Job summary
An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Surgical division. We require a Ward Manager with substantial years experience post registration and at least 2 years at Band 6.

The post holder will carry professional, clinical and educational responsibilities for the provision of patient services within the Surgical/Colorectal Ward and an integrated Surgical assessment unit.

The post holder will be expected to have knowledge in Surgery/Colorectal and the services that are provided for inpatients. They will be expected to work as part of a team and be able to successfully lead a team on a daily basis to ensure that a high standard of care is given at all times.

Main duties of the job
The role of the Ward Manager is extremley important in ensuring that patient safety is maintained and a high standard of care is delivered at all times.

The post holder will be a leader for the ward team, maintain high standard of patient care, ensure the ward is staffed safely and all training is up to date.

They will possess a strong knowledge of Surgery/Colorectal and be passionate about introducing new initiatives and improvements.

The post holder would practice autonomously within the wards outlined in the job summary.

The post holder would expected to practice within national/local guidelines and protocols.

About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 10,500 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.

We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.

Our services:

Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.

Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.

Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.

Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.

Achievements:

• Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme

Job responsibilities
Please ensure you have read through the attached Job Description and Person Specification before submitting your application.

Advertising date: 22nd September 2026
Closing date: 29th September 2026
Shortlisting date: 30th September 2026
Proposed Interview date: TBC

Please note, this post may close earlier than advertised if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Person Specification
Skills
Essential

• Current up to date and relevant clinical skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organisational and management skills
• Able to act as a leader, effectively managing staff in the department
• Accountable for own professional actions
• Ability to network and build relationships at all levels act as a change agent
• Computer literacy eg experience of electronic patient record

Other
Essential

• Frequent sitting or standing in a restricted position; occasional moderate effort for several short period
• Walks, stands most of shift; occasionally moves, occasional manoeuvres patients
• Frequent concentration, work pattern unpredictable Concentration for patient clinical work
• Dealing with frequent interruptions and competing demands
• Occasional highly distressing or emotional circumstances. Deals with patient complaints, conveys unwelcome news, management of complaints/concerns arising from incidents, communicating to patients and relatives
• Working in ward environment providing direct clinical care
• Potential blood or body fluids exposure

Knowledge
Essential

• Able to demonstrate knowledge of NMC professional standards for practice contained within the code
• Experience of managing teams
• Experience of service development, such as clinical pathway management
• Substantial experience of working in a clinical environment
• Understanding of budget management within the NHS at departmental level
• Experience of involvement in relevant research/audit to underpin evidence-based practice
• Understand key features of clinical governance and risk

Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse or Registered health professional Diploma / Degree level qualification
• Current NMC Registration
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Leadership training or qualification (minimum Level 4 ILM or equivalent) or equivalent experience

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. 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).

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

Employer details
Employer name: Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Address: Southport and Formby DGH, Town Lane, Southport, PR8 6PN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: Apply through our website

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Surgical Matron
Penny Sinclair
Penny.Sinclair@MerseyWestLancs.nhs.uk
01704703809