Clinical Nurse Manager
Royal Edinburgh & Associated Services (REAS)
Permanent | 36 Hours per Week
Location: Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh
Salary: Band 8A (£65,125 - £70,303)

NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

We are recruiting to the post of Clinical Nurse Manager

NHS Lothian is excited to be recruiting to a Clinical Nurse Manager at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital

We are looking for an inspirational leader who is caring, compassionate and motivated to join our strong, empowered and highly skilled nursing family.

Our Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan sets out our Vision, Ambitions and Values that enable excellent care for our patients and service users. It also demonstrates what you can expect from our organisation and what you can aspire to in your own career development. A collaborative, person focused approach is at the very centre of everything we aspire to achieve, and necessary to deliver care that is high quality, compassionate, safe and effective. We continue to work towards having a diverse and inclusive culture for people who work for us and use our services. We want everyone to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution. We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and communities. We are committed to supporting the development of a nursing and midwifery workforce that is made up of diverse skills and experiences. We are interested in your passion for developing with us as a leader as well as demonstrating alignment with the values and ambitions set out in our Strategic Plan. We are committed to providing the strong foundations of clinical education with our Clinical Education and Training team, our education co-ordinators, robust induction programmes and preceptorship as well as working with you to build on your leadership strengths.

Recruitment process
We use a values and competency-based recruitment process that is linked to the ambitions set out in our Strategic Plan. Within NHS Lothian, Nursing and Midwifery interviews are linked to our Nursing & Midwifery Strategic Plan. We aim to offer an equitable experience and are sharing interview questions in advance. A selection of the interview questions can be found on our Careers site: How to Apply – NHS Lothian Careers

Use of AI in applications
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• Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
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• Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.

Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.

Please note: we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at an early stage.

We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.

This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Learning Disability Service, Royal Edinburgh & Associated Services (REAS), for an experienced and motivated Clinical Nurse Manager to provide strategic and professional nursing leadership across Learning Disability services.

Reporting to the Clinical Service Manager and working closely with the Chief Nurse and General Manager, the post holder will lead the delivery and development of high-quality, safe, effective and person-centered services for people with learning disabilities, ensuring care is delivered in a rights-based and trauma-informed manner.

The Clinical Nurse Manager is responsible for the professional leadership and management of nursing and clinical support staff across Learning Disability inpatient services and community facing teams. This role provides leadership to approximately 170 WTE staff and contributes to the management of a budget of approximately £7 million.

Working as part of the REAS senior management team, you will provide visible leadership, support service improvement and redesign programmes, drive professional standards, and ensure effective governance arrangements are in place to support high-quality patient care.

Key Responsibilities

• Professional leadership of Learning Disability nursing services across REAS.
• Leadership and management of Senior Charge Nurses, Team Leaders and clinical staff.
• Workforce planning, succession planning and professional development of nursing teams.
• Leadership of service redesign, quality improvement and change management initiatives.
• Delivery of quality, safety, governance and performance objectives.
• Oversight of workforce, financial and operational resources.
• Management of clinical risk, complaints, incidents and investigations.
• Development and implementation of policies, protocols and professional standards.
• Working in partnership with Health and Social Care Partnerships, local authorities, advocacy organisations, voluntary agencies and other key stakeholders.
• Deputising for the Clinical Service Manager and supporting wider REAS leadership responsibilities as required.

About You
You will be a Registered Learning Disability Nurse with current NMC registration and substantial senior nursing leadership experience within a complex healthcare environment. You will have a strong track record of leading teams, managing resources, driving service improvement and delivering high standards of patient care.

You will bring:

• Significant post-registration experience, including experience as a ward, community or service manager.
• Experience of staff management, workforce planning and budget management.
• Knowledge of quality improvement, quality assurance and change management methodologies.
• Excellent leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and decision-making abilities.
• Knowledge of the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 and Public Protection legislation.
• Master's level qualification, or equivalent experience demonstrating strategic and professional leadership capability.

This is an excellent opportunity to join NHS Lothian at a senior level and play a key role in shaping Learning Disability services, supporting staff development, and improving outcomes for patients and families across REAS.

For further information on what is included in the role and what skills/experience are being looked for, click on the links at the bottom of the screen to the job description and person specification. If after reading this information you have any questions, please contact Lisa Graham, Clinical Service Manager, telephone 0131 537 6399 or email lisa.graham6@nhs.scot

Supporting Documents
NHSL 263993 Clinical Nurse Manager Person Specification (PDF)
NHSL 263993 Clinical Nurse Manager Job Description (PDF)
Lothian Additional Information - Nursing 0625 (PDF)