Job summary
Empower your career leading a team on the mental health frontline!

Are you ready for your next career step or seeking a new challenge? Why not apply to lead our team on one of our Adult Acute admission wards dedicated to caring for adults with mental health difficulties in Norfolk?

If you are passionate about patient care and involvement, and you're looking for a role that offers leadership and management opportunities while also providing personal development, this is the role for you! You will be joining a strong, supportive, and established team committed to delivering clinical excellence.

As the ward manager, you will:

• Lead by Example: Inspire your team to provide exceptional care, ensuring both operational and clinical excellence on the ward.
• Support Clinical Excellence: Work within a multi-disciplinary team, including nursing and other clinical professionals, to ensure the highest standards of care.
• Drive Quality Improvement: Engage in Quality Improvement initiatives and contribute to the strategic development of our services.
• Collaborate with Leadership: As part of the management team, work closely with colleagues and senior leaders to meet our Care Quality Commission (CQC) requirements and continuously improve patient outcomes.

Main duties of the job
Who We're Looking For:

We are seeking a qualified and experienced mental health nurse to assume the role of Ward manager. The ideal candidate is a passionate and dedicated leader who is ready to take on the challenge of managing a committed team within a collaborative environment. If you are driven to make a positive impact and lead change in mental health care, we want to hear from you.

Opportunity Overview:

This is a unique opportunity to influence the lives of patients while advancing your career in a dynamic and rewarding setting. Join us, where you will play a pivotal role in delivering exceptional mental health care.

About us
Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing experiences and learning from each other. In addition to ongoing training and development opportunities, we are committed to providing an environment in which you can thrive.

Why work for us? We have challenges as a Trust, but we have ambitious aspirations, are pushing ahead with exciting transformation work and we need dedicated individuals to support us on our journey. We have strong, established professional networks coupled with an exceptional leadership team who will ensure you are truly cared for and cared about.

Why Norfolk and Suffolk? The people here are warm and welcoming, you'll never be far from the beautiful coastline or Broads National Park. We're an hour and a half away from London and have an international airport in Norwich too. Our villages, towns and cities are packed full of history, independent cafes, shops and theatres. We have excellent shopping, eating out, top ranking schooling and affordable house prices too.

Details
Date posted: 10 August 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 7
Salary: £49,387 to £56,515 a year gross per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time, Flexible working
Reference number: 246-CEN8196865
Job locations: Hellesdon Hospital Adult Acute Wards, Drayton High Road, Norwich, NR6 5BE, United Kingdom

Job responsibilities
The Hellesdon site hosts a total of five Norfolk Adult Acute inpatient wards which affords you the opportunity to build close networks with other ward manager colleagues, to build on their experience and knowledge of the role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage a team of health professionals providing 24-hour care, ensuring high-performance standards are achieved both individually and collectively.
• Foster a culture of high-quality, compassionate nursing care and oversee compliance with key performance outcomes.
• Set a clear and compelling vision for the team, promoting strong teamwork and a positive ward culture.
• Act as a visible leader, motivating and encouraging your team to deliver outstanding care to all patients even in challenging situations.
• Engage in ongoing professional development, participate in quality improvement initiatives, and contribute to the strategic development of mental health services.

Support and Development:
As Ward manager, you will be fully supported by a Matron and the Central Norfolk Adult Acute Senior Leadership team, including the Associate Directors of Nursing, Medical, and Operations. This collaborative network is dedicated to enhancing your professional growth and ensuring the success of the team.

Apply:
Take the next step in your career and help us continue delivering exceptional care.

Apply now to become part of our team dedicated to making a difference in mental health care.

Each ward has an MDT that includes nursing team, OT, social workers, psychiatrists and psychology, physiotherapists, physical health nurses, discharge facilitators as well as pharmacist.

Here at NSFT we pride ourselves on being a welcoming, talented, friendly and supportive team who like nothing better than sharing their experiences and learning from each other.

Benefits included with this role are: -

• NHS pension
• a comprehensive in house & external training programmes
• career progression
• starting annual leave of 27 days per annum increasing to 33 days pa based on length of service (plus paid bank holidays)
• staff physio service
• NHS discounts and many more.

We invite you to within our Trusts values and behaviours which are "We are a Team, We are Accountable, We learn and Improve, We are Kind (TALK) to ensure that we provide compassionate and high quality care to all in our service.

Please find attached our Job Description and Person Specification for more detail on your Key Accountabilities, then if you feel you have what it takes to make a difference in your local communities, click APPLY!

Interview dates are yet to be set; you will be contacted via email and invited to book a time. These emails may go to your SPAM, so please keep checking all your emails if applying.

Please visit our Facebook and Twitter page @NSFTjobs

For an informal discussion, please contact Jessica Turner on 01603 978398

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Evidence of providing leadership in a mental health care environment including service development
• Experience of working within a multi disciplinary team

Qualifications
Essential

• Registered Mental Health Nurse
• Ongoing Professional Development

Desirable

• Higher degree or post graduate certificate in area of clinical / therapeutic practice.
• Post basic teaching qualification. - ILM certificate in management or equivalent

Skills
Essential

• Effective analytical and decision making skills
• Able to effectively prioritise own workload

Knowledge
Essential

• Knowledge of medication and the monitoring of its effects.
• An understanding of the policies and guidelines both local and national e.g. National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines.

Other
Essential

• Ability to travel

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship
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).

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

Employer details
Employer name: Norfolk & Suffolk Foundation NHS Trust
Address: Hellesdon Hospital Adult Acute Wards, Drayton High Road, Norwich, NR6 5BE, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.nsft.nhs.uk/Pages/Home.aspx (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact: Matron/ Ops Manager, Seth Dube/ Dawn Fisk, seth.dube@nsft.nhs.uk, 01603421421

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.