Scrub Practitioner Main Theatres

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; City Of London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS trust in England seeks a Scrub Practitioner in Main Theatres. This senior role involves leading a clinical team, coordinating high quality patient care, and ensuring safety in a theatre setting. Candidates should have significant clinical experience, a current NMC registration, and leadership training. The role promotes a culture of diversity and equality while providing exceptional care to patients.

Qualifications

• Significant clinical experience in theatre settings.
• Extensive knowledge in safety and risk management.
• Experience in leading a clinical team.

Responsibilities

• Lead assessment and planning for high quality patient care.
• Coordinate and manage staffing arrangements.
• Ensure safe medication administration.

Skills

Clinical knowledge

Leadership

Decision making

Clinical supervision

Education

Current NMC / HCPC registration

Orthopaedic Scrub experience or Theatre Course

Practice assessor training

Completion of a Leadership / Management course

Job description

Scrub Practitioner Main Theatres

The closing date is 26 November 2025

We are looking for an experienced and motivated Scrub - Senior Staff Nurse/ODP, with specialist skills in Orthopaedics.

If you relish a challenge, have a passion to help others or simply fancy a fresh start, then working for Chelsea and Westminster Foundation hospital has all the right ingredients. Join our team and get the support you need, in line with our Organisational Values – ‘Proud patient centred care’.

Enjoy being part of working with engaged leadership at all levels, and be assured we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and are proud to welcome all applicants.

Please check your email account regularly. Successful applicants will receive all recruitment related correspondence via the email account registered on the application form.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be a clearly identifiable senior clinical staff member, and team leader. They will have significant clinical experience, provide sound clinical expertise to their team, and coordinate and deliver high quality care. They will be a role model for expert clinical care, and lead on specific projects / management functions as delegated by the Sister / Charge Nurse. They will role model the identified Trust values at all times.

In general settings, they will be the assigned deputy for their manager, generally known as a Junior Sister / Charge Nurse, coordinating clinical, managerial and education requirements of the area, and being a role model for team members, whilst delivering and overseeing high standards of care. In midwifery settings they will be called a Midwife.

In specialist settings, they will have a significant level of specialist clinical knowledge and expertise in the clinical functions of care delivery. They will provide advice and guidance also, and generally be known as a senior staff nurse.

Supporting and deputising to the Theatre Coordinator in the management of the clinical area. This will involve dealing with complex situations and having to take appropriate action in emergency or unforeseen situations.

Act as a clinical role model and leader for all members of staff.

Take an active role in rostering and rotation of staff in order to enhance their skills.

About us

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of England's top-performing and safest trusts. We operate two main acute hospital sites – Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital – along with award-winning clinics across North West London.

Our nearly 7,500 staff care for a diverse population of 1.5 million, providing full clinical services, including maternity, A&E, and children's services, plus specialist HIV and sexual health clinics. The Care Quality Commission rates us ‘Good’ in safety, effectiveness, care, and responsiveness, and ‘Outstanding’ in leadership and resource use.

We continually invest in our facilities, including a £30m expansion of critical care at Chelsea and Westminster and an £80m Ambulatory Diagnostic Centre at West Middlesex.

We welcome applications for flexible working arrangements, accommodating requests where possible to support our staff and patient needs.

The Trust is committed to equality and welcomes applications from all, regardless of background. Adjustments can be made for disabled candidates. Early application is advised as vacancies may close once sufficient applications are received. If you haven't heard from us within three weeks of the closing date, your application was likely unsuccessful. Employment is subject to a six-month probationary period.

Some roles may require weekend shifts at multiple sites.

Job responsibilities

Clinical

Lead on assessing planning and implementing high quality care, and evaluating care options for patients in the clinical area, in line with the Trust values and objectives.

Lead on complex clinical care for patients within their area.

Ensure the safe custody, maintenance and administration of medication, in accordance with established Trust policy.

Promote and maintain a safe therapeutic environment for patients, their families and staff, according to national and local Infection Control guidelines, Health & Safety legislation and Trust policies and objectives.

Coordinate post-surgical transfers, promoting timely and safe processes for them.

Ensure that patient flow and the management of beds is effective and safe.

