Ward Manager

Sussex Partnership Nhs Foundation Trust; Worthing; On-site; GBP 43,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Worthing invites applications for a Ward Manager on Rosemary Ward within The Forget Me Not Unit. The role leads a high‑performing clinical team, balancing compassionate care with strong clinical governance and leadership under the Trust's values.

You will be expected to maintain high standards of care, support a dementia care pathway, and drive improvements while ensuring staff feel supported through supervision and leadership meetings.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree/ diploma level with a relevant qualification or equivalent experience.
• Registered Nurse with current registration (mental health / LD/ Adult) appropriate to the job role.
• Evidence of CPD.
• Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent, extensive experience of acute care in the care group and demonstrable achievement in clinical practice.
• Experience of providing professional support/supervision and motivation of staff.
• Experience of managing staff.

Responsibilities

• To be responsible for the management and leadership of a team of health professionals providing care over a 24-hour period including responsibility for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care for the patients within their sphere of responsibility
• To provide effective leadership and management to staff which promotes high performance standards both individually and as a team
• To deliver a service within the agreed budgets and resources ensuring maximum value in terms of clinical and cost effectiveness
• Ensure that a culture of effective risk management is present within the team
• To act as role model and knowledge resource to the nursing team
• To represent the clinical area in all relevant forums and meetings
• To drive continuous improvement and to ensure a psychologically safe environment for staff and patients.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical expertise

Communication

NMC code familiarity

Professional boundaries

Education

Educated to degree/ diploma level with a relevant qualification or equivalent experience

Evidence of CPD

Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent

Tools

Mentorship Course/ENB

Job description

We recognise that this is a uniquely demanding role, yet it is one that can be rewarding beyond measure. We are looking for someone who leads a team with passion, clinical expertise and great communication. We need you to help us sustain our high standards and to help us to continue to develop further. You will be expected to have a good understanding of professional boundaries and ensure you uphold the NMC code of conduct. It is a role where you will be empowered to implement positive changes on the ward. At The Forget me Not Unit, we feel that providing the highest standards of care and ensuring the implementation of least restrictive practice are of paramount importance. The successful post holder will receive support and regular supervision from the unit Matron. They will be joining an experienced wider hospital leadership team that is friendly, supportive and committed to providing innovative high standards of care to all those that use our services.

Working for our organisation You will be managing a team that is resilient, thoughtful in its approach and most of all, kind and supportive to the patients they care for and the colleagues they work alongside. You would be provided with on-going support via regular supervision and weekly leadership meetings.

The purpose of your role as Ward Manager is to be responsible for and provide effective leadership for a clinical team ensuring a high-quality service. We are looking for someone who leads a team with passion, clinical expertise and great communication. The successful candidate will need the managerial and leadership skills to run a busy and demanding ward, as well as the clinical expertise to inform the right supervisory decisions. It is hard to think of another clinical role that requires such a combination of skills and attributes, and where the impact of a person's leadership can be so keenly felt by ward staff and patients alike.

Key responsibilities

• To be responsible for the management and leadership of a team of health professionals providing care over a 24-hour period including responsibility for assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care for the patients within their sphere of responsibility
• To provide effective leadership and management to staff which promotes high performance standards both individually and as a team
• To deliver a service within the agreed budgets and resources ensuring maximum value in terms of clinical and cost effectiveness
• Ensure that a culture of effective risk management is present within the team
• To act as role model and knowledge resource to the nursing team
• To represent the clinical area in all relevant forums and meetings
• To drive continuous improvement and to ensure a psychologically safe environment for staff and patients.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree/ diploma level with a relevant qualification or equivalent experience
• Registered Nurse with current registration (mental health / LD/ Adult) appropriate to the job role
• Evidence of CPD
• Completion of Mentorship Course/ENB equivalent, Extensive experience of acute care in the care group and demonstrable achievement in clinical practice
• Experience of providing professional support/supervision and motivation of staff
• Experience of managing staff

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience in similar role, Ability to provide and receive complex and emotive information with staff, service users, carers and other stakeholders
• An open and facilitative style of leadership which can be adapted when necessary to ensure delivery of objectives
• Able to hold professionals and peers to account

Approach / Values

• Demonstrate support for the values and beliefs of the Care Group and those of the Trust
• Can use constructive criticism and openly seeks to review and reflect on own style and presentation
• Resilient and motivated with drive and vision that is able to work on own initiative and manage a range of priorities across competing agendas
• Empathy towards the needs of people using mental health and related services, and a vision of how services can make step changes for improvement
• Commitment to the aims and values of the NHS combined with high personal integrity, Successful candidates are normally appointed to the bottom of the pay scale unless previous NHS experience in a similar role can be evidenced., You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

At SPFT we put people first. We'll do everything possible to help you feel respected, valued and included. You'll have opportunities to learn, grow and gain new experiences to support your career, with access to lifelong learning and professional development.

We actively promote flexible working and understand how important work life balance is, especially in healthcare. Whether it's part time hours, hybrid working or flexible start and finish times, we'll explore what works for you and the role. We recognise that tools like AI are becoming part of everyday life and you may choose to use them when preparing your application. We welcome this, as long as what you submit reflects your own experience, skills and voice. AI can be helpful for structuring or refining your answers, but it should not replace your own examples or create content that isn't based on your real experience. Our recruitment process is designed to get to know you, and we'll explore your examples further at interview, so it's important your application genuinely represents what you bring. You can read more about using AI in applications and interviews on our recruitment process page. We're shaping a workplace where ideas are encouraged, technology supports you and everyone has a voice in how we improve.

If that sounds like the kind of organisation you want to be part of, we'd love to hear from you. We are very excited to be advertising this Band 7 (RMN) ward manager post working with people with dementia at Rosemary Ward in Worthing. This is a particularly exciting time to be joining our team, as we have recently reorganised our West Sussex in-patient dementia services which are now all housed within our specialist in-patient unit; The Forget Me Not Unit. At times you will be responsible for providing support to the other wards within the unit. We are looking for an experienced manager to join the leadership team on Rosemary ward as the Ward Manager. Ward Managers are central to achieving the highest of standards within the NHS. They are role models for their teams and for the wider hospital and organisation. Our vision is to provide outstanding care and treatment; the people that we employ are at the heart of making this vision a reality. We are proud to be a service that encourages everyone to be the best that they can be and make the most of their careers whatever their background. If you've got the passion, the belief, the drive and the talent to help us achieve our vision then we want to hear from you.