Senior Sister/Charge Nurse

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust; Guildford; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust in Guildford is seeking an experienced Band 7 Senior Nurse to provide strong clinical leadership in our Emergency Department, a fast-paced, supportive environment with emphasis on staff wellbeing and development.

The post holder will lead patient-centered care, supervise multidisciplinary teams, and drive service improvements while maintaining governance and high standards.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse Part 1 is essential.
• Mentorship/teaching qualification (ENB 998) desirable.
• Knowledge of current issues in acute NHS settings is expected.
• Experience in Emergency Department or acute care within last 2 years preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible clinical leadership and ensure safe, high-quality patient-centered care.
• Supervise, support and develop nursing and multidisciplinary staff; role model best practice.
• Lead the Emergency Floor through governance, quality standards and improvement initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Clinical skills

Decision making

IT literacy

Education

Registered Nurse Part 1

Mentorship teaching qualification (ENB 998)

City and Guilds 730 or equivalent

Job description

Employer Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust Town Guildford Salary £51,657 - £58,785 per annum including High Cost Area Supplement Salary period Yearly Closing 23/09/2026 23:59

Senior Sister/Charge Nurse

AFC Band 7

Job overview

We are seeking an experienced Band 7 Senior Nurse to provide strong clinical leadership within our dynamic and progressive Emergency Department. This is a fast-paced, supportive environment where innovation is encouraged, staff wellbeing is prioritised, and continuous development is embedded in daily practice. Our Emergency Department sees approximately 87,000 patients annually, offering a diverse and rewarding clinical experience.

Our Emergency Department is a forward-thinking and supportive team that values collaboration, resilience, and innovation. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where staff feel valued, empowered, and able to thrive, with a strong focus on professional development and staff wellbeing.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will deliver visible clinical leadership, ensuring safe, high-quality, patient-centred care while coordinating departmental flow and supporting timely clinical decision-making. You will supervise, support, and develop nursing and multidisciplinary staff, acting as a role model for best practice and fostering a positive, inclusive team culture. The role also involves contributing to service improvement initiatives and ensuring compliance with clinical governance and quality standards.

The ideal candidate will be a Registered Nurse, Band 6 or above with current NMC registration and significant experience in an Emergency Department (2 years) or acute care setting. You will demonstrate strong leadership, communication, organisational, and decision-making skills, alongside a clear commitment to continuous improvement and high standards of patient care.

Working for our organisation

Royal Surrey is a compassionate and collaborative acute and community Trust. Recognising that our 5,000 colleagues are our greatest strength, we offer a comprehensive health and wellbeing programme alongside a strong commitment to developing your career. Our diverse and welcoming Royal Surrey family ensures you feel valued from your initial interview and throughout your time with us.

We are clinically led and provide joined-up care by bridging hospital and community services, alongside delivering regional specialist cancer care. Our main acute hospital site is in Guildford, with community sites at Milford, Haslemere and Cranleigh, and services delivered in patients’ homes across Guildford and Waverley.

We work in partnership with Ashford & St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust through a collaborative Group Model, supporting joined-up services, workforce flexibility and development opportunities.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has rated us as Outstanding. We are proud of our achievements and continue to invest in our people and infrastructure.

To learn more about life at Royal Surrey, please watch our short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96pMboIYdo

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will deliver patient care on a daily basis. They should be expert in all areas of nursing care from patient’s admission to discharge, which facilitates clinical practice development. They have overall responsibility for day-to-day management of their clinical area and for ensuring all care is delivered according to Trust policies and procedures maintaining associated records. They will manage, support and lead a team of nurses in the delivery of evidence based patient centered care, which is of a high standard. They will manage unit staff including appraisal, Rota’s, recruitment and selection and the supervision of learners. They will provide specialist advice to patients, relatives and members of the multi-disciplinary team. Utilising clinical audit, research, supervision of practice and teaching, they will monitor and improve standards of care by efficient and effective use of resources. They will lead the Emergency Floor through the achieving excellence program and be a pivotal role model within their specialty upholding the trusts values and behaviours at all times.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse Part 1
• Teaching qualification mentorship, ENB 998, City and Guilds 730 or equivalent
• Knowledge and understanding of current issues in acute NHS setting
• Knowledge of clinical governance issues such as complaints handling, clinical risk management
• Evidence of research based practice

Knowledge

• Good communicator (good written and verbal skills)
• Good listener
• Teaching / presentation
• Excellent leadership, assessment and prioritising skills
• Clinical skills of venepuncture, cannulation, , IV drug administration
• IT literacy
• Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing timescales

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.

Name Claudette Cadien McAuley Job title Senior Matron - Emergency Department & SDEC Email address [emailprotected] Telephone number 01483 571122