Registered Nurse

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust; Hawkhurst; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting a Registered Nurse for our community hospitals in the Kent area. The role involves holistic patient care and working under the Matron and Clinical Sisters to maintain high clinical standards.

The post requires a Level 6 degree or equivalent, a nursing diploma, and NMC registration, with a willingness to travel between sites and participate in full ward-based shifts.

Qualifications

• Level 6 degree or equivalent qualification, or equivalent knowledge acquired through experience plus a diploma in nursing.
• Recent healthcare experience gained through education or work.
• Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Responsibilities

• Provide holistic care for a named group of patients under direction of Matron and Clinical Sisters.
• Maintain clinical standards and demonstrate leadership in the absence of senior staff.
• Be able to take charge of the ward and hospital when required.
• Participate in 24-hour internal rotation and undertake other duties as requested.
• Be willing to move between Community Hospital sites; a full UK driving licence is essential.

Education

Level 6 Degree

Diploma in Nursing

NMC registration

Tools

NHS knowledge systems

Job description

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Registered Nurse

The closing date is 09 November 2026

Our inpatient care and management is overseen by a matron, along with a team of registered nurses, healthcare assistants, physiotherapists, occupational therapists' rehabilitation assistants, care management staff, a pharmacist and our visiting medical officers. Community hospitals provide a range of comprehensive healthcare services for patients over the age of 18 and in some sites also outpatient services. The units predominantly provide rehabilitation and end of life support for palliative patients and their families.

Patients are referred to the ward either from the acute setting to allow a further period of rehabilitation and assessment or directly from homevia their GP or local community nursing teams.

Main duties of the job

• Under the direction of the Matron and Clinical Sisters, you will be responsible and accountable for the holistic care of a namedgroup of patients
• With the support of the Matron and Clinical Sisters,you will be responsible for maintaining clinicalstandards demonstrating leadership skills
• In the absence of senior staff, you need tohave the confidence, knowledge and skills to take charge of the ward and the hospital
• You will be expected to participate in 24hour internal rotation and undertake other duties where requested which are compatible with the grading of the post
• You will be expected to move to other Community Hospital sites to cover the needs of the service, therefore a full driving licence is essential

Please note, this vacancy does not meet the criteria for skilled worker sponsorship and therefore, we are unable to accept applications from candidates that cannot provide documentary evidence of right to work in the United Kingdom.

About us

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is due to integrate with Medway Community Healthcare on 1 October 2026. Following integration and to align our community services to the new Neighbourhood Model of care delivery, there will be a period of consultation which may result in changes affecting some services, teams or roles. Depending on the area you are applying to work in, this could include potential changes to your role, work base, reporting arrangements, or terms and conditions of employment. Any changes would be subject to consultation and managed sensitively and in line with relevant employment processes. Please do contact the recruiting manager if you have any concerns about this so they can answer any questions you might have.

Rated 'Outstanding' by CQC, we deliver high-quality care that improves the health of our communities. We are looking for people who share our values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Responsive and Excellent.

We are proud to be an inclusive, welcoming organisation and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We use protected characteristic information for monitoring only and it is not seen by recruiting managers, except where applicants choose to be considered under our disability guaranteed interview scheme.

We know life outside work matters.As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we welcome conversations about arrangements that help you thrive while supporting excellent care for our patients.

Explore KCHFT career pathways

Job responsibilities

As a community Trust, many of our roles require individuals to be able to drive to perform their duties. Where driving is a requirement of the role, you will be asked to confirm that you hold a full UK driving licence or a full driving licence issued by an EU country (not exchanged from a non-EU country) to proceed with your application. We are committed to supporting candidates with disabilities into employment. If you are unable to drive due to a disability, please contact the Recruitment Team via [e-mail], quoting the vacancy reference number, so we can support you further.

The job description and person specification gives you all the information you need about this role. Please look carefully at the criteria in the person specification and tell us what you have done that shows you meet this in your application. If you need an application form in an alternative format please let our recruitment team know. All information you supply on your application should, to the best of your knowledge, be true and accurate.

At KCHFT we strongly encourage colleagues in clinical and non-clinical roles who have direct or social contact with patients to be fully vaccinated. In this way we will be doing all we can to ensure your safety and that of your colleagues and the patients we serve.

Find out more about the community difference here.

Person Specification

Qualifications, training and experience

• You will have a Level 6 Degree or equivalent qualification, or equivalent knowledge acquired through experience plus a diploma in nursing
• You'll need to have recent experience of healthcare gained through education, work experience or previous employment. This role is ideal for a newly qualified graduate nurse.
• You will be a registered health care professional with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Knowledge and skills

• You will need to be able to be able to use IT systems and databases
• You will understand where to signpost clients and families to alternative services to support behaviour change and improve health.
• You will have knowledge of up-to-date clinical practice by using up- to- date skills and adhering to evidence-based procedures and clinical effectiveness frameworks. You will fully understand the role and remit of a health care worker. Working environment
• Having an awareness of developments within the NHS

Working environment

• A full, valid UK driving licence and the ability to travel independently are essential for this role. Should you require workplace adjustments under the Equality Act 2010, we are committed to supporting you to meet the mobility requirements of the role wherever possible.

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.

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

£32,073 to £39,043 a yearpro rata, per annum