Job summary
Family Services and Surgical Division
Day Surgery Unit (Band 5)
The Day Surgery Unit is looking to recruit enthusiastic a Band 5 Staff Nurse and Operating Department Practitioner to support this busy Department with an emphasis on Theatre based practitioners. We are looking for all round trained Theatre Practitioners/ODPs with a qualification that must be recognised in the UK with an interest in Anaesthetics and Orthopaedics.

Working in Day Surgery will help you maintain a good work life balance, enjoy the structure of elective procedures along with day case trauma and emergency procedures and the support to develop personally and professionally.

The successful applicants will be expected to work across the Theatres Complex which includes Main Theatres.

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff

Our Mission is to work in partnership to provide high quality, compassionate services and to nurture an environment where people can be at their best.

Main duties of the job
We are an innovative and busy Day Surgery Unit being part of the Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The unit consists of two theatres in Dorset County Hospital, the Eye Day Case unit (also based in Dorset County Hospital) as well as a satellite unit at Weymouth Community Hospital.

The unit provides for a variety of procedures and strives to provide exceptional levels of patient care in order to meet the expanding needs of the local community. Rotation will be required to work across all sites. You may also be required to support in other theatre areas as required.

Our patient feedback is consistently outstanding which makes us a team you will want to be part of. We currently cater for patients undergoing ENT. General/Breast Surgery, Gynaecology, Colorectal surgery, Orthopaedic surgery, Urology, Maxillo- Facial surgery and Special Dentistry in the Day Surgery theatres. We also provide post-operative care to patients that are on the day case pathway having received Ophthalmic surgery, ENT surgery, orthopaedic/trauma surgery, Gynae surgery, General surgery and procedures performed in Interventional Radiology (IR).

We currently provide a service from Monday to Friday, 7am until 8pm.

If you are not sure what we do or if the Day Surgery Unit is for you, please call us to arrange a visit we would love the opportunity to show you around, meet the team and see the great work we do.

About us
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.

UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibilitycriteria

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

Details
Date posted: 15 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Part-time
Reference number: 405-26-NM361DSU
Job locations: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Williams Avenue, Dorchester, DT1 2JY, United Kingdom

Job description
Job responsibilities
Our DCHFT Job Description and Person Specification (attached) tells you all about this role, what to expect and what is needed to succeed. When completing your application please make sure to tell us how your experience and skills fit the person specification.

Please contact us at Recruitment@dchft.nhs.uk if you are unable to view or download the attachment.

For all our roles, we are looking for staff who hold our Trust Values of Integrity, Respect Teamwork and Excellence, and who are passionate about providing the best patient care. To read more about our Trust and our Values search Dorset County Hospital online.

Person Specification
Education, Qualifications

• Registered Practitioner.
• Evidence of CPD.

Desirable

• Teaching course/ qualification.

Experience

• Significant and recent experience as a staff nurse/ODP at band 5 in the NHS
• Recent experience of working in the NHS

Desirable

• Understanding of professional nursing issues.

Skills, Abilities & Knowledge

• Evidence of ability to practice as a proficient practitioner.
• Evidence of ability to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, patients and visitors.
• Demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality.

Desirable

• Evidence of an ability to manage time effectively.
• Understanding of clinical governance and its requirements.
• Evidence of an area of special interest.
• Evidence of ability to develop leadership skills.
• Knowledge of clinical audit.
• Evidence of critical appraisal skills.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check
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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

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.

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants... have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.

Employer details
Employer name: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Williams Avenue, Dorchester, DT1 2JY, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.dchft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Senior Sister, Rachel Wood, Rachel.wood@dchft.nhs.uk, 01305255205

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