Critical Care Sister / Charge Nurse

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Critical Care Sister / Charge Nurse

The closing date is 08 April 2026

This is an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic, experienced, motivated nurse to develop leadership and management skills.

As a senior member of the Critical care unit team you will be required to co ordinate the safe delivery of care, daily, to critically ill patients.

The CCU Band 6 sister will be a role model who acts as a clinical expert practitioner, providing specialist knowledge and advising nurses, medical staff and other members of the multidisciplinary team working within the critical area. As a 24-hour service provider the post holder is expected to work autonomously, coordinating and managing a defined clinical area without direct supervision, ensuring the safe delivery of specialist treatment.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will have overall accountability and responsibility for the clinical area when in charge of a shift.

You will have a specific interest in clinical practice development and, in collaboration with the Clinical Educators, will support staff to develop essential clinical skills and expertise within the intensive care unit.

You will ensure that fundamental needs for individual patients are met and that care is evaluated using evidence based practice. Participate in operational and strategic development for the clinical area by attending unit and Trust wide meetings and act as a representative of CCU throughout the Trust in trust champion roles.

Recognise the deteriorating patient and take the lead in the absence of the medical practitioner to ensure appropriate treatment and intervention is undertaken to stabilise the deteriorating patient until medical help is available.

About us

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group-a formal partnership between Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17,600 colleagues and a budget of £1.6 billion, the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people. We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

Job responsibilities

• Use advanced communication skills to impart sensitive, complex and potentially distressing information to patients and carers, providing emotional support, advice and information as appropriate. To provide support and expertise to colleagues when dealing with highly emotional or distressing clinical situations.
• In partnership with other senior grades, produce, contribute and comment on relevant policies and guidelines and implement them into our own area.
• Undertake/supervise specific projects/audits related to the professional development of nursing and the care of CCU patients. Assist in the collection of data required for local and national audit.
• Work in conjunction with external management teams to ensure that all emergency and elective patients are admitted in a timely manner, based on clinical priority so that treatment is commenced promptly. To be responsible for actively managing patient flow within CCU, resolving short term resource conflicts as they arise.
• Review and update the live e roster, allocation and skill mix on a daily basis and make appropriate changes to maintain adequate skill mix and unit cover.

Please see the attached job description for full information.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Intensive Care Course or equivalent
• Teaching and Assessing qualification / Mentors & Assessors course
• Immediate Life Support
• Paediatric Life Support
• Management of the critically ill child course or equivalent experience
• Leadership ability, organised, self motivated, able to motivate others, innovative and the ability to manage change
• Management Training
• Advanced life support

Experience

• In depth experience in a General Intensive Care unit.
• Clinical expertise e.g. invasive monitoring and haemofiltration, management of critically ill child.
• Experience of being the Nurse in Charge and management of a shift on a regular basis on CCU
• Knowledge and experience of managing resources i.e., people and materials.
• Experience or sound knowledge of human resources e.g. sickness, appraisal.
• Demonstrated ability to support colleagues.
• Completion of the unit "Management Development Programme"
• Experience in writing protocols, guidelines, policies, clinical competencies
• Proven leadership and management experience in critical care

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.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£39,959 to £48,117 a year, pro rata