Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust
Senior Sister / Charge Nurse - Gastroenterology
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Job Overview
The Senior Sister/Charge Nurse is responsible for the operational management and clinical leadership of Haygarth Gastroenterology Ward, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, high-quality, patient-centred care. The post holder will provide visible leadership, promote a positive ward culture, and ensure high standards of patient experience, quality, safety, and staff wellbeing.
Working closely with the multidisciplinary team, including medical staff, specialist nurses, therapists, pharmacists and dietitians, the Senior Sister/Charge Nurse will lead and support the nursing workforce to deliver excellent care for patients with a wide range of acute and chronic gastrointestinal conditions. Key responsibilities include workforce management, patient flow, clinical governance, quality improvement, service development, and ensuring compliance with Trust and national standards.
We are seeking an experienced Registered Nurse with strong clinical expertise, excellent leadership and communication skills, and a passion for patient safety and continuous improvement. The successful candidate will be an approachable, resilient leader who can inspire and develop teams while delivering high-quality care in a busy acute environment.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead within a specialist Gastroenterology service and contribute to the ongoing development of patient care and service excellence at the Royal United Hospital.
Main duties of the job
Leadership and Operational Management
- Provide visible, compassionate leadership and promote a positive, patient-centred culture.
- Act as a professional role model, upholding Trust values and standards.
- Lead, support and develop nursing and multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality care.
- Manage the day-to-day operational running of the ward, including patient flow, staffing, rostering and workforce deployment.
- Support recruitment, induction, appraisal, performance management and staff development.
Patient Safety and Quality
- Ensure the delivery of safe, effective, evidence-based care in line with Trust and national standards.
- Monitor and improve quality and safety indicators, including falls, pressure damage, medication safety, infection prevention and deteriorating patients.
- Lead investigations into incidents, complaints and concerns, embedding learning and improvements into practice.
- Escalate and manage clinical and operational risks appropriately.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement and excellent patient experience.
Governance and Performance
- Ensure compliance with mandatory training, professional standards, policies and clinical governance.
- Monitor and improve ward performance against quality, safety, workforce and operational objectives.
- Lead audits, implement action plans and oversee continuous service improvement.
- Maintain accurate records and contribute to divisional and Trust priorities through effective leadership and innovation.
Working for our organisation
We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17,600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.
We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.
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By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person-centred care we’re proud of.
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Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
The Senior Sister/Charge Nurse is responsible for providing professional, clinical, and operational leadership to the Gastroenterology Ward, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, safe, effective, and compassionate patient care. The post holder will lead and manage the nursing team, ensuring that patients receive evidence-based care within a well-led and supportive environment.
The Senior Sister/Charge Nurse will act as a visible and inspirational leader, promoting excellence in patient care, staff development, quality improvement, patient safety, and service delivery. They will work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure efficient patient flow, effective resource management, and achievement of organisational objectives.
Clinical Leadership
- Provide visible, credible, and compassionate leadership within the ward environment.
- Lead by example, demonstrating the highest standards of clinical care and professional practice in accordance with the NMC Code.
- Act as an expert clinical resource for nursing and multidisciplinary colleagues.
- Ensure that nursing care is patient-centred, evidence-based, and delivered in line with Trust policies and national standards.
- Promote a culture of dignity, respect, inclusion, and compassionate care.
- Support clinical decision-making and provide leadership during challenging or complex patient situations.
- Ensure appropriate escalation and management of deteriorating patients and clinical concerns.
- Be a visible and approachable leader.
- Uphold Trust values and behaviours through positive leadership and example.
Patient Safety And Quality
- Take responsibility for maintaining and improving patient safety standards.
- Ensure systems are in place to minimise risks and prevent avoidable harm.
- Monitor quality indicators
- Lead investigations into incidents, complaints, safeguarding concerns, and serious events.
- Develop and monitor action plans arising from incidents, audits, and investigations.
- Ensure lessons learned are shared and embedded into clinical practice.
- Promote a positive safety culture where staff feel empowered to raise concerns and identify improvement
- Lead quality improvement initiatives that enhance patient outcomes and experience.
Workforce Leadership And Management
- Lead, motivate, and support nursing and support staff within the ward
- Foster a positive workplace culture that promotes staff well-being, engagement, and inclusion.
- Conduct appraisals, performance reviews, and regular one-to-one meetings.
- Manage attendance, sickness absence, and performance concerns in accordance with Trust policies.
- Support recruitment, retention, induction, and workforce planning.
- Ensure mandatory training, competency assessments, and professional development requirements are achieved.
- Identify learning needs and support career development opportunities.
- Develop future leaders through coaching, supervision, and mentorship
Communication And Partnership Working
- Develop effective relationships with patients, families, carers, and members of the multidisciplinary team.
- Manage difficult conversations and complaints professionally and compassionately.
- Ensure patients and carers are involved in decisions regarding their care and treatment.
- Represent the ward and nursing team at relevant meetings and forums.
- Promote collaborative working across services to support seamless patient care.
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Key outcome
To provide exceptional leadership that ensures the Gastroenterology Ward delivers safe, effective, responsive, and compassionate care while maintaining high standards of patient safety, staff wellbeing, operational performance, and clinical excellence.
Person specification
Qualifications & Training
Essential criteria
- State Registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council
- Demonstrates evidence of on-going continuous professional development.
- Degree level qualification
- Experience in Managing Conduct, Health, Sickness & Performance, Recruitment & Selection, Appraisal etc
- Experience of leadership within a acute setting
- Significant relevant clinical and management experience at band 6 or above
Desirable criteria
- Post-registration qualification preferably in Gastroenterology
- Previous experience as a band 7 Senior Sister/charge nurse
- Educated to masters level or working towards it
Shortlisting criteria
Essential criteria
- Strong clinical knowledge and experience within acute adult nursing.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and organisational skills.
- A commitment to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care.
- The ability to inspire, motivate, and support teams through periods of operational pressure.
- Show a proactive approach to continuous improvement and workforce development.
Desirable criteria
- Experience of managing staffing, performance, quality indicators, and clinical governance.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
- Thorough and up-to-date knowledge of nursing theory and best practice, particularly within speciality area and the application of this in practice.
- Understanding of NMC Code of Practice and requirements of it for the practice & behaviour and its application to the management of staff and self
- Understanding of the principles and application of effective staff / HR management
- Evidence of involvement in service users’ advocacy and complaints resolution.
Values
Essential criteria
- Values and respects others, treats everyone as an individual, is non-judgemental
- Pro-active and takes responsibility for the efficient running of the department
Specific Skills
Essential criteria
- Demonstrates commitment to working as part of a team and ability to build the ward / unit team.
- Able to take charge and lead the team and delegate duties effectively
- Able to accept responsibility for ward / unit working under own initiative within boundaries of role.
- Demonstrates compassion and caring approach to patients and relatives and ability to motivate staff to demonstrate this also.
- Demonstrates evidence of well-developed clinical practice. Able to advise on and implement improvements to the quality and efficiency of care for patients in ward / unit
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge and experience within Gastro
Communication, Leadership & Management skills
Essential criteria
- Highly effective communication skills - able to communicate verbally and written to staff, patients and relatives including in situations of conflict & distress, ensuring that communication is tailored to the person being addressed.
- Able to lead and manage all Registered Nurses, HCAs and students within ward / unit effectively through effective standard-setting, monitoring, feedback, appraisal, mentoring, clinical supervision and reflective practice.
- Able to apply understanding of equality & diversity to
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