Job summary
Two exciting opportunities have arisen for a Deputy Sister or Deputy Charge Nurse to join our dynamic friendly team. We have a permanent post and a maternity cover post available.

Are you looking for a new challenge?

Our goal is to provide our patients with the highest standards of care, if you think you have the commitment and skills to join our team and be able to deliver high quality care, we are waiting for your application.

As a team we are committed to recruiting staff that uphold our values and can deliver excellent care putting patients at the heart of everything we do, with an emphasis on working in partnership with patients and their families to provide the best possible experience and outcomes.

For the maternity cover post, internal applicants currently employed by ESNEFT will be offered on a secondment basis only.

1 role is permanent and full time and 1 role is fixed term until 31st March 2027.

Proposed Interview date: 31st July 2026

Main duties of the job

• To provide high quality, individualised nursing care to patients and their parents/carers through working as an effective member of the inter-disciplinary team.
• To develop clinical and managerial skills by taking charge of the ward in the absence of the Ward Manager
• To contribute to the supervision, assessment and education/development of ward staff and students.
• To contribute to the continuing development of nursing practice through research and audit.

About us
We are ESNEFT and we provide hospital and community health services to almost one million people across east Suffolk and north Essex. Our dedicated staff deliver care from acute hospitals in Colchester and Ipswich, community hospitals, surgeries, community clinics and in patients' own homes.

We are one of the largest NHS organisations in England, employing more than 12,000 staff.

We pride ourselves on supporting our staff. We offer a wide range of training and development opportunities, as well as flexible working options.

Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.

Our philosophy is that Time Matters to everyone. Across the Trust, we concentrate on improving the things we do and removing those which cause time delays for our staff and patients.

We are investing in our commitment to Time Matters with a partnership with leading electronic patient record (EPR) supplier Epic. This digital transformation will bring what's widely regarded as the world's best EPR system to ESNEFT, transforming life in hospital for staff and patients.

If you are passionate about patient care and want to develop your skills and knowledge, then we want to hear from you.

Find out about living and working here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkPu7HphU8A

Details
Date posted: 09 July 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 6
Salary: £39,959 to £48,117 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 432-HR518-26
Job locations: Colchester Hospital, Turner Road, Colchester, CO4 5JL

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse
• ENB 998 or equivalent
• Evidence of ongoing professional development
• Preceptorship module

Desirable

• Degree level qualifications
• Willing to work towards a degree

Experience
Essential

• Proven experience in nursing and delivering evidence based practice
• Team / people management

Desirable

• Experience in other fields of nursing
• Involved in change management

Knowledge and Skills
Essential

• Awareness and understanding of current patient safety initiatives
• Current practices / trends within nursing
• Good knowledge of infection control procedures/initiatives
• Awareness of current issues within health and nursing
• Awareness and understanding of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and Mental Capacity Act

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.

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

Employer details
Employer name: East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Colchester Hospital, Turner Road, Colchester, CO4 5JL
Employer's website: https://www.esneft.nhs.uk/

Employer contact details
Ward Manager Audrey Nungo, audrey.nungo@esneft.nhs.uk