Deputy Ward Sister / Charge Nurse

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 58,000; Full time

Job summary

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is seeking a Neonatal Deputy Ward Sister/Charge Nurse for the Queen's Medical Centre NICU in Nottingham. The role leads the unit, delivers high-standard care, and works across QMC and City neonatal units.

You will provide direct clinical care, support the Ward Manager, participate in governance, and develop a skilled nursing team committed to family-centered neonatal care.

Qualifications

• NMC registered nurse (UK) is required.
• Experience in neonatal care or high-dependency units is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide regular direct clinical care and act as a deputy to the Ward Manager to maintain high standards of neonatal care.
• Lead and role-model a designated team of nurses, supporting governance and quality improvement.
• Collaborate across QMC and City neonatal units to deliver family-centered care and professional development.

Job description

Neonatal Deputy Ward Sister/ Charge Nurse.

Are you ready to be part of something extraordinary? The Queen's Medical Centre (QMC) in Nottingham, in partnership with the City Neonatal Unit, has opened a state‑of‑the‑art £32 million Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), now the largest in the East Midlands. Spanning 2,000 square metres—four times the size of the previous facility. The brand-new NICU is designed to deliver world‑class care for premature and critically ill newborns, offering advanced medical technology, expanded capacity from 17 to 38 cots, and an environment centred on family support.

With purpose‑built family accommodations, private cot bays with glass screening, play areas for siblings, and a dedicated bereavement suite, our new unit sets a new standard in neonatal care. We are seeking passionate, skilled professionals to join our team and make a real difference in the lives of our tiniest patients and their families. Working cross sites between QMC and City neonatal units as part of the role will help expand your professional and critical care skill set.

If you’re looking for a role in a cutting‑edge unit with exceptional resources, collaboration, and opportunities for professional growth, we’d love to hear from you!

Join us in shaping the future of neonatal care.

The post holder will act as Deputy to the Ward Manager regularly taking charge of the unit and ensuring that the standards and quality of care given to babies, together with the environment in which care is delivered, are maintained at a high standard.

The post holder will be expected to be an effective leader and role model and will be expected to provide regular direct clinical care and use experience to support the implementation of both clinical and non‑clinical governance. You will be required to work flexibly as a member of the unit team and in support of the Ward Manager to ensure standards are being maintained, evaluated, and where necessary improved.

The post holder is required to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

We will expect you to take managerial, clinical and professional responsibility for unit co‑ordination and the development of a designated team of nurses. The Neonatal Service delivers care across two sites at the City and QMC Campuses. As a lead centre for the North Hub of the East Midlands Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (EMNODN), we offer medical and surgical intensive care for extremely premature and very sick infants. Our aim is for babies to be treated in the right place at the right time by a skilful and knowledgeable multi‑disciplinary team with the family at the centre of this care.

You will need to familiarise yourself with full Job Description and Person Specification documents attached to this advert.

With over 19,000 staff, we are one of the biggest employers in the city with a central role in supporting the health and wellbeing of our local population. We play a leading role in research, education and innovation.

Come and join our wonderful team at NUH. We are big believers in diversity and welcome new ideas to help develop our team in order to deliver world class healthcare to the vast patient populations we serve. With endless personal development opportunities available, at NUH we will endeavour to turn your job into a career!

We particularly welcome applications from people who identify as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, or Disabled, as we are striving to be better represented at NUH.

A dedicated Institute of Nursing and Midwifery Care Excellence, offering continuing professional education and career development opportunities including:

• A well‑established preceptorship programme
• A seven day acute care skills foundation course
• Bespoke rotational programmes
• Resilience‑focused clinical supervision
• An international OSCE programme
• Clinical academic careers

Access to the biggest established Shared Governance programme in the UK, with 85 staff councils at ward level and growing, giving our workforce a voice and supporting a culture of innovation.

Our nursing teams are leading Patient Experience Network National Award winning initiatives (PENNA 2018) and have opportunities to work on improvement initiatives that are co‑produced with those who use our services.