Junior Sister/Charge Nurse - Neonatal Unit

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust; Bath; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust in Bath is seeking a motivated Band 6 Junior Sister/Charge Nurse to lead a UNICEF Baby Friendly neonatal unit. You will manage high dependency and intensive care babies, support staff, and uphold family-integrated care and safety as core priorities.

We offer a dynamic, accredited environment with strong leadership, development opportunities, and a focus on quality improvement in neonatal services.

Qualifications

• NMC registered nurses eligible for neonatal care roles.
• Post-registration training in a neonatal specialty is desirable.
• Teaching and assessing qualification (e.g., FLAP or equivalent) is preferred.
• Evidence of current continued professional development relevant to neonatal care.

Responsibilities

• Take charge of the Neonatal Unit in the absence of the Lead Nurse.
• Provide high-quality clinical care for high dependency and intensive care babies.
• Demonstrate professional leadership to the nursing team and supervise staff and students.

Skills

Assessment skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Neonatal care knowledge

Education

NMC Registered Children’s Nurse

Post Registration training in speciality

Tools

NLS

Job description

Employer Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site NICU Princess Ann Wing, Royal United Hospital Town Bath Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 20/09/2026 23:59

Band 6

Job overview

Would you like to be a part of something amazing?

Do you want to work in the award winning purpose built Dyson Centre for neonatal care?

Would you like to work within a dynamic Gold ward accredited team who put Family integrated and developmental care, and safety at the centre of all we do?

Well look no further!

We are very excited to be looking for a motivated Junior Sister/Charge Nurse to join our friendly team in Bath. We want an enthusiastic practitioner with excellent assessment and communication skills, eager to develop their clinical neonatal and leadership skills. Passionate about improving quality neonatal care and improving the experience of babies and their families. You will support staff to enable them to maintain high standards of clinical care and act as a role model.

We have a purpose built unit designed for our family’s and team needs. Family integrated care is our core focus. We are a UNICEF Neonatal Baby Friendly fully accredited unit which we're immensely proud of. We pride ourselves in our open and encouraging culture, for a team approach to quality improvement.

We have an embedded Transitional Care pathway, and an established Outreach service. We are actively involved in the South West Neonatal Network. We have a team of AHPs including a Psychologist who all offer fantastic added support.

Main duties of the job

You will also have excellent management and communication skills and take charge of the unit. Able to demonstrate effective clinical skills of a high quality, looking after special, high dependency and Intensive care babies. Able to demonstrate professional expertise and knowledge acquired through post registration academic study and clinical, leadership and management development. Managerial responsibility and accountability in the absence of the Lead Nurse, for the Neonatal Unit for the twenty four hour care delivery and management of the ward/area of work, including the supervision of staff and students. Expected to maintain a visible presence in the ward/area of work and provide a clear focus for effective clinical leadership to the nursing team . In return you will be supported by our skilled senior nursing and medical team

Surrounded by vast green spaces the RUH is only a bus journey away from the main hustle and bustle of the City. Bath is exploding with cultural attractions and historical sights, a scene overflowing with places to eat and drink, with some of the finest independent shops in Britain.

There's plenty going on beyond the city, with stunning countryside to explore including the Cotswolds at less than an hour away, shopping Malls to visit in the City of Bristol and a trip over the Severn Bridge will take you straight into Wales.

Working for our organisation

At the RUH we're proud to put people at the heart of what we do, working together as one team to make a difference for our patients, each other, and our community. No matter what your role is, we value everyone's contribution in supporting the exceptional, person-centred care we pride ourselves on.

We are committed to creating a compassionate and inclusive environment. This can be seen in our growing community of staff networks – celebrating successes and creating opportunities to listen and learn. We value our differences, champion kindness and civility, and truly believe that diversity makes us stronger.

A culture of learning, developing and innovating is the thread that runs throughout our whole organisation. We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential.

We value staff wellbeing, with a well-established programme of support. We believe in a holistic approach spanning all aspects of living a healthy life, including physical, emotional, spiritual and financial wellbeing. We've even got a pool!

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please find attached to the vacancy a detailed person specification and job description for further information about this role.

Person specification

qualifications

• NMC Registered Childrens Nurse, Adult Nurse or Midwife
• Post Registration training in speciality
• Teaching and assessing qualification eg FLAP or equivalent
• NLS
• Evidence of recent continued professional development relevant to neonatal care

Experience

• Previous experience working in a Level 2 or Level 3 Neonatal Unit with minimum 3 years experince
• Experience caring for babies requiring non‑invasive ventilation and ventilation and higher dependency care
• Demonstrable experience managing clinical escalation and supporting complex decision‑making
• Experience coordinating shifts and supporting safe staffing and skill mix

Quality, Safety & Governance

• Understanding of BAPM service and nursing workforce standards
• Experience participating in audits, quality improvement projects, or service development
• Evidence of promoting patient safety, incident learning, and risk management

Please note - Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered unless an alternative right to work solution can be provided. Candidates requiring sponsorship (or will need sponsorship at the end of a current visa e.g. those with graduate visa's) should reviewthe eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying: Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Application numbers

This vacancy may close early if we receive a high number of applications. We strongly encourage you to complete and submit your application in good time to ensure it can be considered.