Senior Charge Nurse

NHS Scotland; Carstairs; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The State Hospital offers an opportunity for a Senior Charge Nurse to lead high-quality nursing care in a secure environment. Applicants should be registered mental health or learning disability nurses with proven leadership skills. The role involves managing a nursing team while ensuring exceptional standards of patient care.

Qualifications

• Professional registration is essential.
• Significant post-registration experience required.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in a similar environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage nursing care in a high-secure environment.
• Foster innovation and continuous improvement in patient care.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams.

Skills

Leadership Skills

Communication Skills

Organisational Skills

Education

First-Level Registered Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse

Job description

AfC Band 7 plus a High Secure Environmental Allowance of £1,750.47 per annum and a High Secure Clinical Responsibility Allowance of £4,201.29 per annum.

Hours 37*

Contract Duration Permanent

Post Details

The State Hospital, The State Hospital, located in South Lanarkshire, serves as the high-secure forensic mental health resource for patients from Scotland and Northern Ireland. Our core mission is to rehabilitate patients and facilitate their safe transfer to lower levels of security where appropriate.

We are excited to offer an opportunity for a highly qualified and experienced Registered Mental Health Nurse or Learning Disabilities Nurse to join our team as a Senior Charge Nurse

Key Requirements

• Professional Registration: Must be a First-Level Registered Mental Health or Learning Disability Nurse.
• Experience: Significant post-registration experience is essential, including demonstrated professional development relevant to this specialty.
• Leadership Skills: Proven leadership and management expertise, with experience in a similar environment.
• Key Attributes: Exceptional organisation, time management, and communication skills to excel in this complex and dynamic role.
  
  

The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of high-quality nursing care in one of the hospital’s wards, which supports patients with mental illness or learning disabilities.

This role involves leading and managing a dedicated nursing team while fostering innovation and continuously seeking improvements in service delivery and patient care. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in multidisciplinary collaboration, ensuring the highest standards of care for our patients.

We are particularly keen to hear from applicants with experience in learning disabilities, as this role is based within our Learning Disability Service.

Working Pattern

The standard working week will run from Monday to Friday, with an additional requirement to participate in the Senior Charge Nurse out-of-hours rota. This includes rotational day shifts and backshifts, covering two weekends in five.

Join us in delivering compassionate, safe, and effective care to patients in need.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity further, please do not hesitate to contact Lindsay Tulloch, Lead Nurse on 01555 842071 or Stuart Lammie, Lead Nurse on 01555 842201.

Closing Date The closing date for applications is 13 July 2025

If you have any queries or require assistance regarding the application form or recruitment process, please contact the HR Team on to discuss your requirements.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society. It should be noted that the State Hospital is a high secure hospital and the current organisational position based on a risk assessment is that we welcome applications from people under the age of 18 for non clinical roles however to be eligible for a clinical role applicants should be 18 years and older. Should you have any questions in relation to this please contact

Right to Work

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service.

As part of the pre-employment checks for a preferred candidate, NHS Scotland Boards will check this entitlement to work in the UK. It can be evidenced through a number of routes including specific types of visa, and settled and pre-settled status. To find out more about these routes of permission, and if you can demonstrate such cover, please refer to the GOV.UK website.

For specific types of post, it might be possible to secure sponsorship via a UK Skilled Worker/Health & Care Worker Visa. However, this is only possible if the employer is a licenced Sponsor, and if the post does not fall below the current minimum salary threshold or ‘going rate’. Further information on these criteria can be found.

Please note that the State Hospital is NOT licensed to issue certificates of sponsorship under current UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) regulations. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship to work with us.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you have an appropriate right to work in the UK BEFORE applying.

Reduced Working Week* -

Starting from 1 April 2024, the working week for NHS Agenda for Change workers in Scotland will be reduced. Full-time hours will be reduced from 37.5 to 37 hours, and part-time staff will get a pro-rata reduction in their working hours without losing any earnings. Although the State Hospital will implement this change, it may not be possible to transition fully from 1 April. Therefore, there may be some areas in the organisation where implementation may take longer. If the department cannot safely accommodate the reduced hours from 1st April, you may be required to work 37.5 hours per week (pro rata for part-time staff) until the department can meet the requirements without impacting patient safety. Of course, you will be remunerated accordingly. The State Hospital is committed to fully implementing the 37-hour working week across all areas as soon as it is safe to do so.