Job summary
Band 6 Theatre Practitioner (Nurse or Operating Department Practitioner)
Theatres - Anaesthetics and Recovery 2 x posts
Band 6 £39,959 - £48,117 per annum, pro rata if part time
Hours: 37.5 per week. All MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working.

Are you an enthusiastic Band 6 theatre practitioner with current NMC/HCPC registration? You will play a key role in delivering safe, high quality perioperative care within a multidisciplinary team. Take on a leadership role within the perioperative team, supporting the safe delivery of safe, effective and high-quality patient care while contributing to service development. You will play an important part in developing the team and embedding best practice across our theatre service. You will have significant experience within anaesthetics and recovery, demonstrate leadership potential or experience within a theatre setting, have excellent communication and organisational skills and be adaptable working in a fast paced environment.

Milton Keynes University Hospital celebrated our 1000th robotic surgery in August 2025. This highlights our commitment to innovation and quality, with robotic-assisted procedures now routinely performed across colorectal, urology, gynaecology, and general surgery specialties.

For further information or an informal visit, please contact Audrey Hanopol Senior Team Leader Anaesthetics and Recovery at Audrey.hanopol@mkuh.nhs.uk or call 01908 995554.

Interview date: week commencing 20 July 2026

Main duties of the job
94% feel that their role makes a difference to patients and service users. (NHS Survey, 2024)

We care. We communicate. We collaborate. We contribute.

The theatres at MKUH are split into two suites with a total of 12 operating theatres, and a procedure room suite which undertakes both elective and emergency work. The role of the Band 6 is to assist in theatres in the delivery of safe and effective care to the patient.

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.

Further investment is underway, including the construction of Oak Wards - a new ward block featuring two 24-bed wards - and the recently approved Women and Children's Centre, set to open by 2030.

Job responsibilities
Join #TeamSurgery at Milton Keynes University Hospital

The surgery division at MKUH, which covers specialties including theatres and the Intensive Care Unit, offers a variety of roles and opportunities, both clinical and non-clinical. The division are looking for passionate, enthusiastic and forward-thinking professionals to join the team.

MKUH is one of the leading hospitals in Europe for implementing robotics to assist in surgery, becoming the first in the continent to use the CMR Versius robot for gynaecological surgery. Since its introduction in 2019, the theatres team have completed over 500 surgical cases, the first hospital in the UK to reach this milestone, achieving this in March 2023.

As well as being an innovator in robotics, the Trust is proud to be part of the New Hospital Programme, with plans to expand and increase our surgical capacity to meet the health needs of our communities now and in the future.

With a leading benefits package, and a growing hospital estate to meet one of the fastest growing populations in the country, it is a great time to join MKUH.

Managerial and Leadership Responsibilities:

• Manage overall responsibility of the running of specific clinical theatre list within a given day, including organising resources (to include staff) and dealing with emergency requests, re-establishing priorities as required to meet service needs.
• Act as team leader undertaking delegated tasks from Senior Team Leader / Manager to include PDR, sickness and performance management.

Clinical

• Assess, develop, implement and evaluate patient care when receiving the patient into the theatre environment, whilst supporting the patient through invasive procedures and during handover at the completion of the anaesthetic/surgical procedure. Be able to deal with more complex cases such as paediatric patients (6 months onwards) and able to assist with difficult airways (awake fibre optic intubations).
• Prepare, assemble and check theatre and anaesthetic equipment, planning and organising their own time and that of junior staff. Ensuring the provision of equipment and stock for procedures planned for the coming week, troubleshooting potential issues as required.

Person Specification

Qualifications and knowledge
Essential

• NVQ Level 3 Operating Department Practice OR Registered General Nurse OR DipHE Operating Department Practice OR accredited additional qualification in anaesthetic practice equivalent to AAGBI
• Mentorship course

Desirable

• Evidence of degree level study
• First Line Management Course/Team Leadership course or equivalent

Experience
Essential

• Experience of working in the theatre environment
• Experience of mentoring students

Skills
Essential

• Ability to communicate sensitive and complex information to people with widely varying levels of understanding
• Ability to assess patients and plan, organise and evaluate their care
• Ability to manage own workload and that of junior staff
• Ability to work with high levels of physical skill
• Ability to maintain accurate records
• Ability to assess patients as fit for transfer
• Ability to organize the ongoing provision of staff, kit and disposables
• Ability to help develop and implement new policies and procedures

Personal and people development
Essential

• Self-motivated
• Acts as a role model
• Has a flexible attitude
• Encourages and develops juniors and trainees
• Has good organizational skills

Communication
Essential

• Excellent and accurate written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to communicate sensitive and complex information to people with widely varying levels of understanding

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.