Theatre Scrub Practitioner General Theatres, Band 5

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Cheltenham seeks a Band 5 Theatre Scrub Practitioner to deliver safe, evidence-based perioperative care across General operating theatres. You will assess, plan, implement and evaluate care while managing a caseload and supporting a range of elective and emergency procedures.

Responsibilities include maintaining aseptic technique, preparing instruments, counting counts, and using the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, while supervising learners and

Qualifications

• UK recognised qualification in Nursing or Operating Department Practice
• Active NMC or HCPC registration
• Previous scrub experience in operating theatre environment

Responsibilities

• Maintain aseptic technique and provide safe, effective scrub assistance for elective and emergency procedures across robotic surgery, urology, breast surgery, gynaecology, gynaecological oncology, colorectal surgery and upper gastrointestinal surgery, working within assessed competence.
• Prepare, check, manage and account for surgical instrumentation, implants, prostheses, medical devices and equipment appropriate to the procedure and specialty.
• Accurately perform and document instrument, needle and swab counts, and actively participate in all relevant stages of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and associated perioperative safety checks.
• Anticipate the needs of the surgical team, respond appropriately to intraoperative changes and escalate concerns promptly to maintain patient safety.
• Support safe patient positioning and transfer, and prepare, check and restore the theatre environment before and after surgery in accordance with local procedures and assessed competence.

Skills

Aseptic technique

Scrub assistance

Instrument handling

Team communication

Education

UK recognised qualification in Nursing or Operating Department Practice

Job description

Current jobs at Gloucestershire Hospitals

Theatre Scrub Practitioner General Theatres, Band 5

Band 5

Main area General Theatres Grade Band 5 Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week Job ref 318-26-T0714

Site Cheltenham General Hospital Town Cheltenham Salary £32,073 - £39,043 (pa pro rata if part-time) Salary period Yearly Closing 19/11/2026 23:59

At Gloucestershire Hospitals, our people are at the heart of everything we do. As the county’s largest employer, we are proud to provide high-quality acute, elective, and specialist services to more than 650,000 people across our county. Our care is delivered across Gloucestershire Royal, Cheltenham General and Stroud Maternity Hospital.

With over 9,000 employees representing more than 95 nationalities, bringing together a mix of cultures and experiences to the care that we deliver. Whether you’re beginning your NHS journey or looking to take the next step in your career, this is an exciting time to join us. We’re investing heavily in innovation, research, and transformation, with more than 100 active clinical studies and major developments underway across our hospitals.

We take pride in working as one team, driven by a shared ambition to grow, develop, and continually improve. Every contribution is valued and by combining our collective strengths, we support not only our diverse communities but one another. You can expect a warm, supportive culture and colleagues who are passionate about teamwork, professional development and delivering exceptional care. We offer structured development programmes, mentoring and leadership opportunities to help you progress in your career.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels they belong. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from a comprehensive package that includes flexible working opportunities, generous annual leave, the NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, local discounts, access to on-site nurseries, reduced public transport costs, reward and recognition schemes and a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives.

Be part of Gloucestershire Hospitals, explore your future with us today.

Job overview

The Band 5 Scrub Practitioner delivers safe, high-quality, evidence-based perioperative care across the Trust’s General operating theatres, assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating care while managing an allocated caseload. The role supports a diverse range of elective and emergency surgical activity, including robotic surgery, urology, breast surgery, gynaecology, gynaecological oncology, colorectal surgery and upper gastrointestinal surgery.

Main responsibilities include maintaining aseptic technique; preparing, checking and managing surgical instruments, implants, medical devices and specialist equipment; providing scrub assistance for procedures across these specialties; completing instrument, needle and swab counts and the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist; supporting safe patient positioning, transfer and theatre preparation; anticipating and responding to intraoperative needs; communicating effectively with patients, carers and the multidisciplinary team; safeguarding dignity and safety; maintaining accurate records; complying with professional, Trust, infection prevention, information governance and risk-management standards; reporting and supporting the investigation of incidents; contributing to audit, service improvement and research-based practice; undertaking mandatory training and continuing professional development; and supervising, teaching and supporting learners, new staff and less experienced colleagues while acting as a professional role model.

Main duties of the job

Clinical Responsibilities / Key Responsibilities

- Maintain aseptic technique and provide safe, effective scrub assistance for elective and emergency procedures across robotic surgery, urology, breast surgery, gynaecology, gynaecological oncology, colorectal surgery and upper gastrointestinal surgery, working within assessed competence.

