Senior Sister/Senior Charge Nurse

Senior Sister/Senior Charge Nurse - Critical Care - NCCU

The closing date is 28 October 2025

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior critical care nurse to join us as a Senior Sister/Charge Nurse in our diverse and passionate Neuro Critical Care Unit Senior team.

The Neurosciences and major trauma critical care has 27 beds and cares for patients with acute brain injury, regardless of the underlying cause & provides acute neurosurgical services for East Anglia. NCCU is part of the major trauma pathway-the East of England major trauma centre (MTC) serves one of the largest trauma networks in England.

As a pivotal part of our team you will be responsible for the leadership, management and coordination of the nursing team to ensure that our critically ill patients and their families receive safe, effective and high quality care. In addition, you will be responsible for leading and developing nurses and nursing practice within our ICU. Our senior team works collaboratively with the senior medical and allied professionals to ensure our patients are given outstanding care.

You will also be required to carry the critical care coordinator bleep. This role includes optimisation of patient admissions and transfers to the ward areas, balancing and ensuring safe staffing across the critical care units and sharing the critical care position with the hospital.

We offer excellent development opportunities for all staff which includes local education, leadership and development programmes as well as courses at degree or masters level.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for the management and co-ordination of the nursing team and collaboration with the wider team to ensure that critically ill patients and families receive high quality, safe, kind and excellent care. The post holder will also be responsible for leading, developing and managing nurses and nursing practice within the NCCU.

About us

Come Nurse with us...

Cambridge University Hospitals 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 Cambridge University Hospitals?

- 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 (road, rail and air)

Job responsibilities

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

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- or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start

For NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough based roles, all applicants from NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough who have identified that they are at risk of redundancy will be prioritised over those not at risk. However, interviews cannot be guaranteed.

This vacancy will close at midnight on 28 October 2025

Interviews are due to be held on 11 November 2025

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 caf, 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

- Registered Nurse
- Recognised critical care post registration course. 60 credits or equivalent curriculum, aligned with national competency
- Research experience

Experience

- At least 12 months experience as band 6 in charge in critical care
- Experience of leading and developing staff
- Experience of teaching, training and mentoring staff
- Expert clinical practice
- Awareness of reflective and evidence based practice
- Experience in a variety of acute care areas
- Audit/research experience

Knowledge

- Expert clinical knowledge
- Ability to integrate education/professional needs with the needs of the service
- Knowledge of critical care current climate and national standards.
- Understanding of current issues in critical care nursing

Skills

- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- Leadership and team working skills
- Able to motivate
- Good organisational skills
- Ability to integrate educational/professional needs with service needs
- Able to adapt to the changing needs of the unit
- Able to prioritise workload

Additional Requirements

- High motivated and committed
- Adaptable to changing situations due to both workload and colleague needs
- Committed to continuous professional development (both own and in others)
- Evidence of both professional and personal development
- Willing to learn
- Interested in critical care and the nursing of the critically ill
- Professional manner
- Able to promote good working partnerships with other departments
- To be willing to undertake Mentoring and Mentor Module relevant to job banding and 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 together, safe, kind and excellent.
- Willingness to undertake additional roles
- Willingness to accept alternative shift times
- Understanding of current issues in critical care
- Interest in teaching
- Representation of unit/organisation in broader initiatives

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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