Senior Theatre Practitioner | Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust; Pembury; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent NHS Trust in south-east England is seeking a Senior Theatre Practitioner to join their dedicated team. The role involves providing exemplary patient-centered care in a busy theatre environment, overseeing junior staff, and teaching. Applicants must be Registered Nurses or Operating Department Practitioners with theatre experience. This position offers a comprehensive benefits package including generous annual leave and NHS Pension Scheme membership. Flexible working options are available.

Benefits

At least 27 days of annual leave

NHS Pension Scheme membership

Blue Light card eligibility

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Must have experience in theatre practice.
• Registered Nurse or ODP qualification necessary.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide high standards of care to service users.
• Run theatre lists and lead junior staff.
• Teach knowledge and skills to students and new starters.

Skills

Theatre experience

Colorectal surgery skills

Bariatric surgery skills

Robotic surgery skills

Exemplary communication skills

Education

Registered Nurse or Operating Department Practitioner qualification

Job description

Overview

We are currently seeking highly motivated theatre practitioners with a passion for patient care to join our team as Senior Theatre Practitioners. You will bring a wide range of knowledge and skills to this role, with theatre experience, including colorectal, bariatric and robotics. You will be committed to providing the highest standard of individualised, holistic patient-centred care within the multi-disciplinary team, be ready to lead by example, and show exemplary communications skills.

Whether you are a Registered Nurse or Operating Department Practitioner, if you fit that description we want to hear from you.

This is an extremely busy department where the team are dedicated to providing excellent patient care in a fast-paced environment.

Tunbridge Wells Hospital has eleven theatres providing inpatient and day case elective surgery for orthopaedics, gynaecology, general surgery, bariatrics, ENT and ophthalmology, and emergency surgery in trauma, CEPOD and obstetrics.

This position includes weekend working, night shifts and on-calls

• Ensure the provision of a high standard of care to all service users
• To work within the framework of the NMC/HCPC Code of Professional Conduct at all times
• Be aware of legislation and policies governing theatre practice
• Responsibility to ensure care is patient focused and underpinned by evidence-based practice and continual knowledge and skills of staff
• Support systems for measuring and improving the quality of the patient experience within the Directorate
• To effectively run theatre lists, leading junior staff
• Teach your knowledge and skills to students and new starters

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.

We are a large acute hospital trust in south-east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.

Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day-care beds, diagnostic services (X-ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.

Looking for flexible working? We\'re a flexible working-friendly organisation. Whether it’s adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.

Click hereto hear what our staff say.

Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:

• At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff).
• Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
• Blue Light card eligibility
• And more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below

We\u2019ve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.

Please note that appointment to this post will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check at Enhanced Level. (Enhanced level now includes regulated checks against vulnerable adults and children). If a role involves regulated activity and requires a DBS check with a barred list check, you cannot apply if you are on the barred list.

All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.

Following your corporate induction you will be expected to attend the Trust’s 2-week Induction Programme for RNs, NAs, RMs, ODPs and Paramedics. The programme is full-time (please email [e-mail] if this is problematic) and will involve travel to both Trust sites. The programme includes supernumerary shifts in the clinical area, classroom-based sessions and e-learning.

This advert closes on Monday 15 Sep 2025