About the Organisation:
NHS Orkney is committed to delivering excellent care to our 22,000 residents. Whether you’re new to the NHS or bringing experience from elsewhere, your skills will make a real difference.
Our modern healthcare facility, The Balfour, brings together inpatient care, emergency services, outpatient clinics, diagnostics, GP practices and the Scottish Ambulance Service. We’re also investing in services across our outer isles, ensuring high-quality care reaches every corner of Orkney.
We are guided by our core values that shape everything we do Open and honest, Respect and Kindness from how we care for our patients to how we support each other as colleagues.
About Orkney:
With over 70 islands 20 of them inhabited Orkney offers a unique blend of natural beauty, close-knit community and an opportunity for adventure. From dramatic coastlines and rare wildlife to rich cultural traditions and active lifestyles, it’s a place where compassion thrives and every day brings something new. Regularly named one of the UK’s best places to live, Orkney offers a lifestyle that’s both fulfilling and inspiring.
The Position:
The post holder will be responsible for delivering and maintaining a high standard of nursing care, ensuring a safe and well-managed patient environment at all times. In the absence of the senior nurse, the post holder will take charge of the shift, assuming responsibility for the coordination and management of nursing care, while contributing to effective resource management, leadership and staff development.
Working as part of the multidisciplinary team, the post holder will provide evidence-based, patient-centred care in line with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct and relevant local and national legislation. The role requires a proactive and collaborative approach to ensure patients, their relatives and carers receive a consistently high standard of care.
The position involves supporting and demonstrating leadership within the nursing team, including providing guidance to junior staff and acting as a role model in clinical practice. The post holder will also contribute to the ongoing development of their own clinical skills and will be responsible, when in charge, for the supervision, teaching and assessment of student nurses, junior colleagues and unregistered staff.
The Candidate:
You will be a Registered Nurse (or awaiting NMC registration) with experience in acute and/or medical nursing, supported by up-to-date statutory training and a sound understanding of the NMC Code of Conduct. You will have a clear awareness of the importance of confidentiality, infection prevention and control, and your role in maintaining safe, effective care within a clinical environment.
You will be able to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary team, demonstrating strong communication and interpersonal skills, alongside excellent observational ability. The role requires a proactive approach, with the ability to use your own initiative, manage time effectively and prioritise workload in a fast-paced setting. You will also be IT literate and confident in maintaining accurate clinical records.
You will be flexible in your approach to working patterns, including day and night shifts over a seven-day rota. A calm, professional manner and an approachable attitude are essential, alongside effective listening skills and a commitment to delivering high standards of patient care.
Location, Working Pattern and Contract Duration:
This post will be based at The Balfour
The successful candidate will work: Full Time 36 hours per week.
This post is Permanent
It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK for the post in which you will be employed with NHS Orkney.
Benefits and Salary:
Did you know NHS Scotland salaries are higher than those in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland?
The salary for this post is Band 5 and if residing on Orkney, you’ll also receive a Distant Islands Allowance of £1,719 pro rata per annum, adding extra value to your rewarding career with us.
NHS Orkney also offers an attractive pension scheme, wide range of work life balance policies, employee assistance programme and various discounts to both local and national retailers.
Further Information:
If you share our vision and are ready to be part of Team Orkney, we’d love to hear from you. Your rewarding career starts here!
We are happy to consider any reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, and you will be asked whether you require any during your application. If there are additional requirements you would like to request, please contact [email protected]
For further guidance on the recruitment process and tips for creating a strong application, please refer to our Candidate Application Pack.
To find out more about this opportunity please contact Jenette Samms-Mitchell, Senior Registered Nurse on [email protected]
This post is subject to a Disclosure Scotland check.
NHS Orkney is an equal opportunities employer committed to advancing equality and particularly welcomes applications from groups of people currently underrepresented within the workforce. We are a committed participant in the Disability Confident Leader Scheme and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for our vacancies.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - Candidates should provide original and authentic responses to all questions within the application form. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), automated tools, or other third-party assistance to generate, draft, or significantly modify responses is strongly discouraged. By submitting your application, you confirm that all answers are your own work, reflect your personal knowledge, skills and experience, and have not been solely produced or altered by AI or similar technologies.
Failure to comply with this requirement may result in your application being withdrawn from the application process.
Please note this advert may close early if sufficient applications are received.
