neonatal transitional care provision developing local policy and practice underpinned by national guidance.

Proactively participate in meetings and forums, ensuring robust communication and feedback mechanisms within the ward to ensure staff are kept informed and up to date

Ensure all nursing staff are kept informed of those clinical governance issues that pertain to the local and national agenda.

To promote a culture of raising and escalating any patient safety concerns through a robust process of investigating, escalating and dealing with the concerns as appropriate.

To ensure there is an effective Risk Management process in place, that any identified risks are entered onto the Risk Register with appropriate mitigations in place.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

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).