Junior Sister Critical Care

NHS; Margate; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A major healthcare provider in England is seeking a Band 6 Sister/Charge Nurse for their Critical Care department. This dynamic and supportive role requires a minimum of 3 years experience at Band 5 within critical care and leadership skills. The candidate should possess a Critical Care course and have extensive experience caring for Level 2 and Level 3 patients. This position offers excellent professional development opportunities in a forward-thinking critical care environment.

Benefits

Excellent development and educational opportunities

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years working in an acute care environment with some leadership experience.
• Registered General Nurse Degree or working towards it.
• 3 years Band 5 experience in a critical care setting.

Responsibilities

• Support the large workforce and maintain high clinical standards.
• Act as an enthusiastic and self-motivated leader in a critical care environment.
• Demonstrate effective communication and problem-solving skills.

Skills

Clinical assessment skills

Communication and influencing skills

Facilitation skills

Education

Registered General Nurse Degree

Job description

Job Summary

We have a fantastic career opportunity in forward thinking critical care environment.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Band 6 Sister/Charge nurse position within the Critical Care department at The QEQM Hospital Margate.

We pride ourselves on delivering consistently high standards of holistic care. This is reflected in our CQC reports, ICNARC data, performance metrics and feedback from patients, relatives and visitors to our unit.

We have a busy, mixed level unit admitting emergency and elective patients from a variety of specialities.

We are a friendly, supportive and dynamic team with a strong commitment to professional development. Critical Care is fully committed to audit, research and forward thinking – this provides a dynamic environment conducive to gaining additional knowledge and skills.

Main Duties of the Job

We are seeking an enthusiastic, energetic, innovative and self‑motivated sister/charge nurse to join our well‑established and diverse team. You will be expected to act and support our large workforce, to set and maintain the high clinical standards we all aspire to. The ideal candidate will have had a minimum of 3 years as a Band 5 within critical care and have the critical care course. You will need to demonstrate a pro‑active and adaptive approach to support the ward managers and staff. You will need a positive mind‑set and an interest in working within a fast‑moving unit. The candidate must be an effective communicator, who can demonstrate problem‑solving skills with the ability to work under pressure, manage staff and deliver patient‑focused care. They will be able to demonstrate flexibility to meet the varied demands of the role as required.

There are excellent development and educational opportunities. This will help develop the right skills, the right set of behaviours and culture in order for us to motivate and engage our colleagues.

Applicants must have

• Critical care course
• Extensive clinical leadership/team management experience
• Expert skills in caring for both Level 2 and Level 3 patients
• A Degree or equivalent level of education and experience

About Us

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day‑to‑day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

Job Details

• Date posted: 19 December 2025
• Pay scheme: Agenda for change
• Band: Band 6
• Salary: £38,682 to £46,580 a year per annum
• Contract: Permanent
• Working pattern: Full‑time, Part‑time, Flexible working
• Reference number: 344‑1129SAC
• Job locations: QEQM Hospital, St Peters Road, Margate, CT9 4AN

Person Specification

Governance

• Essential: Experience in audit, Knowledge of current NHS priorities
• Desirable: Participation in link groups or research

Qualifications

• Essential: Registered General Nurse Degree in Nursing or working towards degree or equivalent, 3 years Band 5 experience in a critical care setting, Adult critical care qualification preparation of mentor or practical assessor
• Desirable: Master degree or working towards

Skills and experience

• Essential: Minimum of 5 years working in acute care environment with some experience of leadership, Clinical assessment skills, communication and influencing skills, Facilitation skills
• Desirable: Experience working as a clinical leader, Teaching skills, Intermediate Life Support provider, Knowledge of bed management

Personal and professional attributes

• Essential: Involvement in quality improvement projects, Role model trust values at all times
• Desirable: Experience in delivery in education or training

Other

• Essential: Knowledge of local quality improvement initiatives, Awareness of and adherence to the organisation's vision, mission and values
• Desirable: Knowledge of best practice, key issues and developments in the programme

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer Details

Employer name: East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Address: QEQM Hospital, St Peters Road, Margate, CT9 4AN

Website: https://www.ekhuft.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/