Job overview
The older persons assessment unit (OPAU) outpatient department has a full-time Band 5 post for an experienced registered nurse. If you have extensive experience, this is an exciting opportunity for you to work in an ambulatory specialist area for patients 65 and above with complex health issues, providing a holistic approach to their assessments, care, and management.
The unit is open from 08:30 AM to 18:00 PM, and you will be expected to cover a variety of shift patterns in the week, depending on service requirements.
Closing Date: 15th October 2025
Interview Date: 24th October 2025
Main duties of the job
The nursing team serves as the front line of the OPAU service. As a vital member of this team, you are expected to deliver a structured and systematic approach to assessments and treatments. You will take charge of coordinating various clinics as the Nurse in Charge (NIC), supported by senior staff each day. You will confidently oversee clinics such as TILT, mindfulness, falls and bone health, bladder and bowel/continence, trial without catheter (TWOC), heart failure, memory assessments, dietetics, comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGA), movement disorders/ parkinsons, preoperative medicine for older adults undergoing surgery (POPS), geriatric oncology, and liaison development (GOLD).
Your communication skills are crucial, as you will actively engage with the multidisciplinary team (MDT), patients, and other service users.
OPAU is a hub for learning, and you will play an essential role in assessing and supervising learners and observers, which will enhance your teaching abilities. Proficiency in venipuncture, cannulation, and catheterisation is desirable. Additionally, your competency in navigating IT systems like Epic will be essential to your daily practice.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
Organisational Values:
We’ve developed a set of new Trust values for Guy’s and St Thomas’, which define who we are as an organisation and help shape our culture. They guide us in all our behaviours, actions and interactions which underpin how we do things.
Caring – we put patients first
Ambitious – we innovate and strive for excellence
Inclusive – we respect each other and work collaboratively
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Your clinical skills, like venepuncture and cannulation, will be much desirable alongside your ability to administer prescribed medications via IV therapy, subcutaneous, intramuscular and oral medications.
As an experienced staff nurse, your communication skills will be vital in your role as you coordinate, assess and facilitate patient appointments. You will be expected to complete nursing assessments safely and independently within a limited timeframe.
You are expected to escalate, report and work closely /alongside the ward sister or ward manager.
Your skills and literacy in IT will be required as we continue to transition to a paperless way of working.
A good attendance record and flexibility to extend your working hours are needed when the service requires.
Please see the attached Job description for full details.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
1. Registered nurse
Desirable criteria
2. Acute setting or outpatient experience
3. Link nurse role
4. SSSA+P or equivalent
Skills
Essential criteria
5. Medication management (oral/ IV/sub-cut)
6. Phlebotomy and IV cannulation
7. Urinary Catheterisation
8. Ability to navigate IT systems like epic
Desirable criteria
9. Nurse in charge experience
Experience
Essential criteria
10. Older Peoples experience
Desirable criteria
11. Acute or Community experience
Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.