Registered Nurse

Kent Community Health Nhs Foundation Trust; Royal Tunbridge Wells; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 43,000; Full time

Job summary

Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a nurse to provide holistic care and lead clinical standards across community hospital wards. The role involves working under supervision of a Matron and Sisters, and stepping in to lead in the absence of senior staff.

Applicants must hold a Level 6 degree, be registered with the NMC, and have a valid UK driving licence to cover travel between sites. The post is full-time and Based in community settings in Kent.

Qualifications

• Level 6 Degree or equivalent.
• Registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
• Recent healthcare experience or clinical placement reflected in education/work.

Responsibilities

• Provide holistic care for a named group of patients under supervision.
• Help maintain clinical standards and demonstrate leadership on the ward.
• Step in to lead in the absence of senior staff when required.
• Travel to other Community Hospital sites as needed, holding a valid UK driving licence.

Skills

Empathy

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Level 6 Degree

NMC registration

Job description

Job overview

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 home
via 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 named
  group of patients
• With the support of the Matron and Clinical Sisters,
  you will be responsible for maintaining clinical
  standards demonstrating leadership skills
• In the absence of senior staff, you need to have the confidence, knowledge and skills to take charge of the ward and the hospital
• You will be expected to participate in 24 hour 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.

Working for our organisation

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

Detailed job description and main 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.

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.

We can get a lot of applications for some roles so to be in with the best chance of being shortlisted please make sure you apply as soon as possible. A vacancy may close early if there is a lot of interest in the job.

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.

Good luck! We can’t wait to meet you and welcome you to #teamKCHFT, #cometocommunity.

Person specification

Qualifications, training and experience

Essential criteria

• 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

Essential criteria

• 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

Desirable criteria

• Having an awareness of developments within the NHS

Working environment

Essential criteria

• 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.

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