Job overview
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced senior nurse to support safe, effective and compassionate care across our hospital site. This role is central to maintaining high clinical standards, ensuring safe patient flow, and providing visible leadership to staff throughout the organisation.
As a key point of contact for operational and clinical escalation, you will work closely with matrons, ward leaders, the duty manager, and multidisciplinary teams to maintain oversight of staffing, acuity, and site pressures. You will help coordinate responses to clinical incidents, support wards during periods of increased demand, and contribute to maintaining a safe environment for patients and staff.
The postholder will champion professional standards, promote a culture of safety and continuous improvement, and act as a role model for the trust’s values. You will use your clinical expertise, decision‑making skills, and leadership to ensure that risks are identified early and mitigated effectively, even in a fast‑paced and unpredictable environment.
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Band 6 or Band 7 nurse looking to broaden their leadership portfolio, influence site‑wide care delivery, and play a vital role in supporting operational resilience across the trust.
Main duties of the job
CLINCAL AND GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
·Enforces the Trust’s safe staffing policy and is the first point of contact for the resolution of clinical problems out of hours
·Attends and assists with all medical emergencies in the Trust and associated areas
·Regular visits to A&E, Assessment Units and all relevant wards to gather all necessary information to promptly manage the flow of patients as they enter the Trust
·At all times be fully aware of the next A&E breach time, ambulance offloads and have a plan to facilitate.
·A comprehensive understanding of emergency and elective care
Working for our organisation
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. Continually work in liaison with all relevant staff taking the lead in co-ordinating roles in times of bed pressure
2. Throughout the shift, manage a continuous bed flow alerting ED & Assessment Units as soon as beds are available.
3. Facilitate and support wards with prompt turnover of beds as patients are discharged, recommending Discharge Lounge for all appropriate patients
4. Receive referrals for the relevant tertiary patients requiring beds and make decisions for bed allocation liaising directly with the referring hospital
5. To assist in monitoring reports on effective bed management as requested, support staff in the provision & assessment of care needs
Please see detailed Job Description attached.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
6. Current registration with the NMC
7. Evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
8. Previous bed management / patient flow experience
Communication Skills
Essential criteria
9. Evidence of good interpersonal skills.
10. Clear, concise written skills.
11. Ability to communicate & escalate issues to senior directors & execs providing SITREP information
Desirable criteria
12. Ability to teach.
13. Counselling skills
Knowledge and Experience
Essential criteria
14. Able to demonstrate extensive operational experience as a Senior Nurse Band 6 level
15. Experience of liaising with patients/carers
16. Able to articulate the complexities of the NHS and how this interfaces and impacts on site management
17. Knowledge of internal crisis & major incident management
18. Knowledge of child protection and adult safeguarding
Desirable criteria
19. Mentorship / Practice Supervisor & Practice Assessor Preparation or teaching qualification or working towards
20. Can describe the Trust Values and demonstrate how they put these in to practice within their caring role
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.