Job overview
We’re offering a fantastic opportunity for an experienced paediatric nurse to join our Paediatric Spinal and Orthopaedic Multidisciplinary Team as a Specialist Sister on a 9-month maternity cover.
This is a role where your expertise, leadership, and passion for children’s healthcare will really shine. As this is only 9-month secondment, we are looking for someone who brings strong clinical knowledge, especially in paediatric orthopaedic and spinal surgery, along with the confidence to lead, support, and inspire others.
If you’re motivated, compassionate, and eager to make a real difference to children, young people, and their families, we’d love you to join us.
Main duties of the job
In this role, you will use your specialist expertise in paediatric orthopaedic and spinal surgery to support families and guide colleagues, while also contributing to the planning and delivery of care for complex patients. This will include attending multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings to support admission planning and ensure safe, coordinated pathways for children with complex needs. You will help to shape and improve patient pathways to maintain the highest standards of care and experience, while leading with confidence by setting goals, making decisions, and driving positive change.
You will also play a key role in staff management, undertaking PDRs, managing sickness, holding career conversations, and supporting overall team development. Acting as a role model and mentor for junior staff and newly qualified nurses, you will foster professional growth while maintaining clear and compassionate communication with children, families, and the wider team.
In addition, you will contribute to governance and quality improvement by reviewing Radars, sharing learning with staff, and promoting reflective practice. Close collaboration with the ward sister and multidisciplinary colleagues will be essential to sustaining a culture of excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.
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.
At Evelina, we are reminded every day of how important life is, and how important it is to look after the health and wellbeing of our staff as they balance of responsibilities in and out of work. We are committed to supporting flexible working; we want to support you to work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Part time working is available.
We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and creating a sense of belonging and fun for all our teams caring for women, children and families; as we continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs, we recognise the huge benefit of our workforce being reflective of the diverse communities we serve.
We are committed to supporting the professional development of staff, and have excellent training and educational offerings. Recognising that looking after babies, children and young people is incredibly rewarding, but can also bring challenge we offer amazing resources to help support our staff’s emotional wellbeing and resilience.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Clinical Governance, Audit And Research:
1. Demonstrate a high level of commitment to and enthusiasm for research, evidence based practice, audit and education in the clinical area.
2. Actively contribute to reconfiguration projects, service redesign
developments and Directorate business planning as required.
3. Be proactive in the risk assessment, management, clinical incident
reporting and management of complaints.
4. Ensure all staff move and handle patients and goods in ways that promote the health of the patient and care team and are consistent with legislation.
5. Contribute to the development of Directorate and Trust policies,
procedures and clinical guidelines and ensure adherence by self and ward team.
6. Undertake clinical and associated audits as appropriate for the given area.
7. To record and report all incidents, accidents and complaints involving staff, patients and visitors in accordance with the trust policies and initiate investigations as required.
8. To participate in, and comply with, the trusts framework for clinical
governance within the department area.
9. To assist in the investigation and timely resolution of complaints, incidents and comments within the specialist service
10. Provide a seamless, high quality service from referral through to
assessment, diagnosis, treatment and review.
11. Work alongside Ward manger and lead on the implementation of the
clinical and organisational model for the area.
12. To contribute to and to be aware of the business plan and its implication for service delivery and nursing',
See attached Job description for more details
Person specification
Qualification & Knowledge
Essential criteria
13. Registered children's nurse
14. Mentorship course
15. BSC nursing
Desirable criteria
16. Leadership course or evidence of leadership development
17. Masters Degree
Values and behaviour
Essential criteria
18. Demonstrates and upholds the Trust’s core values by consistently showing respect, integrity, compassion, and teamwork in all aspects of patient care and professional interactions.
Experience
Essential criteria
19. Experience of undertaking audit / research based nursing practice
20. Experience of resource management
21. Experience of teaching/assessing/supervising others in clinical setting.
Desirable criteria
22. Experience of analysing detailed information
23. Experience of conducting own projects successfully and follow through action
Skills
Essential criteria
24. Evidence of good written communication skills and ability to utilise basic clinical IT applications,
25. Is able to effectively present information to professional teams
26. Is able to provide evidence of good clinical and leadership skills
27. Is able to work unsupervised & motivate self and others
Desirable criteria
28. Ability to interpret and analyse complex data and findings
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.