Job Summary
At NHS Blood & Transplant we help people to do something extraordinary - donate blood, organs, tissues, or stem cells to save and enhance lives. We play a unique and special role in the NHS, and it takes all types of people to deliver the kind of service that saves and improves lives.
As a Band 6 Sister/Charge Nurse, you will be joining one of our front-line teams that covers Hertfordshire. You will be travelling throughout the region to mobile sessions- so your daily workplace will rarely look the same.
Joining us as a Donor-facing Band 6 Nurse, you will be responsible for leading a team of Donor Carers and Donor Care Supervisors, ensuring they are motivated, well-trained, and capable of delivering excellent care to our donors.
You don’t need prior experience of working as a session nurse, you will have access to a full training programme and supernumerary period.
Main duties of the job
You will be expected to foster a positive working environment, provide ongoing training, and support, and address any team issues or concerns that arise. You will use your clinical expertise and judgment to assess whether potential donors meet the necessary health and safety criteria for blood donation. This includes considering the donor's medical history, current health status, and any other relevant factors.
This role requires strong leadership skills, clinical expertise, and a deep understanding of regulatory requirements. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that the team delivers exceptional care while making critical decisions that affect donor safety and the overall quality of the service.
• Taking clinical responsibility for ensuring the safe assessment and blood donation of our donors.
• Being accountable for the safe running of a blood donation session.
• Taking responsibility for ensuring an excellent donor experience.
• Maintaining the competency and skills of your team and yourself.
• Being able to adapt communication styles for difficult conversations.
• Maintaining your professional development to help us deliver improvements to our practice.
Your working hours will be on a shift basis but, the normal hours for this role are 5 days per week/10 days per fortnight for full time but we also have part-time working available. The team collect blood through all 7 days of the week. There is no fixed pattern. Early shifts usually start at 7am and finish 17:30. Late shifts usually start at 10:45am and finish 21:30, this will be 9.5 hour days.
Weekend and bank holiday working will be required. You can expect to work some long hours, but you won’t be working more than five days a week- and never any nights!
Our Sister/Charge Nurses work in a fast moving and variable environment and play an essential role in the collection of blood and blood products, directly contributing to saving and improving patient’s lives. Find out more about Nursing at NHSBT here: Nursing - NHSBT Careers
About You
Experience and Knowledge
• Demonstrate leadership qualities and understand the principles of best practice to deliver high quality care.
• Have experience of supporting the professional development of others.
• Have an understanding of clinical audit and research.
• Have experience of supporting improvements and change in practice.
• Have an awareness of patient safety initiatives and risk management.
• Have experience of working with Information Technology such as hand-held devices and Microsoft Office packages (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
Qualifications and Training
• Registered Nurse with current Nursing and Midwifery Council registration (which must be maintained) as Registered Nurse – Adult
• Hold a full and valid UK driving licence with no more than 6 points