Deputy Ward Leader

Deputy Ward Leader

The closing date is 19 July 2026

We are looking for a compassionate, motivated, and experienced Registered Children's Nurse to join our team as a Deputy Ward Leader. This is an exciting opportunity to take the next step in your leadership career, playing a key role in delivering exceptional, child and family‑centred care within our busy children's ward.

Working alongside the Ward Leader and senior nursing team, you will help lead, motivate, and develop a skilled multidisciplinary team, ensuring every child and family receives safe, high‑quality, evidence‑based care. In the absence of the Ward Leader, you will confidently manage the ward, coordinating clinical activity, supporting staff, and ensuring the effective day‑to‑day running of the service.

As Deputy Ward Leader, you will champion continuous improvement by contributing to clinical audit, research, quality improvement initiatives, and service development. You will mentor colleagues, support the development of students and newly qualified nurses, and help foster a positive and inclusive working environment.

This rewarding role offers the opportunity to make a meaningful difference to the lives of children and their families while developing your leadership skills within a supportive organisation. If you are passionate about delivering outstanding paediatric care, committed to professional excellence, and thrive in a fast‑paced environment, we would love to hear from you.

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

We are an award‑winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.

We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other.

We believe that we are truly a clinically‑led organisation.

We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as "outstanding" for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only "outstanding" NHS‑run hospital in the East Midlands.

Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:
Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs -

Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.

To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.

• Able to take charge in the absence of Ward leader providing care in line with Trust policies and procedures
• Specialist clinical knowledge based on research evidence
• Involvement in leadership, teaching and mentorship
• Evidence of involvement in change / project management incorporating staff or patient involvement
• Evidence of basic research and development appreciation and application within a given area

• Current NMC registration (RN child, RSCN, Midwife)
• Evidence of professional / clinical knowledge acquired through CPD and experience
• Teaching qualification
• Degree level studies or working towards Teaching qualification
• Attendance at LEO or equivalent course

• Demonstrates involvement in development of protocols and clinical audit
• Evidence of involvement of practice or policy changes arising from audit
• Paediatric advanced life support training

• Minimum 2 years at E grade
• Ability to analyse and make decisions in relation to family risk and care in complex cases
• Effective communicator. Articulate verbally and written. Able to provide and receive complex or sensitive information
• Ability to lead and develop staff

• 24 hour cover internal rotation to night duty

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

£39,959 to £48,117 a year pro rata per annum