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Job summary

Main area
General Surgery
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 7
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
391-RFL-8168865
Employer
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Barnet
Town
Barnet
Salary
£55,524 - £62,652 per annum inclusive of HCAS
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
14/08/2026 23:59

Employer heading

NHS

Band 7 ESAC

NHS AfC: Band 7

Our trust has over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community.  This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.

Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.

Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a set of technology that can perform various tasks that typically required human intelligence. Your application is your opportunity to demonstrate to us how you meet the requirements of the role. We recognise that AI tools can support accessibility, equity and confidence for applicants. However, it’s important that examples and responses genuinely reflect your own experience and abilities, as these will be explored further during the selection process. AI must not be used to provide misleading or false information during any stage of the application journey. Further guidance can be found in the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

Click here to view our video Welcome to the Royal Free

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is committed to fair and transparent recruitment and requires applicants to provide accurate information, as misleading details may affect their application or employment and may be verified in line with the Fraud Act 2006. For further information please visit https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1.

 

Job overview

We are seeking an enthusiastic, dynamic, and experienced nurse to lead our innovative emergency surgical assessment care unit (ESAC). This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced surgical nurse leader to play a key role in delivering high-quality, patient-centred care and supporting the ongoing development of a fast-paced and evolving service.

The ESAC provides comprehensive nursing assessment, treatment, and coordination of care for surgical patients requiring urgent assessment and intervention, with a focus on same-day management and avoiding unnecessary admissions wherever possible.

As the Band 7 lead, you will provide strong clinical and operational leadership, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and compassionate care while supporting service improvement and workforce development.

Main duties of the job

Key Responsibilities

Provide visible clinical leadership and professional nursing expertise within the unit.
Lead and manage the day-to-day operational running of the SDSAU.
Ensure high standards of patient care, safety, and experience are consistently achieved.
Coordinate patient flow to support timely assessment, treatment, and discharge.
Work collaboratively with surgical consultants, junior doctors, allied health professionals, and operational teams.
Lead quality improvement initiatives and support the achievement of Trust objectives.
Manage staffing, recruitment, rostering, and workforce planning.
Support, supervise, and develop nursing staff through appraisal, coaching, and education.
Ensure compliance with Trust policies, professional standards, and governance requirements.
Lead investigations, audits, and service developments to continuously improve patient outcomes.

Working for our organisation

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s biggest and most innovative trusts with over 17,000 staff serving 2 million patients every year. It comprises Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, the Royal Free Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital and more than 30 services in the community.  This larger scale organisation provides an unprecedented opportunity for us to continue our pioneering work, particularly in finding ways to deliver even better care to our patients.
Our mission is to deliver world class care and expertise in our clinical services, underpinned by world class teaching and research and we will continue to measure our progress against our five governing objectives: excellent outcomes, excellent patient and staff experience, excellent value for taxpayers’ money, being safe and meeting our external duties, and building a strong organisation.
Everyone is welcome at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. We're proud of our diversity and we continue to undertake new initiatives to advance equality for LGBT+, BME, gender equality, staff carers and people with disabilities and lived experiences to promote good relations and understanding between our staff.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached Job Description for more information about this role and working at royal free London NHS foundation Trust

Person specification

Royal Free World Class Value

Essential criteria
  • Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Educational & professional qualifications

Essential criteria
  • • First level registration
  • • First level degree
  • • Mentorship qualification
  • • Evidence of post registration qualification relevant to surgical speciality

Experience

Essential criteria
  • • Substantial post-registration experience in surgical specialty
  • • Evidence of teaching junior members of staff & assessing students in practice
  • • Proven evidence of improving patient experience
  • • Current experience of line management of staff
  • • Proven experience of monitoring & acting on nursing quality data & developing appropriate action plans

Skills and Aptitudes

Essential criteria
  • • Knowledge of current advances and pathways of care relevant to surgical specialty
  • • Excellent communication skills and ability to negotiate and influence
  • • Ability to problem-solve, prioritise and to work to deadlines
  • • Ability to develop collaborative working relationships with multi professional teams
  • • Able to lead, manage and motivate others in complex problem solving and assessment skills
  • • Able to manage stressful situations and challenge decisions to ensure that patient needs are met
  • Expert specialist skills for the post
  • Skilled in use of computer/keyboard
  • Knowledge of clinical governance issues e.g. handling complaints, clinical risk management
  • Ability to motivate staff and improve individuals and team performance
  • Able to recruit staff to world class values

Personal Qualities & Attributes

Essential criteria
  • • Be a positive role model with the ability to demonstrate a credible and professional approach
  • • Ability to work as a team and form professional relationships with colleagues
  • • Ability to work under pressure
  • • Flexibility in shift and working patterns to meet the needs of the service
  • Diplomatic and calm
  • To be flexible and approachable

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Nursing TimesApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleDisability confident employerTimewise PartnerCare Quality Commission - Requires improvementEnei MemberArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Susan Tierney
Job title
Divisional Nurse Director
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
020 8216 5797