Ward Leader - Critical Care Unit | Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust


Company:	Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Salary:	£49,387 - £56,515 Per Annum
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Dorchester, DT1 2JY
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	9 Oct 2026
Closing date:	8 Nov 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

This is a new opportunity for a registered nurse with recent and relevant experience working in the speciality of Critical Care.

The post holder will be responsible for the provision of high standards of evidence-based patient centred care within the team, ensuring the efficient running of Critical Care service on a day-to-day basis. To establish, develop and lead a development programme for Critical Care nursing team and to hold 24-hour accountability for the running of the service.

• To lead the nursing team and provide a specialist nursing service in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional conduct, Trust policies/procedures and ensure that the service is delivered within the allocated resources.

• To manage all elements of staff performance, sickness and wellbeing in line with Trust policy.

• To provide high standards of evidenced based care that supports the wellbeing needs of critically ill patients and their families.

• To provide specialist skilled Critical Care nursing and supervision of the nursing team in delivering an effective service.

• To continue personal professional development and be responsible for developing others.

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.

Our Mission is to work in partnership to provide high quality, compassionate services and to nurture an environment where people can be at their best. Our vision is healthier lives, empowered citizens, thriving communities.

We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate’s individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibilitycriteria.

Our DCHFT Job Description and Person Specification (attached) tells you all about this role, what to expect and what is needed to succeed. When completing your application please make sure to tell us how your experience and skills fit the person specification.

Please contact us at dch.recruitment@nhs.net if you are unable to view or download the attachment.

For all our roles, we are looking for staff who hold our Trust Values of Integrity, Respect Teamwork and Excellence, and who are passionate about providing the best patient care. To read more about our Trust and our Values search Dorset County Hospital online.

This advert closes on Thursday 22 Oct 2026

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.