Pre-operative assessment Specialist Nurse

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust; Poole; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust is hiring a Pre-operative assessment Specialist Nurse (Band 6) on a permanent contract. The post involves surgical pre-admission assessment for a diverse patient group, with opportunities to develop your nursing career in a close, multidisciplinary team.

The base location is Bournemouth/Poole with a move to Poole in line with Phase 3, and some ad hoc weekend clinics. Experience in surgical pathways and strong communication are essential.

Qualifications

• NMC Registered Nurse.
• Advanced Physical examination of the Adult qualification.

Responsibilities

• Assessment of patients undergoing surgical procedures, including major orthopaedics and digital triage.
• Coordinate daily department flow and optimize staff utilisation.
• Order investigations per NICE guidelines and UHD protocols.
• Refer to MDT and coordinate with admissions teams.
• Coordinate patient follow up as an integral part of the role.

Skills

NMC Registered Nurse

Advanced Physical examination

Job description

Pre-operative assessment Specialist Nurse

Band 6

Main area Pre-operative Assessment Grade Band 6 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time

37.5 hours per week (Some ad hoc additional weekend clinics. Currently based at RBCH but will be relocating to PGH) Job ref 153-SU06676

Department name 01. UHD - General Recruitment Site Poole Town Poole Salary £39,959 - £48,117 per annum pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 15/09/2026 23:59 Interview date 24/09/2026

As University Hospitals Dorset we are a three site acute trust with ‘university hospital’ status through our partnership with Bournemouth University, working with an annual budget of £730m.

We offer highly regarded health services, employing some 10,000 staff. Our ambitious £500m transformation programme is well on the way to delivering state-of-the-art facilities over the next two years to meet the current and future healthcare needs of the populations we serve.

In an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with over seven miles of sandy beaches you’ll find inspirational opportunities to achieve your perfect work/life balance. With the New Forest and the Purbecks on our doorstep, we’re also less than three hours from London by road or train. The thriving towns of Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch give way to idyllic villages and unspoilt landscapes just minutes from our hospitals.

We believe that having a diverse workforce, and allowing people to be themselves, is essential in ensuring we offer an inclusive, welcoming and productive place to work.

We especially welcome applications from minority groups in the community who may be underrepresented in our workforce.

At UHD our active staff network groups are the Women's Network, Black Asian Minority Ethnic Group (BAME), Pride Network, European (EU), Pro Ability Staff Network, and the Armed Forces Support Group.

As a Trust we are proudly signed up to the Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant guaranteed interview schemes.

We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support the preparation of their application. While this is not discouraged, we kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of your own experience and suitability. Personal integrity is an important part of the recruitment process.

Job overview

Surgical Pre-admission Assessment is a great way to develop your nursing career.

The post involves screening and pre operative assessment of a diverse group of patients undergoing a wide range of elective surgical and orthopaedic procedures. The role requires an inquisitive nature & provides a varied and interesting workload where two days are never the same.

It is expected that the candidates for the band 6 post will have experience and knowledge of surgical procedures and pathways, good critical decision making skills & communication skills.

We pride ourselves on being a close and supportive team which consists of Anaesthetists, a Clinical Lead Nurse, Specialist nurses, Staff nurses, health care assistants and administrative staff, who would provide the successful candidate with the support required to become an integral member of our close team

Bournemouth Hospital is part of University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust since our merger with Poole Hospital. It is an exciting time for our department as we are in the process of roll out of our digital pre-assessment service, changing and shaping the way the department runs to improve patient care.

Base Location: Bournemouth/Poole with a move to Poole in line with the Phase 3 move.

Interview Date: 24th September

Main duties of the job

Assessment of patients undergoing surgical procedures, with a focus on major orthopeadics and digital triage to include taking of full health history, utilising GP records and historic notes, to ensure optimal pathway through to safe surgery. With advanced training, the band 6 role includes physical assessment of patients.

Coordination of the department on a daily basis to ensure flow of patients through the department & best utilisation of staff.

Ordering of investigations to include, but not restricted to, blood tests, ECG's, swabs & urine samples as per NICE guidelines & UHD protocols.

Referral to MDT where appropriate, to include anaesthetist, Anticoagulant clinic, Respiratory function team.

Communication with MDT to include admissions teams.

Coordination of patient follow up as integral part of role.

Working for our organisation

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

There is a planned move to Poole Hospital with in line with the Phase 3 move.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.

Person specification

Qualifications

• NMC Registered Nurse
• Advanced Physical examination of the Adult qualification

Experience

• Broad surgical /Anaesthetic Nursing experience.
• Ability to work at an autonomous level
• Evidence of supervision of staff to ensure standards of care
• IT literacy using a range of current and relevant packages
• Venepuncture
• ECG recording

Please note:

Staff recruited are expected to be available to work flexibly across all our Trust locations to meet service demands.

This advert may be closed early if sufficient applications are received.

COVID-19 vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself and our patients from the virus when working in our healthcare settings. Whilst this vaccination is not a condition of employment we do encourage our staff to get vaccinated.

Internal Candidates: staff employed prior to merger who voluntarily change jobs will be appointed to UHD terms and conditions.

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.