Charge Nurse

Nhs Ayrshire & Arran; Ayr; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 53,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Ayrshire and Arran is seeking an Unscheduled Care Charge Nurse based at Ailsa Hospital for a permanent 36-hour week. The role covers evenings, weekends and nights as part of a rotational Mental Health service and requires RNMH with leadership experience.

You will deliver recovery-focused care to adults and support out-of-hours services, with driving licence mandatory and baseline training in mental health legislation. Salary Band 6: £43,231–£52,679.

Qualifications

• RNMH essential with post registration experience at staff nurse level or above.
• Post Graduate Diploma or equivalent relevant experience.
• Community experience.
• Able to work flexible hours, including availability for overnight service provision.
• Leadership skills.
• Knowledge of Mental Health Legislation.
• Organisation skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Time management skills.
• Able to demonstrate an ability to work with minimum supervision.

Responsibilities

• You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
• Working within a rotational service that includes evenings, weekends and nights, you will provide compassionate, recovery-focused care to adults and, out of hours, support a wider range of service users which also include older adults, learning disability and CAMHS patients.
• You will work both within the Mental Health Assessment Hub and across community settings, ensuring service users receive timely and effective support in the most appropriate environment.

Skills

RNMH essential with post registration

Leadership skills

Time management

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Able to work flexible hours

Education

Post Graduate Diploma

Job description

Advertised location

Ayr

Advertised salary

Band 6 (£43,231 - £52,679)

Employment type

Permanent

NHS Scotland

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. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Who we are

NHS Ayrshire and Arran are one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran, we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran please visit our website - NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Home (nhsaaa.net)

Position

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Unscheduled Care Charge Nurse based at Ailsa Hospital. This post is offered on a permanent basis.

Hours

36 hours per week. From 1 April 2026, the working week for NHS Agenda for Change staff in Scotland will be reduced. Full-time hours will reduce from 37 to 36 hours (pro rata for part-time staff) without loss of earnings.

UK Driving Licence

A UK driving licence is essential for this role.

What you will do

You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. Working within a rotational service that includes evenings, weekends and nights, you will provide compassionate, recovery-focused care to adults and, out of hours, support a wider range of service users which also include older adults, learning disability and CAMHS patients.

You will work both within the Mental Health Assessment Hub and across community settings, ensuring service users receive timely and effective support in the most appropriate environment.

Knowledge, training and/or experience required for this post: ESSENTIAL

• RNMH essential with post registration experience at staff nurse level or above.
• Post Graduate Diploma or equivalent relevant experience.
• Community experience.
• Able to work flexible hours, including availability for overnight service provision.
• Leadership skills.
• Knowledge of Mental Health Legislation.
• Organisation skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Time management skills.
• Able to demonstrate an ability to work with minimum supervision.

DESIRABLE

• Able to lead, manage and supervise junior staff.
• Ability to influence practice development and innovation.
• Presentation skills.
• Clinical skills at a specialist practice level.
• Knowledge of policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of risk assessment and risk management.
• Knowledge of health and safety issues e.g. DATIX co-ordination.
• Knowledge of audit and research processes.
• Supervision skills.

RIGHT TO WORK / CERTIFICATES OF SPONSORSHIP

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. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is ESSENTIAL that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored BEFORE submitting your application form.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran may be able to offer visa sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. When considering if a post meets the salary threshold for sponsorship, please note the salary advertised is based on a full-time contract and must be pro-rated for part-time positions. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks.

We are unable to provide sponsorship for Band 2 posts or bank contracts.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

• Posts close at midnight on the indicated date. Late applications will not be accepted.
• Please note that our correspondence method is by email, therefore please ensure you enter your email address accurately.
• Please check your email regularly (including junk folders) and your NHS Jobs Scotland account for updates.
• We recommend using the Internet Browser "Google Chrome" or "Microsoft Edge" when using JobTrain.
• Once you have submitted your application form you will be unable to make any amendments.
• Some of our vacancies are for internal candidates only. If you are a staff member, please ensure you update your NHS Jobs Scotland account profile to reflect that you are employed by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
• Please note, for all vacancies where a driving licence is required this must be a full UK/EU/EEA licence.

Equality Statement

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. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.