Senior Ward Sister - Stroke Unit

Dorset County Hospital Nhs Foundation Trust; Southmoor; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Job summary

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Stroke Service leader to manage our newly refurbished 30-bed unit, including two Hyper-Acute Bays, across Dorset and Somerset.

This Band 7 permanent post requires strong leadership, organisational and operational management to deliver safe, high-quality patient-centred care and to develop systems that improve safety, quality and efficiency. UKVI sponsorship is available.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with current UK registration and practice.
• Evidence of continuous professional development (CPD).
• Teaching qualification is desirable.
• Completed relevant specialty qualification in stroke or equivalent.
• Evidence of advanced clinical skills including life support, cannulation and venipuncture.
• Experience with intravenous medication administration.

Responsibilities

• Provide professional and operational leadership for Stroke services.
• Lead ward teams with performance management, appraisals and staff development.
• Collaborate with MDT to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered stroke care.
• Develop effective communication and collaborative relationships across teams.
• Manage ward resources, equipment and delegated budget to achieve quality, safe care.

Skills

Stroke care leadership

Staff management

Communication skills

Quality improvement

Governance understanding

Critical appraisal

Education

Registered Nurse

CPD evidence

Teaching qualification

Specialty qualification

ILS cannulation venepuncture training

IV administration of medicines

Masters or equivalent

Job description

Job summary

Our Stroke Service is expanding to support patients across Dorset and Somerset, including the launch of our brand new Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU).

We are seeking an experienced, motivated and dynamic leader to manage our newly refurbished 30 bedded unit which include 2 Hyper Acute Bays.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual with strong leadership, organisational and operational management skills who is passionate about delivering high quality patient centred care.

The successful candidate will lead the development and implementation of effective systems and processes that enhance the safety, quality and efficiency of our Stroke Services.

UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibility criteria.

Main duties of the job

• Provide professional and operational leadership with continuing responsibility for Stroke services.
• Lead manage and support the ward teams undertaking line management responsibilities such as performance management, appraisals, supervision, recruitment and staff development.
• Work collaboratively with the MDT to co‑coordinate the delivery of comprehensive Stroke services ensuring care is individualised.
• Develop and maintain effective communication and collaborative working relationships across professional groups and organisational boundaries to ensure seamless patient care.
• Ensure effective management of ward resources including workforce, equipment, and delegated budget to deliver efficient high quality services and achieve organisational objectives.

About us

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well‑being of our communities.

We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over‑reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

Details

Date posted: 23 October 2026

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 7

Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year Per Annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full‑time

Reference number: 405-26-NM432SWSS-A

Person Specification

Education, qualifications and training

• Registered Nurse
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Teaching qualification
• Completed relevant speciality qualification
• Intermediate life support training, cannulation, venepuncture
• Intravenous administration of medicines
• Masters Qualification or equivalent

Knowledge and Experience

• Demonstrate experience of leading a team
• Understanding of professional nursing issues
• Significant post registration experience with recent acute hospital care
• Stroke/medical experience in an acute hospital setting
• Experience of developing a service/project
• Experience of quality improvement initiatives
• Experience of influencing ward level quality standards

Skill and Abilities

• Expert stroke clinical knowledge with a proven evidence based approach to work and ability to practice as a proficient practitioner
• Detailed knowledge of clinical and corporate governance requirements and best practice
• Detailed knowledge of understanding clinical risk management systems and processes
• Excellent communication skills
• Well developed skills in effective management of people and resources
• Inspire team members to maintain the highest professional standards
• Appropriately and decisively manage poor performance and provide effective feedback to staff in a constructive manner
• Evidence of ability to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, patients and visitors
• Evidence of an ability to manage patient flow and ability to elevate as required in accordance with policy
• Evidence of critical appraisal skills

Desirable

• Evidence of an area of special interest
• Evidence of ability to develop leadership skills

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website. From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Dorset County Hospital, Williams Avenue, Dorchester, DT1 2JY, United Kingdom

Employer's website: https://www.dchft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact: Matron Amanda Russell, [e-mail], 01305254825

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