Ward Sister/ Charge Nurse

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Ward Sister/Charge Nurse to lead an 8-20 bedded ward spanning Acute Surgical Admissions, Urology, GI, Vascular and medical patients. The role is permanent and part of a 37.5 hour week, with rotating early, late, long day and night shifts.

The post requires strong leadership, excellent communication, decision making and ability to develop staff and students.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead a clinical team and manage competing priorities.
• Excellent communication with patients, families and multi-disciplinary teams.
• Strong clinical judgment and ability to make timely decisions in a busy ward environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead an 8-20 bedded ward with a mix of Acute Surgical, Urology, GI and medical patients.
• Write appraisals, deal with staff concerns and roster writing in collaboration with MDTs.
• Support student nurses and junior staff with professional development and supervision.
• Maintain bed flow and ensure high standards of safe, high-quality patient care.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Decision making

Team management

Job description

Hours: Full time, Part time - 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 188-SNM061026

Site: SUR Acute Surgical Admissions

Town: Southampton

Closing: 27/10/2026

Job overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Ward Sister/ Charge Nurse

Contract Type: Permanent

This is an exciting opportunity to join our amazing Surgical team on ASA (Acute surgical admissions). As a Ward Sister/ Charge Nurse.

The specific experience and skills for this specialised and innovative nursing role consists of knowledge and skills for caring for patients with a wide range of Acute Surgical, Urology, Upper GI, Lower GI, Vascular and medical patients on a 8-20 bedded ward.

The shift pattern for this role is as follows

Early shift= 07:30-15:30, Late shift= 12-8pm, Longday= 07:30-20:00

Night shift = 19:30-08:00

Working for our organisation

As one of the largest acute teaching Trusts in England, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

We support flexible working and will consider requests taking into account the needs of the service. UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 30% lower than London and 17 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalising your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

Candidates should be energetic and forward thinking, have the ability to manage a team and demonstrate sound, innovative leadership styles and skills in an evolving environment.

Having excellent communication, decision making and motivating skills are key qualities and attributes to possess in conjunction with compassion and determined commitment.

You will need to demonstrate continuing professional development and a strong commitment to developing others and have an understanding of how to improve and provide safe, quality care for patients and their relatives.

We offer many bespoke education and training, inhouse and at university level (Msc).

Additionally the candidate will assist in, writing appraisals, dealing with complaints, running a 18-20 bedded ward, working alongside and developing student nurses, maintaining bed flow from F6A ASU and ED departments, link roles, assisting the band 7 with ward budget, roster writing and working alongside the MDT.

If you are dedicated to improving the patient experience and committed to providing a professional positive working environment for staff, then this ward will give you great job satisfaction, whilst also challenging and developing your surgical skills.

For an overview of the position, please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification document. This includes a detailed breakdown of the key responsibilities, role expectations, and the qualifications we are looking for.

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