Registered Nurse - Inpatients​/HDU

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.

We are seeking a motivated and compassionate Registered Nurse to join the IP1/HDU team. You will deliver high‑quality, evidence‑based nursing care as part of the multidisciplinary team, supporting patients, relatives and carers in a busy acute environment.

The role includes taking charge of shifts in the absence of the Senior Nurse, providing leadership and guidance to junior staff, and contributing to education, supervision and safe, effective care delivery in line with the NMC Code and national standards.

You must be a UK NMC Registered Nurse with strong listening and interpersonal skills, able to manage your time effectively in a busy clinical environment. You are expected to meet the requirements outlined in the job description and demonstrate a professional, patient‑focused approach to care delivery.

This post will be based at The Balfour.

Working pattern:
Full Time, 36 hours per week.

Contract:

Permanent.

It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with NHS Orkney.

The salary for this post is Band 5 and, if residing on Orkney, you will also receive a Distant Islands Allowance of £1,719 pro rata per annum.

NHS Orkney also offers an attractive pension scheme, a wide range of work‑life balance policies, an employee assistance programme and various discounts to both local and national retailers.

If you share our vision and are ready to be part of Team Orkney, we’d love to hear from you. Your rewarding career starts here!

We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If there are additional requirements you would like to request, please contact ork.recruitmentt.

For further guidance on the recruitment process and tips for creating a strong application, please refer to our Candidate Application Pack.

To find out more about this opportunity please contact Joanna Laird or Lucy Flett, Senior Charge Nurses on joanna.lairdt or lucy.flettt.

This post is subject to a Disclosure Scotland check.

NHS Orkney is an equal opportunities employer committed to advancing equality and particularly welcomes applications from groups of people currently under‑represented within the workforce. We are a committed participant in the Disability Confident Leader Scheme and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for our vacancies.