- Prepare, check, manage and account for surgical instrumentation, implants, prostheses, medical devices and equipment appropriate to the procedure and specialty.

- Accurately perform and document instrument, needle and swab counts, and actively participate in all relevant stages of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and associated perioperative safety checks.

- Anticipate the needs of the surgical team, respond appropriately to intraoperative changes and escalates concerns promptly to maintain patient safety.

- Support safe patient positioning and transfer, and prepare, check and restore the theatre environment before and after surgery in accordance with local procedures and assessed competence.

Working for our organisation

We take pride in placing people at the centre of everything we do, working together as a united team. Driven by a shared ambition to continually grow, develop, and learn, we recognise and value every contribution. By combining our experience and skills, we not only support our vibrant, diverse communities, but also support one another.

With a team of over 9,000 employees, we are proud to be the largest employer in Gloucestershire and rank among the top 10 largest Trusts in the South West region. By joining our Trust, you will benefit from an excellent package that includes exclusive benefits, flexible working opportunities and the chance to gain valuable experience in one or both of our innovative hospitals.

As well as generous annual leave allowance, you will have access to the excellent NHS pension scheme, competitive bank rates, discounts at local shops and restaurants, access to two on-site nurseries, discounted public transport, reward and recognition and a range of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Professional Development, Education and Training

- Be actively involved in and support departmental education programmes.

- To consolidate and learn new skills and competencies to provide holistic care. Develop clinical reasoning and treatment techniques through active participation in training and development. Consolidate knowledge and skills learned through this process with the direction of senior staff.

- To participate in the supervision, caseload monitoring and clinical education of student nurses and less experienced staff, with support from senior staff as required. Provide support, guidance and training, and assess and evaluate competence, to fulfil clinical governance requirements and retain a skilled workforce.

- Develop the skills to supervise, mentor, support and educate less experienced and non-registered staff in the clinical practice setting.

- Undertake all mandatory training.

- Demonstrate a commitment to research-based practice and clinical excellence and play an active part in the introduction of research-based changes to improve patient-centred care.

Management and Leadership

- Comply with Trust and departmental policies and procedures, for example The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, manual handling, clinical equipment competency, risk management, data protection legislation and patient confidentiality at all times. This includes demonstrating compliance with safeguarding policies and processes relevant to adults and children in the care of GHNHSFT and undertaking regular mandatory safeguarding training.

- In conjunction with their manager, identify personal training needs and participate in clinical audit and quality projects that contribute to the departmental education programme.

- Report near misses and untoward incidents, complaints, clinical emergencies, injury or medicine administration errors as detailed in departmental and Trust protocols. Assist lead staff in investigating incidents as required.

- Maintain and contribute to the development of standards of practice, conduct or decision-making in conjunction with lead staff.

- Ensure a smart, professional image that enhances public perception of the Trust and portrays the professionalism of its staff.

Professional Practice

- Ensure clinical practice is evidence based or peer-reviewed best practice.

- Develop and maintain the clinical skills and knowledge necessary to deliver an evidence-based service.

- With supervision and assistance, take on increased responsibility, recognising own limitations and seeking help appropriately.

- Be competent in the use of all relevant Trust IT systems, including the electronic patient record, email and EPR.

- Maintain regular use of email to keep abreast of information disseminated in the Trust.

- Adhere to the NMC or HCPC Code of Conduct at all times and operate within the NMC or HCPC scope of professional practice.

- Demonstrate awareness and understanding of accountability, responsibility and duty of care, and work towards providing support and education for less experienced and non-registered staff on the implications for practice.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience

• United Kingdom recognised qualification in Adult Nursing or Operating Department Practice.
• Active registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
• Ability to use clinical reasoning skills and techniques to assess and plan care, deliver and evaluate care, and amend the treatment plan.
• Previous scrub experience in an operating theatre environment, preferably within one or more of the general theatre specialties covered by the service.
• Ability to keep up to date with professional issues that influence practice relating to the clinical area, management, education and research.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

You will only be contacted by the Recruitment Team via email if you are shortlisted for this post. Please ensure therefore that you check your e‑mail account regularly.

IMPORTANT: If you require sponsorship in order to apply for this role, eligibility is subject to your individual circumstances ie. current/previous visa status and the relevant salary threshold. We cannot make that assessment for each individual at this stage, therefore we advise those that may require sponsorship to ensure they have self assessed and thoroughly understood their eligibility using the Home Office guidance here - UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

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.