Ensure the delivery of high quality end of life care in line with national pathways, eg WHO Safety Surgical Checklist.

Leadership and management

Manage the day to day staffing arrangements and rotas, to ensure safe levels of practice.

Be in charge of a theatre list on a regular basis where appropriate.

Ensure staff adhere to Trust protocols of care, eg Infection Control.

Take continuing responsibility for the Unit/ Department in absence of Sister or floor coordinator.

Lead and manage their own clinical team within general clinical areas, and of the total team in the absence of the Theatre Sister, in line with Trust values.

Develop and maintain effective communication and working relationships with other professional groups, and staff generally within the Division and the Trust.

Contribute to the effective management of the area by ensuring correct levels of staff are in place to deliver and assist with the planning of off duty rotas.

Assist in the delivery of induction / orientation of new staff.

Act as a role model, ensuring staff work to Trust guidelines and values.

Supervise, under the direction of their manager, the work of qualified and unqualified staff and learners.

Provide clinical support and guidance to staff.

Act as a resource for clinical knowledge to staff.

Initiate action on complaints & incident management and responses, and assist in their investigation and resolution.

Participate in recruitment and selection, and develop effective selection and interviewing skills.

Undertake appraisals of staff, following training.

Chair team meetings as required.

Lead on specific projects, as indicated and agreed by manager.

Have a working knowledge of budget arrangements for area, focusing on cost effectiveness and quality, to ensure maximum use of resource.

Understand and manage local change with team members, including the embedding of new projects.

Provide sound evidence based clinical advice as required to staff and patients.

Maintain a good understanding and implementation of clinical escalation procedures as required.

Understand the Trust clinical governance framework, and participate in the promoting and safeguarding of high standards of care, through effective risk management & governance, and adherence to the Trust values.

Ensure that the team promote, ensure and adhere to the Trust safeguarding policies.

Undertake effective multi-professional work with colleagues to deliver care.

Coordinate and manage nurse led clinics where appropriate.

Coordinate specialist functions, including making clinical decisions where appropriate.

Monitor quality of standards of care, in line with CQC requirements and Trust and Divisional objectives.

Deliver and supervise a high quality patient experience.

Work with manager to collect and disseminate data on quality indicators etc, in line with national and Trust objectives.

Maintain a safe working environment, including ensuring equipment is safe, and used in line with Trust policy and values.

Promote and maintain patient safety at all times, including proactively implementing falls prevention.

Lead role in the detection, management and prevention of safeguarding issues.

Have an awareness of current professional and clinical developments within their area of practice and promote this to others.

Education & Research

Participate in the education of all learners within their area.

Actively support and assist in preceptorship and in pre-registration student support, supervision and guidance including mentorship where appropriate.

Identify and respond to learning needs for area.

Develop and deliver or organise local training sessions, mindful of the Trust values.

Facilitate others in the development of informal teaching skills.

Participate in the annual training needs analysis for their area.

Participate in any local or related research projects, clinical trials etc.

Apply and encourage others to utilise evidence-based practice and relevant research findings in practice.

Identify areas of nursing / midwifery research within their area that will be of benefit, and encourage and educate other staff to recognise the importance of research.

Participate in clinical supervision / acting as supervisor.

PLEASE SEE JOB DESCRIPTION AND PERSON SPECIFICATION DOCUMENTS FOR DETAILS

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

• Current NMC /HCPC registration
• Orthopaedic Scrub experience or Theatre Course
• Mentorship/SSSA (Standards for Students Supervision and Assessment) Competencies
• Orthopaedic Scrub experience
• Practice assessor training or relevant clinical supervision
• Completion of a Leadership / Management course

Experience

• Relevant clinical experience working within a theatre setting
• Extensive experience in specialist area
• Experience in leading clinical team
• Experience of excellence in leading all/ part of a clinical team in practice
• Experience of clinical supervision

Skills and Knowledge

• Proven clinical knowledge linked to areas of specialty
• Proven knowledge of safety issues through clinical governance and risk management
• Knowledge of current challenges and issues in nursing
• Commitment to teaching and development of self and team
• Clinical decision making skills and ability to prioritise workload
• Knowledge of budgets
• Experience of data collection for quality monitoring / audit
• Experience of risk management / assessment

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.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust