Pre-Assessment Staff Nurse

Transformation Unit; Cambridge, Ely; Remote; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

On-site leisure facilities

Staff travel discounts

Discounted parking

On-site café

Job summary

The Pre-Assessment Team at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is expanding, and we are looking for an enthusiastic pre- assessment nurse to join our team. You will work in a nurse-led clinic reviewing patients from multiple surgical specialties and support pre-operative assessment to optimise health and reduce cancellations.

We offer an induction program, ongoing teaching, and the chance to develop skills in assessment, decision making and autonomous working within a supportive

Qualifications

• Current and active NMC registration.
• Pre-assessment course completion.
• Experience in surgical nursing.
• NHS experience and settings.

Responsibilities

• Interpret blood results and ECGs and make clinical decisions.
• Prioritise and manage a caseload independently.
• Document medical history accurately using IT systems.
• Support junior staff and work with band 6 nurses to improve decision making.
• Flexible shift patterns including early and Saturday hours.

Skills

Effective communication

Blood results interpretation

ECG interpretation

IT skills

Prioritisation

Autonomous working

Flexibility

Teamwork

Mentoring juniors

Nursing experience NHS

Education

NMC registration

Pre-Assessment Course

Job description

Main area Pre-Assessment Staff Nurse Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent: and Secondment Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Full time (12-month) Secondment - Part time Permanent (22.5 – 3x7.5 hour shifts)) Job ref 180-A-258059

Employer Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Addenbrookes Hospital - Division A Town Cambridge Salary £32,073 - £39,043 pa pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 19/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 30/11/2026

Pre-Assessment Staff Nurse

Band 5

Job overview

The Pre-Assessment Team at Cambridge University NHS Foundation Trust is expanding, and we are looking for an enthusiastic pre-assessment nurse to join our team.

We have the following vacancies:

Full time 12 month secondment

Part time (22.5 hours) perm post to be worked 3 x 7.5 hours shifts

You will be based within our centralised pre-operative assessment clinic, and will review patients from multiple surgical specialities including colorectal, orthopaedic, gynae, ENT, urology, breast, HPB, vascular and upper GI. The purpose of pre-assessment is to prepare patients for surgery, optimise their health and help to reduce cancellations. It requires an accurate assessment of a patient’s general health and fitness before surgery which is underpinned with pre-operative testing and investigations. All patients undergoing a general anaesthetic will require a nurse led pre-assessment, and we are looking for an experienced and dynamic nurse to complement our clinical team.

As a nurse led clinic, pre-assessment delivers a unique opportunity for those looking to expand their skills in assessment, decision making and autonomous working. We offer a structured induction, with further access to departmental teaching and specialised pre-assessment modules. It offers an opportunity for a new challenge, while working in a supportive environment.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for nurses with effective communication skills, who are confident to interpret blood results, ECG’s and make decisions based on their clinical findings. We require candidates to have excellent verbal, written and IT skills in order to document an accurate medical history, and identify high risk patients requiring further review. A knowledge of surgical specialties/procedures is useful, but not essential. As a pre-assessment nurse you must be able to cope with a caseload independently. This will require the ability to prioritise, multitask and manage your time effectively. As a band 5 you will be supported by a team of band 6 specialist nurses to support, and improve your decision making.

At present our core opening hours are Mon-Fri 08:00-18:00. To improve accessibility we have also introduced late appointments at 17:30 and 18:30, so do have some flexibility to offer long days (07:30-20:00) if suited. We are also open every Saturday. The pre assessment clinic is based at Addenbrookes and run clinics at the Ely Community Diagnostic Centre.

Early Shift 08:00 -18:00

Saturday 08:00 -16:00

Contact Sarah Woods/Claire Luck 01223/250888

Working for our organisation

Come Nurse with us…

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services. It’s a great place to nurse, work and live.

You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together – Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care. We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Why choose CUH?

• Our values and reputation for outstanding care
• Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
• Career and development opportunities
• Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
• Research experience and opportunities
• Lovely location and quality of life
• Excellent schools/colleges and transport links

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

This vacancy is for Registered Nurses with full NMC registration. If you are an internationally trained nurse that has not passed their OSCE (objective structured clinical examination), you will not be considered for this role and will be automatically rejected.

All appointments with a start date on or after 1 October 2026 will be subject to a 12-week probationary period. This provides a structured and supportive period to help you settle into your role, with regular reviews and feedback.

As there is a 12-week probationary period, successful candidates are expected to have the Right to Work for a period of at least 6 months from the proposed start date. Immigration and Right to Work status will be discussed with successful candidates at conditional offer. CUH will not offer sponsorship to candidates that have applied for a fee waiver.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full-time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full-time permanent contract unless you have:

• applied for a Graduate visa
• or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment.

This vacancy will close once19 Nov 26

Interviews will be held on the 30 Nov 2026

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Current and active NMC registration
• Pre-assesment Course

Experience

• Experience of surgical nursing
• Experience of various surgical specialities
• Experience of interpreting results – Bloods, Observations, ECG’s
• Ability to recognise when to elevate
• Evidence of supervision/mentoring of learners and junior staff
• Automomous working
• Previous experience managing a caseload
• NHS Experience

Knowledge

• Understanding of why pre-assessment is important
• Understand the importance of health promotion
• Knowledge of long term health conditions and consequences of poor management
• Understanding of multiple medications
• Identify normal from abnormal observations and pathology results – elevate when appropriate
• Knowledge of surgical specialities pre-op and post op care
• Management of pre-op medication

Skills

• Flexible and adaptable to changing situations due to both workload and colleague needs
• Good communication skills both written and verbal
• Teamwork
• Willingness to undertake additional roles
• Committed to the development of junior staff
• Willingness to accept alternative shift times

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.

Name Sara Woods or Claire Luck Job title Pre-Assessment Clinical Nurse Specialist Telephone number 01223 250888