Theatre Practitioner (Scrub/Recovery)

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust; Runcorn; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Theatre Practitioner (Scrub/Recovery) at Halton Site Theatres to join a busy elective surgery service. This Band 5 post spans two roles across Anaesthetics/Scrub/Recovery, with support for adaptation and a preceptorship for newly qualified staff.

The role is full-time, permanent, with a 37.5-hour week and potential weekend/night requirements depending on service. The Trust values excellence and teamwork in a modern theatre environment.

Qualifications

• Recent experience in acute care settings.
• Evidence of providing clinical supervision.
• Evidence of workload prioritisation and task delegation.
• 12 Months experience at Band 5 in related specialty.

Responsibilities

• Dual Role: Anaesthetics/Scrub/Recovery.
• Scrub: scrubbing for a range of surgical specialities and equipment checking.
• Anaesthetic: airway management and perioperative checks.
• Recovery: post‑operative care and monitoring.

Skills

Acute care experience

Clinical supervision

Workload prioritisation

Band 5 experience

Education

NMC RN or HCPC ODП registration

ODP Operating Department Practice

NMC Nursing qualification

Management of the Patient in Anaesthetic settings (if Anaesthetic post)

Mentorship/Clinical Assessor course

Leadership qualifications

Scrub/Circulating/Anaesthetic course

Advanced Life Support (ALS)

Job description

Main area Theatres Grade NHS AfC: Band 5 Contract Permanent: Theatre Practitioner (Scrub/Recovery combination) Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Currently Monday-Friday (4 Working Days Over a 5 Day Working Week). Possibility to change to Inc: Weekends/Nights depending on service requirements.) Job ref 370-AHP5THE-2583

Employer North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Halton Hospital (Nightingale Building and Captain Sir Tom Moore Building) Town Runcorn Salary £32,073 - £39,043 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 04/11/2026 23:59 Interview date 26/11/2026

Theatre Practitioner (Scrub/Recovery)

NHS AfC: Band 5

Job overview

Introduction

We are looking to recruit a highly motivated and enthusiastic Theatre Practitioner (Dual Role: /Scrub/Recovery) to join our Halton Site Theatres, inclusive of Nightingale and CSTM Theatre specialities. We welcome applications with experience, newly qualified ODP’s/RGN’s or students who are due to qualify within the next 6 months. You will be fully supported with the adaptation to the department, including a preceptorship period for newly qualified candidates.

We are an elective surgical department, with a combined total of 8 Theatres, and 2 Procedure Rooms. We have recently completed our expansion, and successfully constructed our 8 th Theatre and Procedure Room.

In March 2023, CSTM Theatres achieved a Gold Star Accreditation for Care & Excellence. We are a CQC-rated ‘good’ organisation with ‘outstanding’ features, we are working towards university hospital status, having achieved teaching hospital status in 2019.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties

As a Theatre Practitioner, you will be an integral part of the patient’s perioperative journey by:

• Working a Dual Role within a combination of two areas of: Anaesthetics/Scrub/Recovery.
• Scrub Posts: Working alongside Surgeons and the wider team, scrubbing for a range of surgical specialities, ensuring equipment availability and counting instrumentation and sundries.
• Anaesthetic Posts: Working alongside Anaesthetists and the wider team, assisting in airway management, anaesthetic preparation, preoperative checks, and perioperative patient management.
• Recovery Posts: Working alongside the Theatre Team, and caring for patients in the postoperative phase. Participating in airway management, patient observation and administering medication in line with Hospital Policy.

Please refer to full Job Advert, Job Description and Person Spec for a comprehensive description.

Working for our organisation

Our mission, vision and values are at the heart of North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust (NCM) They underpin everything we do and everything we aspire to be as an organisation

Our mission is to be exceptional for our patients, our communities and each other

Our vision is to be a great organisation providing excellent healthcare and opportunities to work and learn

Our approach to healthcare is founded on our four core values:

Kind – we are caring, supporting and respectful to everyone

Open – we are honest, transparent and open to new ways of working

Fair – we listen, value our differences and are inclusive to all

One team – we work well together and with our communities

We employ almost 6,500 people from more than 80 nationalities and are fully committed to being an equal, diverse and inclusive employer. Our culture and values ensure that everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and that no job applicant or employee is disadvantaged at any stage of their journey.

We are also proud to be an Armed Forces Friendly organisation and welcome applications from members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, reservists and families.

Working at NCM means becoming part of a dedicated team of clinical and support staff who are passionate about keeping people well and supporting wellbeing. If you share our values and are motivated by making a difference for our patients, we'd be delighted to receive your application

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Full-Time Contacted Hours for Halton Site Theatres

(Subject to change dependant on organisational and departmental requirements)

• 8-17:30 x3
• 8-19:00 x1

Halton Site Theatres

Halton Site Theatres currently support a weekday only provision with future potential development for weekend/night services. ( Subject to change dependant on organisational and departmental requirements)

The Nightingale building is part of our elective general surgery hospitals which has 3 Theatres and 1 Treatment Room for a varied range elective specialities and Chronic Pain services. Specialities consist of General, Breast, Gynaecology, Urology, ENT, Vascular, and Dental.

