Staff Nurse - Paediatric ICU

Transformation Unit; Cambridge; Remote; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Staff Nurse - Paediatric ICU at Addenbrooke’s Hospital within Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. This is the only PICU serving the East of England, caring for critically ill children across multiple specialties.

You will receive a comprehensive induction, training for High Dependency and Intensive Care nursing, and clear opportunities for career progression within a supportive, multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

• Qualified paediatric nurse with current NMC registration.
• Experience in high dependency or critical care preferred.
• Able to work across shifts including nights and weekends.
• Commitment to family-centred care and multidisciplinary teamwork.

Responsibilities

• Provide safe and effective care to critically ill children on PICU.
• Assess needs, plan, implement and evaluate care plans.
• Supervise and teach junior staff and students.
• Support family-centred care and contribute to team-wide learning.

Skills

Paediatric nursing

Critical care

Family centred care

Teaching & mentoring

Education

NMC registration

First level RN in Paediatrics or Child Health

Job description

Main area Paediatrics Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours

• Full time
• Part time
• Flexible working

37.5 hours per week (Full Time or Part Time/ Flexible working hours may be considered (11.5 Hours Shifts Including Nights, Weekends and Bank Holidays)) Job ref 180-E-258060

Employer Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Addenbrookes Hospital-Division E Town Cambridge Salary £32,073 - £39,043 p.a pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 15/11/2026 23:59

Staff Nurse - Paediatric ICU

Band 5

Job overview

When you join the team on the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, you are rewarding yourself with opportunities unavailable to you in most areas. The only PICU covering the East of England, we look after children requiring a higher level of care than can be provided locally, across a range of medical and surgical specialities.

As well as being part of the Regional Trauma Centre, Children’s Services at Addenbrooke’s caters for a range of specialities including neurosurgery, oncology and plastic surgery, with our support. This results in a wide variety of patients across age-range and treatment.

Many children make their way to us via a specialist Children’s Transport Service, including PaNDR (Paediatric and Neonatal Decision, support and Retrieval service), which operates out of Addenbrooke’s, and with whom we work in partnership.

There is a comprehensive induction pathway for new staff, supported by our own Practice Development team, and further along you will be offered the chance to undertake the relevant courses, run in-house, for High Dependency and Intensive Care nursing. We have excellent facilities in which to practise your skills and support your development. Career progression is an expectation here.

Excitingly, planning for the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital is well under way.

This Vacancy has a Cap of 50 Applicants

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for competently providing safe and effective care, without supervision, to critically ill children requiring high dependency nursing intervention, Level 1 Dependency, and care to the Level 2 and Level 3 Dependency patients under the supervision of a registered nurse who is qualified in specialty. They will assess care needs; plan, implement and evaluate programmes of care. They will participate in the supervision and teaching of unqualified and qualified staff, including students.

We have Our Trust values of Together – Safe, Kind, and Excellent to support the delivery of outstanding care. Our ethos of child centred care and multi-professional collaboration drives our service, alongside a commitment to family focused teamwork. We believe in supporting our patients, their families and our staff, and we offer a diverse range of dedicated psychosocial and clinical support services for all groups.

Previous PICU experience is not essential - if you believe that you can meet the demands of a challenging, skilful and ultimately rewarding job, please apply.

Informal contact welcomed.

Working for our organisation

Come Nurse with us…

Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest teaching Trusts in the country. It comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital. We provide accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge and regional and national specialist services. It’s a great place to nurse, work and live.

You will work on a vibrant hospital campus with a friendly community feel; we have excellent facilities to practise your skills and abilities to support your career pathway and development. Our values of Together – Safe, Kind, Excellent support the delivery of outstanding care. We have a fully electronic patient record system that is improving health-care quality; this is transforming services, improving patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Why choose CUH?

• Our values and reputation for outstanding care
• Opportunities to experience a range of specialities
• Career and development opportunities
• Preceptorship and mentoring programmes delivered by a dedicated clinical education support team
• Research experience and opportunities
• Lovely location and quality of life
• Excellent schools/colleges and transport links

Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.

This vacancy is for Registered Nurses with full NMC registration. If you are an internationally trained nurse that has not passed their OSCE (objective structured clinical examination), you will not be considered for this role and will be automatically rejected, so please do not apply.

All appointments with a start date on or after 1 October 2026 will be subject to a 12-week probationary period. This provides a structured and supportive period to help you settle into your role, with regular reviews and feedback.

As there is a 12-week probationary period, successful candidates are expected to have the Right to Work for a period of at least 6 months from the proposed start date. Immigration and Right to Work status will be discussed with successful candidates at conditional offer. CUH will not offer sponsorship to candidates that have applied for a fee waiver.

Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full-time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full-time permanent contract unless you have:

- applied for a Graduate visa- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment.

This vacancy will close once 50 Applications Reached

Interviews will be held on the 23 Nov 2026

Benefits to you

At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.

On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.

CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part‑time working, job‑share, term‑time working and flexible start and finish times.

Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.

We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.

Person specification

Qualifications

• First level registration RSCN/RN(Child) (part 8 or 15) or First level registration in Adult Nursing (RN) and significant experience in paediatric nursing
• Advanced level child protection training
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Relevant teaching and assessing course/ mentorship course/Qualification as Practice Supervisor/Assessor

Experience

• Experience of delivering evidenced based nursing care without supervision, to children in an acute hospital setting
• Evidence of experience in high dependency or critical care areas

Knowledge

• Awareness of professional issues
• Evidence of up-to-date paediatric nursing skills and knowledge.
• Current knowledge of research developments in paediatric nursing

Skills

• Competent to care for children and their families in a safe and effective manner without direct supervision
• Advocate of paediatric nursing
• Evidence of participation in research and audit projects

Additional Requirements

• To be willing to undertake training as Practice Supervisor/Assessor as required by your Line Manager.
• The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind and excellent. This behaviour is outlined on the final page of this person specification.
• Evidence of effective communication skills
• Evidence of a forward-thinking work philosophy
• Advanced computer skills

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.