Deputy Ward Manager- St Elizabeth Ward

St Elizabeth’s is a 17‑bedded inpatient surgical ward. It is a purpose‑built orthopaedic ward but it also caters for other disciplines such as urology, spinal, plastics, breast and general surgery.

It is a fast‑paced department with a high turnover of patients. The ward is modern, offering state‑of‑the‑art private inpatient rooms with en‑suite wet rooms, fully wheelchair accessible. Located in leafy St John’s Wood on the Jubilee line, minutes from Central London, our independent private hospital has just been rated the number one in the country for care in the latest Bupa survey.

Uniquely, all profits fund our on‑site hospice, St John’s.

Are you the right candidate for the Deputy Ward Manager role at St Elizabeth Ward?

• Registered Nurse
• Current NMC registration in Adult Nursing
• Educated to first‑degree level or equivalent experience
• Significant post‑qualification/registration experience in surgical nursing field
• Must have recent clinical experience at Sister/ Senior Staff Nurse level
• Demonstrable transformational leadership ability
• Expert clinical skills in surgical nursing
• Demonstrates ability to put the patient and family at the centre of everything
• Ability to facilitate and support learning

The Deputy Ward Manager is responsible for supporting the Ward Manager in the effective leadership, management and clinical delivery of care within the surgical inpatient ward. The post holder will ensure that high standards of patient care are maintained, staff are appropriately supported and supervised, and the ward environment promotes patient safety, quality and positive outcomes.

We will expect you to act as a visible clinical leader, providing professional guidance to nursing and support staff, coordinating day‑to‑day ward activities, and ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, evidence‑based care to patients undergoing surgical treatment.

The post holder will deputise for the Ward Manager in their absence and will contribute to service development, quality improvement initiatives, workforce planning and governance activities.

• Provide strong clinical leadership and act as a professional role model for all members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Maintain high standards of nursing care through direct clinical involvement and visible leadership.
• Ensure patients receive safe, compassionate, personalised, and evidence‑based care.
• Coordinate patient care activities to ensure continuity throughout the patient journey.
• Support nursing staff in the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care.
• Manage patients with complex surgical needs and provide specialist clinical advice when required.
• Ensure timely recognition and escalation of deteriorating patients in accordance with local policies.
• Lead by example in maintaining patient dignity, privacy and confidentiality.
• Participate in ward rounds and multidisciplinary team discussions to ensure coordinated care planning.
• Facilitate effective discharge planning from admission to reduce delays and improve patient flow.
• Ensure compliance with national and local clinical standards, policies and guidelines.
• Manage people and financial resources to ensure the effective operation of the team for which he/she is responsible. Ensure effective skill‑mix and appropriate caseload management at all times, providing frequent reports to the Ward Manager to ensure correct use of resources.
• Provide clear feedback to team members in a way that is conducive to maintaining and improving performance while working closely with the Ward Manager and the Human Resources Department as appropriate.
• Demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills. Establish and maintain effective two‑way communication channels with individuals and groups, always upholding the hospital values and demonstrating appropriate assertiveness and ability to challenge others when the rights of patients and others may be infringed, always providing a full report to the Ward Manager who will then carry on procedures if deemed necessary.
• Generate and sustain relationships that promote dignity, rights and responsibilities and immediately identify and take action to address…