Job Summary
Department: Children's Services. Ward 04 - Paediatric Assessment Unit
Band 6, £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata
There are two positions available:

• 1 Part Time, Permanent Position - 28.0 hrs/wk
• 1 Full Time, Fixed Term Contract until 31.03.2027 - 37.5hrs/wk.

All MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working
This is an exciting time to join our amazing team in Children's Services as we are working on the project to expand our services and building a NEW Children's Hospital, which will bring opportunities for career development in different areas (including specialist care). We welcome enthusiastic, caring and motivated leaders to join our team of nurses to provide dynamic, high-quality family centred nursing care to children, young people and babies. 'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'
Please note: We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.
Interview date: w/c 24 August 2026

Main duties of the job
This Band 6 role will require someone who really wants to develop themselves in a very supportive environment. You will need to be competent, caring, courageous, and compassionate, with the proven ability to work individually and as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their commitment to continuously developing professionally whilst supporting junior colleagues in an acute clinical environment.Across every area of the Paediatric Unit, we continually strive, as a multi-disciplinary team, to offer high quality, evidenced based and holistic care to all our children. We believe that we have much to offer any candidate who joins our team. Indeed, we recognise that it's also about you!! As a Unit we offer: Support for your educational needs to ensure your continued development, through access to relevant courses and support from our dedicated Paediatric Practice Development team. Some examples of training/courses available:

• High Dependency course
• PILS/EPLS
• Assessor/supervisor training
• Caring for children with diabetes or cancer
• Skills training (Venepuncture/cannulation, NGT, central line, tracheostomy, etc)

About us
Milton Keynes University Hospital, in proud partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital committed to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and education. With a "Good" rating from the CQC and significant investment underway, this is an exciting time to join our team and grow your career. As a medium sized general hospital, we provide a full range of general medical and surgical services, including a busy Emergency Department, Maternity, and Paediatrics. As the population of our city and surrounding areas continues to grow rapidly, we are expanding and enhancing our facilities to meet rising demand and improve access to care for all our communities. We are also proud to offer a growing portfolio of specialist services. In January 2025 we opened our state-of-the-art Radiotherapy Centre, bringing advanced cancer treatment closer to home. Our services also include neonatology, specialist surgical care, and a wide range of diagnostics, supported by the new Community Diagnostic Centre at Whitehouse Health Centre. We have just opened the Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards. Further investment is underway, including the recently approved Women and Children's Centre, set to open by 2030. Visit our website to explore the latest news and opportunities at MKUH - News - Milton Keynes University Hospital - For further information about Milton Keynes please visit - Visit Milton Keynes

Job responsibilities
NHS Staff Survey: Our Compassionate Culture and Leadership scores reflect a workplace where kindness, respect, and empathy are the norm, not the exception.
The children services consist of the following:

• Ward 4: Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU) - Ward 4 is open 24 hours a day, has 16 PAU beds that flexes capacity to meet the ever-changing needs of our children. We offer access to expert, evidence based and family centred assessment, treatment, and care.
• Paediatric Day Surgery Unit - 6 bedded area open Monday to Friday, specific for day surgery cases, including Dental, Urology, General Surgery, ENT, Trauma & Orthopaedics and Ophthalmology. Supported by Ward 4 senior staff, we provide care to children all ages and their families, from pre-operative assessment to discharge.
• Ward 5 - Is an Inpatient ward with 22 bed spaces offering Medical, Surgical, Oncology and Orthopaedic care for 0-16-year-olds. The Ward offers every opportunity for the successful applicant to succeed and develop, providing the necessary training courses, which provide the skills and competencies to care for children and young people.
• Paediatric Outpatients/Paediatric Day Care Unit - Delivers specialist clinics for children that require long, and short term follow up of care.

We also work very closely with Neonatal Unit and our Childrens Emergency Department, which is part of the emergency medicine division. We are continuously looking at new ways in which we ensure patient experience is pivotal within the care we provide and are exploring initiative developments to take this forward. You will need to be a registered paediatric nurse with a minimum of two years experience at band 5 or above in relevant speciality. Please refer to attached Job description for further information.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Nurse (Child)
• BLS / ILS / PILS

Desirable

• EPLS
• HDU module or equivalent
• Practice assessor training

Knowledge
Essential

• Understanding of NMC Code of Conduct
• Knowledge of current Nursing Issues
• Knowledge of Scope of professional practice
• Understanding of holistic family centred care
• Ability to recognise own limitations
• Able to communicate concerns in a timely manner
• Knowledge of child protection issues
• Understanding of pressures and targets within inpatient care

Desirable

• Acute paediatric experience in the NHS

Communication
Essential

• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Good communication skills with children and families
• Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
• Be able to communicate effectively via telephone, individual or group discussion
• Ability to communicate with all members of the multidisciplinary team on regular basis
• Able to deal with the emotional consequences of illness/trauma (difficult and upsetting situations, in particular)
• Be able to speak English as necessary to undertake the role.

Skills
Essential

• Planning skills
• Prioritising skills
• Punctual, good attendance record
• Ability to synthesise complex information
• Ability to maintain concentration under stressful conditions
• Ability to recognise, report and diffuse conflict situations
• Ability to work within a high turnover, pressurised environment daily.
• Professional approach
• Good documentation and record keeping
• Up to date clinical skills
• Ability to calculate drug dosage

Desirable

• Use of eCare

Personal and people development
Essential

• Articulate. Decisive, Assertive, Innovative, Calm, Motivated
• Flexible approach to working hours
• Team player

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).