The Captain Sir Tom Moore Building is situated adjacent to the Nightingale Hospital.

CSTM Building

We are a site with 5 laminar flow theatres and 1 Treatment Room and perform a wide range of Orthopaedic Surgery such as, Joint Replacement’s, Sports Injury, Trauma Injury and Elective Upper/Lower Limb Orthopaedic Procedures. CSTM also encompasses a varied range of specialities, including General, Breast, Gynaecology, Urology, ENT, Vascular, and Dental alongside its Orthopaedic provisions.

Warrington Hospital

There are 8 Theatres on the Warrington acute site which provide services for the following specialties: Gynaecology, Obstetrics, General, Urology, Breast Surgery, ENT, Dental, Colorectal, Ophthalmic, Trauma & Orthopaedic, and Paediatrics. We also provide a 24-hour Trauma, Obstetric and Emergency service. As part of this service, staff who are based on this site are required to support emergencies and provide an out of hours service including rotation onto nights and an on-call Rota.

Please see the attached Job Description, Person Specification and Job Advert for further details.

Full Time

• 1 x 08:00 -19:00
• 3 x 08:00 -17:30

Currently working Monday to Friday provision. Potential of expanding to weekend/night working in the future (all subject to organisation and departmental requirements).

Person specification

Experience

• Recent experience in acute care settings.
• Evidence of providing clinical supervision.
• Evidence of workload prioritisation and task delegation.
• 12 Months experience at Band 5 in related specialty.

Qualifications

• NMC Registration (RN Adult), or HCPC Registration (ODP).
• ODP Registrants: Qualification in Operating Department Practice
• NMC registrants: Recognised Nursing Qualification.
• NMC Registrants: Evidence of diploma/degree in Management of the Patient in Anaesthetic settings (If Anaesthetic Post Advert).
• Evidence of ability to teach in practice.
• Mentorship/Clinical Assessor course.
• Leadership Qualifications.
• Additional Scrub/Circulating/Anaesthetic Course Qualification.
• Advanced Life Support (ALS).

Skills, Knowledge and Competency

• Comprehensive applied Anatomy and Physiology for Relevant clinical area.
• How evidence-based practice can support patient care.
• Knowledge in legal requirements relating to patients and staff.
• Knowledge of Clinical Governance Agenda.
• Effective Communication Skills (written, verbal and non-verbal).
• Effective organisation skills, including time management and prioritisation.
• Have willingness to learn and professionally develop.
• To be able to work across the directorate and sister sites, meeting patient and organisational requirements.
• Evidence of Clinical Supervision.
• Knowledge of surgical procedures.
• Evidence of assuming management of a Theatre/Department.

Physical Skills

• Use of computer and IT systems.
• Use of Medical Devices

Physical Effort

• Manual handling of anaesthetised patients.
• Able to assist in the safe moving and handling of loads
• Standing for long periods of time.

Mental Effort

• Able to concentrate for lengthy periods of time.

Emotional Effort

• Ability to support vulnerable patients.
• Ability to support patients in difficult/distressing circumstances.
• Able to support colleagues in difficult situations.

Working Conditions

• Exposure to chemical substances harmful to health (COSHH).
• Exposure to blood and bodily fluids.
• Work with Exposure Prone Procedures (EPPs).

Further Information

NCM hold a Sponsor Licence; this means that we may be able to sponsor you providing the Home Office requirements are met. To be eligible for sponsorship, there is a minimum set of criteria that must be met and not all roles are eligible. You can find more information on the Government website

Please review your eligibility and the eligibility of the role before submitting your application.

All advertised roles may close early if there are high numbers of suitable candidates.

Pre‑employment checks for applicants with previous NHS service will include confirmation of any Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS), Voluntary Redundancy or Compulsory Redundancy payments received.

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.

Application numbers

This vacancy is due to close on the advertised date. However, we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should we receive a high volume of suitable applications. We recommend submitting your application as soon as possible.

Name Wendy White. Job title: Team Leader Scrub. Email address: [e-mail]. Telephone number: 01928 793794. Additional information:

Halton Site Theatre Contacts

Sara Pownell – Team Leader ODP ([e-mail])

Matthew Gallagher – Team Leader ODP ([e-mail])

Wendy White – Team Leader RGN ([e-mail])

Jennifer Gallop – Theatre Manager ([e-mail])

Catherine Monks – Theatre Manager ([e-mail])

Alternatively, Call 01928 793794 for more information.