Senior Charge Nurse - Enhanced Therapeutic Observation and Care
Job reference: 264207
Salary: Band 7 (£52,845 - £61,466)
Job closing date: 19/11/2026
Job Type: Nursing and Midwifery
Location: University Hospital Ayr and University Hospital Crosshouse
Employment type: Permanent
Hours Per Week: 36
Department: Emergency Care
Employer (NHS Board): NHS Ayrshire and Arran

Who we are
NHS Ayrshire and Arran are one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland. In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran, we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

Position
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Band 7 Registered Mental Health Nurse to support and lead improvements in Enhanced Therapeutic Observation and Care (ETOC) across acute hospital sites.

ETOC (Enhanced Therapeutic Observation and Care) focuses on ensuring patients who require additional therapeutic support and observation receive safe, person-centred, and clinically appropriate care.

This role will focus on strengthening the quality, coordination, and consistency of care delivery for:

• Patients requiring 1:1 enhanced therapeutic observation
• Cohorted patients within acute care environments
• Patients detained under current mental health legislation

The post will play a key role in improving patient outcomes and experience, while supporting a reduction in reliance on supplementary staffing through improved assessment, coordination, and more effective workforce utilisation.

Hours
36 hours per week.

UK Driving Licence
A UK driving licence is essential for this role.

What you will do
As the Band 7 Senior Charge Nurse, you will provide clinical and operational leadership to enhance ETOC practice across acute services. This will include:

• Reviewing and strengthening assessment processes for patients requiring enhanced therapeutic observation and care
• Developing and embedding consistent, high-quality care approaches for cohorted and detained patients
• Ensuring care delivery aligns with mental health legislation, professional standards, and organisational policies
• Working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, senior nurses, and operational leads
• Supporting staff education, upskilling, and promoting consistent standards of ETOC delivery
• Improving the coordination and oversight of enhanced observation to ensure safe, effective use of resources and reduce supplementary staffing spend
• Contributing to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting to support ongoing service improvement

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Band 7 RMN to:

• Lead improvements in quality and safety of patient care
• Strengthen clinical and operational leadership skills
• Support delivery of more sustainable workforce models
• Influence practice for patients requiring enhanced therapeutic care within acute settings

Knowledge, training and/or experience required for this post
You will be a Registered Mental Health Nurse with significant post registration and management experience, demonstrating:

• Strong clinical knowledge of mental health care within acute or complex environments
• Experience supporting patients requiring enhanced observation and/or detention under mental health legislation
• Proven leadership and ability to influence and improve practice
• Excellent communication and collaborative working skills
• Understanding of workforce pressures and commitment to improving quality while promoting efficient use of resources

Right to Work
It is essential that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored before submitting your application form. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks.

Additional Information for Candidates

• Apply through the NHS Jobs Scotland application process. Do not upload a CV as it will not be used for shortlisting.
• Posts close at midnight on the indicated date. Late applications will not be accepted.
• Please note that our correspondence method is by email, therefore please ensure you enter your email address accurately.

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.