Sister/Charge Nurse

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust; West of England; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension

Training & development

Job summary

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Band 6 Sister to support leadership on Gate 28B. This maternity leave cover requires a capable leader who can coordinate the ward team, manage patient flow, and mentor staff while maintaining high-quality care.

The role involves leading board rounds, working with MDTs, and ensuring timely discharges. Start dates February 2027 with development opportunities and supportive management.

Qualifications

• Band 6 nurse with leadership experience.
• Experience in managing sickness and daily ward operations.
• Strong ability to manage patient flow and respond to organisational pressures.
• Evidence of continued professional development and teaching qualifications.

Responsibilities

• Support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse in leadership and ward management.
• Lead the Ward team in daily operations and board rounds.
• Ensure effective patient flow and discharge tracking.
• Mentor junior staff and coordinate MDT activities.

Skills

Lead shifts

Sickness management

Patient flow

Critical thinking

Mentoring staff

Board rounds

Education

NMC Registered Nurse

Tools

Datix

E-Rostering

Job description

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) describes algorithms that can be used to produce new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations, and videos. It is developing all the time and is now being used as a support mechanism for all kinds of content-based creations. Please note the use of AI is monitored and if applicants have used it then they are required to declare this.

Job Overview

Gate 28B is a General Medical and Respiratory Ward.

We are having a baby boom on G28B!

Alongside our advertised permanent band 6 post we are seeking enthusiastic and highly motivated leaders to join our team for a 12 month secondment, or fixed term contract.

We are ideally looking for an experienced Band 6 or a highly experienced Band 5 nurse who regularly takes charge, co-ordinates, leads with confidence and is happy to professionally challenge.

If you are hardworking, dedicated, and not afraid of a busy day, and if you enjoy being the front of house for everyone who comes through our doors, we would love to hear from you.

This opportunity is also perfect for those seeking a change of scene or a new adventure, especially if you share our team values of looking after each other.

We take pride in developing our team members and encouraging their success. In return for joining us we are keen to support developing managers and are pro active with management courses and mentorship to support you in becoming a confident leader alongside your clinical role.

Gate 28B works very closely with MDT members and medical teams and the Band 6 Leader is a key role with this way of working.

As these posts are maternity leave covers we are looking for start dates of February 2027

Main duties of the job

The role of the band 6 Sister is to support, contribute to and assist the Senior Sister/ Charge Nurse in the leadership and the management of the Ward team to support the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse in the development, monitoring and implementation of high quality, evidence-based clinical care to ensure continuity of service provision and standards are maintained and improved

The band 6 Sister will act as a role model for staff on the ward sharing knowledge and information and supporting colleagues and members of the multidisciplinary team.

The Band 6 Sister/Charge Nurse is the Key Person who manages effective board rounds, patient flow and timely movement of patients from the ward alongside our discharge tracker,

Working for our organisation

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

The idea candidate will have the following experiences

• Supporting the Senior Sister
• Sickness management
• Daily ward management and leading the team with confidence
• Competent in patient flow and a working knowledge of wider organisational pressures
• Problem Shooting and critical thinking
• Student, SNA, RNDA and newly qualified RN Mentoring.
• Datix,
• E-Rostering.
• Undertake audits and participate in weekly quality meetings
• Leading board rounds,
• Having difficult conversations,
• Supporting staff to deliver high quality EOLC
• Registered nurse with current NMC licence to practice.
• Evidence of continued professional development
• A recognised teaching & assessing qualification.
• Completion of training for additional clinical skills required in the ward/department i.e. IV drug administration/cannulation & venepuncture/Picc line care/male catheterization/training to monitor and change syringe drivers. ECG training.
• Green card training for the use of pumps or machinery relevant to the ward or department.
• Evidence of attendance at mandatory training appropriate to the role.
• Competence in the use of computers and electronic communication systems or expectation to develop existing skills further as the needs of the service dictate.
• Evidence of an ability to critically appraise and utilise research to maintain and improve patient care.

Person specification

All

Essential criteria

• Experienced Band 6
• Experience of leading teams/shifts
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Working experience of patient flow and wider pressures

Desirable criteria

• Highly experienced Band 5
• Willingness to Contribute to the development of the team

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
• Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.

Important

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.

Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification

Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.

As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.

When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.