Go back Ashford & St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Deputy Sister/Charge Nurse, NICU
The closing date is 17 August 2025
ASPH is home to the Lead level 3 NICU for Surrey and part of the KSS Network. We provide a full range of intensive, high, special and transitional care for 36 babies, with a strong underpinning philosophy of less invasive care. Our focus is on Family Integrated Care involving families every step of the way.
The Surrey Neonatal Transport Team operates from ASPH, providing emergency and planned transfers across the network, offering an excellent opportunity for further development and experience.
We value the skills and experience that all our nurses bring to the team and are looking for individuals keen to work in an innovative environment. You will be an essential role model and mentor and will develop skills to deputise and manage the unit. Opportunities to develop your own area of interest are encouraged, and we will support you to identify ongoing development goals.
The unit has a strong research ethos, being involved in many research projects. Our commitment to continuing education involves a wide range of regular MDT teaching.
We pride ourselves on being a friendly, vibrant, diverse, and supportive team. We welcome applicants who can join us to further improve the quality of care and experience for our babies and their families.
This role and interview will be part of the NICU recruitment event on 8th September 2025, 9am - 2pm
For more information about the NICU department, please visit: https://asph-careers.org/nicu
Main duties of the job
The post holder will:
1. Promote and help to manage delivery of a quality nursing service, setting and monitoring clinical standards in NICU and Transitional Care.
2. Be responsible for the assessment of patient care needs, the development, implementation, and evaluation of programmes of care.
3. Work as a Shift Leader and Deputise for the Ward Sister/Charge Nurse after completion of unit-specific competencies and shadow charging. This is based on working shifts rotating from night and day covering a 7-day week, in accordance with the nursing philosophy of Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust.
4. Take responsibility for an area of clinical practice appropriate to the ward environment, such as audit, Infection Control, Fire Warden, Manual Handling, Health & Safety, etc.
5. Rotation onto the Surrey and Sussex Transfer Service after completion of relevant competencies.
About us
Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow, and beyond.
Over 3,700 highly trained staff provide a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey, and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.
We also run many specialist clinics in the community and at local community hospitals and healthcare facilities.
Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. We are committed to continuous professional development and flexibility to shape our workforce around patient care.
We are expanding our theatres at Ashford Hospital and moving towards this becoming our dedicated elective centre, creating a state-of-the-art centre for planned surgical procedures.
We offer NHS benefits/discounts and additional benefits:
* Excellent pension scheme and annual leave entitlement
* On-site Nurseries
* On-site staff cafes
* On-site parking
* Salary Sacrifice schemes including wage stream, lease cars, Cycle to Work schemes, and home electronics
Applicants are encouraged to apply early as adverts may close sooner.
For more information about a career at ASPH, visit: www.asph-careers.org
Job responsibilities
The post holder will:
1. Support the Ward Sister / Charge Nurse in leading and supervising a safe, high standard of nursing practice and the delivery of evidence-based patient care in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, the Trust's Strategy for Nursing, and Trust/Unit Policies and Procedures. This involves all dependency levels of babies including intensive care, high dependency, special care, and transitional care.
2. Assist the Sister/Charge Nurse in providing and developing good nursing practice ensuring compliance with department and hospital policies.
3. Assist in establishing, monitoring, and evaluating standards of patient care and quality service.
4. Determine nursing care priorities, plan patient care, and ensure safe staffing levels at all times.
5. Attend high-risk deliveries on Labour Ward and Abbey Birth Centre to ensure immediate post-partum care.
6. Interpret clinical observations and records, make decisions, and plan patient care, reporting matters outside your responsibility promptly.
7. Investigate and report on all aspects of patient management, including accidents and complaints, in line with hospital policy.
8. Monitor clerical and legal documents for accuracy and legibility.
9. Establish effective communication with patients, carers, and multidisciplinary team members.
10. Participate in evaluation projects and assess new equipment and technology.
11. Ensure clinical and housekeeping practices follow policies to prevent hospital-acquired infections.
The post holder will also:
1. Assist with effective organization of the ward/department.
2. Adhere to Shift Leader Responsibilities as per Trust standards.
3. Demonstrate effective multidisciplinary working and act as a role model.
4. Ensure the safe administration of drugs and use of equipment.
5. Maintain a safe environment according to Health and Safety policies.
6. Report and record incidents and escalate complaints appropriately.
7. Be competent in emergency resuscitation and familiar with fire regulations.
8. Assist in budget management and resource use.
9. Participate in meetings, projects, audits, and improvements.
10. Deputize for the Ward Sister/Charge Nurse in their absence.
In terms of education, the role involves:
1. Maintaining a suitable learning environment and mentoring staff and students.
2. Contributing to education and training programs.
3. Promoting health education for patients and carers.
4. Continuing personal development and participating in research projects.
Clinical governance responsibilities include:
1. Participating in quality and risk management initiatives.
2. Developing and maintaining evidence-based standards.
3. Participating in clinical benchmarking and appraisals.
4. Supporting staff in acquiring competencies and professional development.
5. Ensuring incident reporting and child protection policies are followed.
Additional duties include supporting the organization with other relevant tasks.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* RSCN/RNCB/RNAdult/RMidwife
* 1st Level Registered Nurse
* Neonatal Critical Care course or equivalent
* NMC Registration
* Mentorship Preparation qualification / other relevant teaching qualifications
* Management Course
Experience
* Experience at band 5 in a Neonatal Unit/SCBU
* Experience and consolidation of ITU post QIS qualification
* Experience at band 6 in NICU/SCBU
* Experience implementing changes in nursing practice to improve patient care
Knowledge
* Trust vision, values, and strategic objectives
* Management of change
* Information Technology skills
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, requiring a DBS check for any previous criminal convictions.
£39,205 to £47,084 per year, including HCAS, pro-rata for part-time hours.
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