Job summary
Band 5 Staff Nurse (General Surgical Unit and Surgical Assessment Unit)

PLEASE NOTE: Sponsorship is not normally available for this vacancy - applicants must have the right-to-work in the UK for this role by their proposed start date.

The General Surgical Unit was the first unit within the trust to achieve the award of ward accreditation, which is a standard for consistently providing an excellent standard of patient care and staff support.

The unit has 40 inpatient beds, and cares for emergency and elective surgical patients, with colorectal, upper gastrointestinal, breast and intestinal failure conditions.

Within the unit we also have Surgical Assessment Unit open 24 hours a day seeing a variety of different emergency surgical patients, within a unit consisting of 11 trolleys, 6 chairs and an emergency consultant clinic. The unit takes referrals from GP surgeries, Emergency department, Clinical Nurse Specialists and direct from post-discharge patients.

We have a mixture of elective and emergency surgical patients within our inpatient departments.

We also have a 4 bedded enhanced care bed unit for patients with higher acuity.

Main duties of the job
The post includes a rotation between all departments.

This is an exciting opportunity to be involved in innovation and change in a purpose built environment.

We are looking for highly motivated Staff Nurses who enjoy a fast-paced, supported working environment and have an interest in acute abdominal surgery. Within the unit we work closely with the surgical team to provide gold standard care.

We have a strong team of senior nurses to help mentor and guide new nurses as well as providing external education opportunities.

We offer a wide range of shifts with flexible working arrangements.

We also encourage personal and professional development, with opportunities to progress within the trust.

We offer a wide range of in-house development as well as supporting external education opportunities and in department rotations.

About us
Reading sits on the river Thames and is served by great road and rail links to London, Oxford and Southampton. With excellent leisure and shopping facilities, and a thriving cultural scene, Reading is a wonderful place to live, work and play and provides excellent facilities for families, including some of the best state and private schools in the UK.

The CQC rated the care provided by the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust as Good.

Our Trust CARE values: Compassionate, Aspirational, Resourceful, Excellent, reflect the type of Trust we aspire to be and you can join our dedicated and talented staff to make this happen.

Details
Date posted: 04 November 2026
Pay scheme: Agenda for change
Band: Band 5
Salary: £32,073 to £39,043 a year per annum
Contract: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Reference number: 193-8158282PCG
Closing date: 22 November 2026

Job responsibilities

• You will be responsible for undertaking and recording comprehensive nursing assessment and planning, delivering and evaluating high standards of evidenced-based nursing care to a diverse group of patients.
• Deliver care without direct supervision and be accountable for the care delivered and any omissions of care.
• Teach and supervise more junior staff, students and the non-registered nursing workforce.
• Be accountable for care or any omissions of care that you delegate to others.
• Act as role model, delivering care with empathy and compassion as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Please refer to the attached Job Description and Person Specification for further details of the job role.

Person Specification
Education/Qualifications (Essential)

• Registered Nurse - part 1
• Current NMC registration
• Evidence of recent continuous professional development

Experience (Essential)

• Experience (through placement or employment) of working in an acute clinical environment

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.

Employer details
Employer name: Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Address: Royal Berkshire Hospital, London Road, Reading, RG1 5AN, United Kingdom
Employer's website: https://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/

For questions about the job, contact:
Ward Sister Emma Morley, emma.morley11@nhs.net, 01183227987

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice is available on the trust website.