Senior Charge Nurse (Outpatients) 254430

About the Organisation:

NHS Orkney is committed to delivering excellent care to our 22,000 residents. Whether you’re new to the NHS or bringing experience from elsewhere, your skills will make a real difference.

Our modern healthcare facility, The Balfour, brings together inpatient care, emergency services, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service. We’re also investing in services across our outer isles, ensuring high-quality care reaches every corner of Orkney.

We are guided by our core values that shape everything we do – Open and honest, Respect and Kindness – from how we care for our patients to how we support each other as colleagues.

With over 70 islands – 20 of them inhabited – Orkney offers a unique blend of natural beauty, close-knit community and an opportunity for adventure. From dramatic coastlines and rare wildlife to rich cultural traditions and active lifestyles, it’s a place where compassion thrives and every day brings something new. Regularly named one of the UK’s best places to live, Orkney offers a lifestyle that’s both fulfilling and inspiring.

As Senior Charge Nurse for Outpatients and Pre-Assessment, you will provide visible, professional and clinical leadership across both services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, safe and effective patient care. You will hold continuing responsibility for the management and development of the Outpatients Department and Pre-Assessment Service, leading a skilled multidisciplinary team to deliver excellent clinical outcomes and an outstanding patient experience.

Working closely with medical, nursing and allied health professional colleagues, you will coordinate patient care pathways and ensure services are responsive, efficient and centred on the needs of patients and their families. You will lead a team of registered nurses, associate practitioners, senior healthcare support workers and student nurses, creating a positive and supportive environment that promotes professional development, accountability and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the operational management of the department, including workforce planning, performance management and budget oversight. Through strong leadership and effective resource management, you will ensure services are delivered in line with local and national standards, organisational objectives and best practice.

You will play a key role in driving service development and quality improvement, leading the implementation of evidence-based practice, developing clinical protocols and guidelines, and ensuring patients have access to high-quality information that supports their care journey. In addition, you will provide leadership for the Pre-Assessment Service, ensuring patients are appropriately assessed, prepared and supported ahead of treatment or procedures.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and motivated nurse leader to influence service delivery, champion excellence in patient care and contribute to the ongoing development of outpatient and pre-assessment services within NHS Orkney.

You will be a first-level registered nurse with substantial post-registration experience, including previous experience at Band 6 level. Educated to degree level, or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience, you will have a strong commitment to continuous professional development and delivering high-quality patient care.

The successful candidate will bring proven clinical expertise within a relevant specialty, alongside experience of service improvement, change management and supporting the development of others through mentorship and preceptorship. You will be a credible and approachable leader, able to motivate and influence multidisciplinary teams while maintaining positive working relationships across staff groups.

You will possess excellent communication, organisational and time management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and contribute to service development. Strong digital literacy is essential, including experience using Microsoft Office…