Recovery nurse

Lewisham and Greenwich; Royal Borough of Greenwich; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking an experienced Operating Department Practitioner or registered nurse to join the theatre team at our sites in Lewisham and Greenwich. The post involves caring for post-operative patients in the main recovery and day theatre recovery, with responsibilities across airway, pain, PONV, fluid therapy and critical care transfers.

You must hold HCPC registration (ODP) or NMC registration (nurse) with a relevant anaesthetic course, and be willing to undertake

Qualifications

• Qualified ODP with HCPC registration or Qualified Nurse with NMC registration and relevant anaesthetic course
• Mentorship course or willingness to undertake training within three months of appointment

Responsibilities

• Responsible in the care of post op patients in the Main Recovery and Day Theatre Recovery.
• Airway management
• Pain management
• Management of PONV
• Maintaining patients homeostasis
• Drug and IV fluid administration
• IV cannulation
• Hygiene and wound management
• Management of arterial line
• PCA / nerve catheter / epidural prescription and management
• Temperature management
• Safe transfer of patients to wards and critical care
• Care of Level 2 (HDU) patients
• Care of paediatric patients
• Assisting anaesthetist in the Pain List

Skills

Communication skills

Teamwork

Problem solving

Education

HCPC/NMC registration

Job description

Step into a place where exceptional care, patients, culture, and careers come together.

Explore our current vacancies and take your first step toward making a real difference.

Join us. Make a difference. Be part of Team LGT.

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the I CS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

The post holder will be responsible for providing a high standard of evidence-based care to patients throughout their operative journey, within the guidelines of the Trust, the HCPC and the NMC.

The post holder will provide support and guidance to the theatre team within the clinical area, and will assist with the training and development of junior staff and students.

The post holder will take responsibility for running operating lists in conjunction with and in the absence of a Senior Theatre Practitioner.

Main duties of the job

As a member of the team, participates in establishing a positive working environment in which patients receive a high standard of care delivery

Workforce

Works in close partnership and co-operation with the Senior Theatre Practitioners and Theatre & Recovery Co-ordinator, thus ensuring effective management of the clinical area.

Communications and Relationships

Is expected to establish communication with Senior Theatre Practitioners and Theatre & Recovery Co‑ordinator to assist in the resolution of any complex or sensitive situations.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible in the care of post op patients in the Main Recovery and Day Theatre Recovery. The role includes:

Airway management

Pain management.

Management of PONV

Maintaining patients homeostasis.

Drug and IV fluid administration.

IV cannulation.

Hygiene and wound management.

Management of arterial line.

PCA / nerve catheter / epidural prescription and management

Temperature management.

Safe transfer of patients to wards and critical care.

Care of Level 2 (HDU) patients.

Care of paediatric patients.

Responsible for assisting anaesthetist in the Pain List which could involve wearing of lead apron.

Documentation.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Qualified ODP with HCPC registration or Qualified Nurse with NMC registration and relevant anaesthetic course
• Mentorship course or willingness to undertake training within three months of appointment

Experience

• Minimum 1 years’ experience working medicine or surgery at Band 5 level

Knowledge

• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to plan, problem solve and prioritise
• Awareness of clinical governance and risk management
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills
• Able to work full 24/7 shift patterns (days, nights and weekends) according to service needs
• Ability to maintain a professional demeanour in pressurised or stressful situations

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.

Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.

Use of AI in recruitment: We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the initial review of applications against the essential criteria for this role. Where AI is used, it will support rather than replace human decision-making, and applications will remain subject to appropriate human review.

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

To ensure fairness and manageable shortlisting processes, some vacancies may have an application cap. This means the vacancy will close once a set number of applications have been received even if this happens before the advertised closing date.

We recommend applying as early as possible to avoid missing out. All applications received before the cap is reached will be considered equally and assessed against the person specification.