Senior Staff Nurse

Job summary
We have a very exciting opportunity for a Band 6 senior staff nurse to join our Recovery team on a 1-year fixed term contract/ secondment to cover maternity leave. We are a 11 bedded recovery unit in a busy District General Hospital caring for both adult and paediatric patients immediately post-anaesthesia following a range of surgery and procedures.

We are seeking an organised, enthusiastic and motivated nurse with at least 24 months post qualification experience of working at band 5 within Recovery, or a critical care area. The candidates will have a relevant post-registration course and possess an interest in mentoring. The successful candidate will demonstrate a passion for providing excellence in patient care and will also demonstrate excellent leadership and first-rate communication skills.

Main duties of the job
Recovery is an innovative unit providing a high standard of post-operative care as well as providing support for a range of specialities within the West Suffolk Hospital; this includes supporting Critical Care Services as part of the West Suffolk Hospital escalation plan. The successful applicant will be part of a forward-thinking team who take pride in driving new initiatives forward.

The post requires the successful candidate to participate in internal rotation, both days and nights. We offer a flexible rostering system.

About us
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Details
Date posted: 23 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year, Per annum, pro rata
Contract: Fixed term
Duration: 12 months
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 179-8050272-S
Job locations: West Suffolk Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Hardwick Lane, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 2QZ, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
Please see job description attached to view main responsibilities and duties of role.

You will work as part of a dedicated team, will assess patients on arrival in recovery and formulate an immediate post-operative management plan, either nurse led or with the collaboration of the anaesthetist, ensuring that the patient returns to their ward in an optimal state to continue their post-operative journey.

You will have previous relevant recovery experience. You will always provide excellent standards of clinical judgement, intervention and decision making and demonstrate a high level of knowledge and skills relevant to the role.

You will provide clinical leadership, team management, co-ordination of the shift on a daily basis and ensure patient safety at all times.

Along with the rest of the Band 6 team you will be responsible for supporting, mentoring and educating junior staff and students on a day to day basis.

As part of the band 6 team, you will work with the Ward Manager and Sisters to promote excellence and quality, ensuring the highest standard of care is always delivered to our patients

You will work alongside the multi-disciplinary team adopting a no blame culture

You will act as the patients advocate

Person Specification

Education and Qualifications
Essential

• NMC/AHP Registered Nurse/ODP
• Relevant post graduate Recovery course
• oILS and PILS
• Evidence of Ongoing professional development

Desirable

• oALS/ EPALS
• oMentorship preparation course

Experience and knowledge
Essential

• At least 24 months relevant experience in Recovery at B5
• Evidence of smooth progression in the development of Recovery skills
• Proven leadership skills within Recovery
• Significant, relevant clinical experience within Recovery
• Knowledge of quality and service improvement
• Knowledge of safeguarding adults/children, including the mental health act and mental capacity act, and deprivation of liberty of safeguards
• Knowledge of information governance/data protection requirements
• Ability to offer sound professional guidance to all staff
• Demonstrates clinical credibility.
• Ability to assess clinical practice and report appropriately to senior management.
• Evidence of positive contribution to Recovery team e.g. individual or group project work, link roles
• Knowledge and understanding of the current policy and issues in professional practice, compliance, professional standards, and wider NHS

Desirable

• oKnowledge of Clinical governance and audit
• oKnowledge of the incident reporting/investigation process
• oExperience with QI projects

Skills and abilities
Essential

• oKnowledge of Clinical governance and audit
• oKnowledge of the incident reporting/investigation process
• oExperience with QI projects

Personal qualities
Essential

• oCommitment to self-directed learning
• oAble to relate theory into practice through reflective skills
• oAbility to work under pressure and keep calm in stressful situations.
• oAbility to delegate and prioritise work
• oFunctions well within the multi-disciplinary team
• oGood communication skills both verbal and non-verbal
• oApproachable and non-judgemental
• oTrustworthy
• oAwareness of the need for good inter-departmental relationships
• oAbility to provide and receive constructive feedback
• Able to work on own initiative

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Ward Manager
Suzanne Gray
suzanne.gray@wsh.nhs.uk
01284713020