Registered Nurse The Role
Registered Nurse responsible for the application of the Framework of the Nursing Process to deliver high standards of client / patient nursing care for patients with a range of mental disorders, substance misuse, learning disability or co-morbidity, under the clinical supervision of the caseload holder / charge nurse / team leader, senior charge nurse or practitioner. The registered nurse has delegated responsibility for the appraisal and clinical supervision of students and clinical / healthcare support workers in provision of care and treatment within a defined clinical service, under the management and leadership of the team leader / senior charge nurse or practitioner.
Acting as Named Nurse (or equivalent), responsible for the application of the framework of the Nursing Process to ensure a high standard of client / patient care, delegated by the charge nurse / team leader, senior charge nurse or practitioner who provides clinical supervision to the post holder and retains overall responsibility for patient care. Co-ordinating and supervising a small team of junior nurses or practitioners, students and clinical support workers in delivering care. Where required the post holder will undertake a delegated range of duties of the charge nurse, team leader / senior charge nurse or practitioner in their absence, including taking charge of the clinical area.
NHS Lanarkshire
Have you always wanted to work with NHS Lanarkshire? Then this might be the opportunity for you to join Team Lanarkshire!
Here at NHS Lanarkshire, we put the patient at the heart of everything we do. Each colleague within the organisation plays a key role in how we deliver our healthcare services.
We proudly serve a population of 655,000 across rural and urban communities in both North and South Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire is comprised of Acute Services (which currently provide hospital based services over 3 main sites), Corporate & Property & Support Services, North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships which provide integrated primary healthcare and social care services to local communities and surrounding areas.
What we’ll need you to bring
- Registered Nurse with valid RMN UK NMC Registration.
- The post holder will be required to demonstrate excellent team working skills with the ability to work using own initiative.
- Effective listening, communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work with people and as part of a multidisciplinary team.
- Excellent time management skills.
- Working knowledge of basic information technology.
- Car driver with a full, valid UK/EU/EEA licence and access to vehicle essential for community posts.
Contract type
Permanent
Full time
37 hours
Location and Working Pattern
This role will be based in Adult Community Mental Health Team within Hunter Health Centre.
The working pattern for this role: 37 hours per week, 5 over 7 days
Registered Nurse Q and A
“I qualified as an RN Adult in 20XX from [University] and have X years’ experience in [e.g., acute medical wards / surgical / community]. I’ve always wanted to work in Scotland because of NHS Scotland’s strong emphasis on person-centred care and the fact there’s no prescription charges or car-parking fees for staff — it really shows the values of the service. I’m originally from [place] / my family is Scottish / I did a placement in Glasgow and loved the team spirit and the focus on safe staffing.”
“NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde is one of the biggest and most innovative boards. I was really impressed that [hospital name] introduced the Hospital at Night team and the frailty pathway — it shows forward thinking. I’ve worked in acute medicine for three years and I’m passionate about early recognition of deterioration and preventing deconditioning in older adults.
“It means seeing the person, not the patient. Finding out what matters to them — asking ‘What matters to you?’ not just ‘What’s the matter with you?’. For example, an elderly gentleman I cared for hated being in bed all day. We rearranged his care so he could sit out for breakfast with his wife every morning — it improved his mood, appetite, and he was discharged two days earlier.”4. How do you ensure safe staffing and escalate concerns? (Very important since the Health and Care (Staffing) Scotland Act 2019)
“I use the professional judgement tools and the daily dynamic staffing tool every shift. If we’re short and patient dependency is high, I escalate immediately to the senior charge nurse using SBAR, and if needed go to the site manager. Patient safety is never compromised — the Act gives us the legal duty to speak up.”
Action: I activated the sepsis pathway, took blood cultures before antibiotics, gave the sepsis six bundle within the hour (oxygen, fluids, lactate, etc.), escalated to the outreach team using SBAR.
Result: She was in ICU within two hours and made a full recovery. We later won a board award for sepsis performance that quarter.
“I assess ABCDE, calculate NEWS2 score, and follow the escalation protocol. If NEWS2 is 5+ or I have clinical concern, I call the medical team or outreach immediately. I never wait until the next routine observation if I’m worried clinical judgement overrides the score.
“I use the ‘This is me’ or About Me document, reduce stimuli, speak slowly and calmly, and use distraction or activities they enjoy. I recently cared for a lady who became distressed every evening — we discovered she missed her dog, so we arranged regular FaceTime calls with her family and the dog. Sundowning reduced dramatically.”
“Realistic Medicine is about reducing harm, waste, and variation, and shared decision-making. I apply it by asking patients what they want to achieve from treatment, discussing risks and benefits of procedures (e.g., not pushing for a cannula if the patient is for palliative care), and using ‘Once for Scotland’ policies to avoid unnecessary tests.”
“I’m registered on Turas Professional Portfolio. I do reflective accounts after significant events, collect feedback from patients and colleagues, and complete at least 45 hours of CPD every cycle (e.g., sepsis study days, venepuncture competency, trauma-informed practice modules on LearnPro).”
Sample Answer:
“It’s noticing the small things — holding someone’s hand when they’re scared, making a cup of tea for a relative who’s been at the bedside all day, or just sitting in silence when words aren’t enough.
“I use Schwartz Rounds when they’re offered, talk to my supervisor in clinical supervision, go hill-walking most weekends (I love the Munros!), and I’ve done the PROMIS mental health training for staff.
- How does the board support newly qualified nurses or nurses new to Scotland (e.g., Flying Start NHS, preceptorship)?
- What is the current banded hours / staffing level on this ward and how is the Safe Staffing Act working in practice?
- Are there opportunities for post-registration courses funded by the board (e.g., HDU module, non-medical prescribing)?
- How does the team use Turas Appraisal and LearnPro here?
Final Tips for NHS Scotland Interviews
- Use “we” rather than “I” when talking about achievements — Scottish culture values team.
- Mention NHS Scotland-specific things: Turas, LearnPro, NES, HIS, Once for Scotland policies, the 2019 Staffing Act.
- Emphasise dignity, respect, compassion, and patient stories.
- If you trained outside the UK, be ready to talk about your OSCE and adaptation experience positively.
To apply for this job please visit apply.jobs.scot.nhs.uk.