Job summary
We are seeking a compassionate and enthusiastic Deputy sister/ Deputy charge nurse to join our dedicated nursing team. This is an exciting opportunity for a confident and proactive nurse who is passionate about delivering exceptional patient care while leading, developing, and supporting others in a fast-paced clinical environment.

You will be instrumental in coordinating safe, efficient, and compassionate care for patients undergoing elective cardiothoracic interventions, ensuring a seamless journey from admission through to discharge. You will work closely with the multi-disciplinary team to provide patient-centred care while supporting the operational management of the ward, supporting the Ward Manager in service delivery, staff development, and continuous quality improvement.

Interviews will be held on 16th October 2026.

Main duties of the job

• Lead the day-to-day running of the nurse-led elective day ward, ensuring safe, patient-centred care throughout the perioperative pathway.
• Use advanced clinical judgement to assess, plan, deliver, and evaluate care for patients undergoing elective cardiothoracic procedures.
• Provide visible, hands-on leadership and act as a role model to junior nursing and support staff.
• Take responsibility for line management duties including appraisals, supervision, sickness management, and staff development.
• Monitor staff rotas and daily workload allocation, ensuring safe staffing levels and continuity of care.
• Deputise for the Ward Manager, maintaining oversight of operational and clinical priorities within the unit.
• Promote a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, contributing to audits, education programmes, and evidence-based practice initiatives.

About us
Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is the UK's leading heart and lung hospital, delivering care to more than 50,000 patients a year in its new state-of-the-art hospital in Cambridge. We perform the most heart and/or lung transplants in the UK and carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979. It also offers emergency heart attack treatment, sleep centre care and is one of just five centres nationally for those in severe respiratory failure.

Based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus the largest centre of medical research and health science in Europe the Trust is at the heart of treatments of the future. Royal Papworth became the first hospital trust in the country to be rated outstanding in all five areas assessed by the Care Quality Commission - a rating it still holds today. The Trust holds its values of compassion, excellence & collaboration at its core, and all colleagues joining the team are expected to uphold these in their day-to-day roles & interactions. Royal Papworth is proud of its diverse workforce and encourages people to embrace their individuality.

The Trust values difference and welcomes all applications irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion & belief, sex and sexual orientation. Providing they meet the minimum post criteria, applicants with disabilities will be offered an interview.

For a street view tour: Apply through our website

Job responsibilities
On this page you will find a Role Profile which provides information about the hospital and full details about the role. We recommend that you review this and refer to it as you complete your application. Please include how you will meet the Trust Values Compassion, Excellence and Collaboration. If you would like more information about the role or working at Royal Papworth Hospital, please get in touch with the contact for this role.

Qualifications
Essential

• Professional adult nursing qualification and clinical knowledge acquired through training to diploma or degree level.
• PLUS post graduate learning or experience relevant to practice with demonstrable competence OR specialist knowledge across the range of work procedures and practices, underpinned by theoretical knowledge or relevant practical experience.
• Leadership/management training and/or experience.
• Registered with Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Experience
Essential

• Significant experience in field of own practice.
• Experience of managing or supervising staff and ability to mentor/educate junior staff.
• An understanding of clinical governance frameworks including Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), policy and procedure, audit and quality assurance.
• An understanding of safeguarding policies and procedures, particularly those related to vulnerable patients.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to be able to problem solve, use own initiative and plan, organise and prioritise own and others' workload.
• Evidence of continuous professional development and a willingness to participate in further training and education.
• Competent IT skills.

Additional Criteria
Essential

• As well as being able to demonstrate examples of how they work in a way that is consistent with our values of compassion, excellence and collaboration the successful candidate will be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to driving culture change through equality, diversity and inclusion.

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).

Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.