Deputy Unit Lead

NHS; Bromsgrove; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider is seeking a Deputy Unit Lead for their specialist palliative care team in Bromsgrove, England. The ideal candidate will support nursing staff, manage patient care, and ensure a high standard of supervision within a caring environment. Responsibilities include facilitating communication during challenging situations and encouraging professional development among staff. This full-time position embraces teamwork and flexibility, aiming to provide exceptional support to patients and their families during critical times.

Benefits

27 days leave plus bank holidays

Generous NHS pension

Flexible working options

Health and wellbeing opportunities

Qualifications

• Understanding evidence-based nursing and clinical governance.
• Knowledge of advance care planning and symptom management.
• Experience in management of teams and clinical supervision.

Responsibilities

• Support the Nursing team clinically and supervise.
• Provide care and symptom control to patients.
• Promote comfort and wellbeing of patients.

Skills

Advanced communication skills

Compassion and empathy skills

Ability to work without supervision

Team player

Basic IT skills

Education

Registered Nurse (RN1)

Degree / Diploma

Management and Leadership qualification

Job description

Deputy Unit Lead

The closing date is 28 December 2025.

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player to join our passionate palliative care team. If you have an interest in palliative care and want to work in a high functioning team to support patients and their families during the most challenging of times, this could be the post for you.

If you would have experience and knowledge within specialist palliative care and are committed to the delivery of high‑quality patient centred care, please consider coming to join the team on the Primrose Unit.

We are a six bedded specialist palliative care unit. Patients are admitted under the care of an Advanced Clinical Practitioner who is supported by a Consultant in Palliative Medicine. The Unit is staffed 24/7 with Band 5 nurses who work 12.5 hour shifts.

Fulltime: 3 x 12.5 hour shifts for three weeks and 4x12.5 hour shifts for one week in a 4 week rota. This is worked over 7 days including days and nights.

We work closely with the wider palliative care team and the local Day Hospice & Family Support Centre offering care for patients living with a life limiting illness and support for families and relatives.

Referrals are made from GPs, Consultants from Acute Trusts and Specialist Palliative Care CNS. Admission would be considered for patients for periods of symptom control and crisis intervention when this is difficult to manage in another setting. In addition to day case admissions for therapeutic procedures such as paracentesis and blood transfusions.

Main duties of the job

You will be responsible for supporting the Nursing team clinically and to provide a high level of clinical supervision and support. You will be responsible for providing care and symptom control. We work closely as a multi‑disciplinary team providing specialist palliative and end of life care. Our focus is promoting the comfort and wellbeing of patients, enabling them to live as well as possible. On the Primrose Unit we ensure the care we provide is patient focused therefore, our medication, hygiene and comfort routines are tailored around the patient’s individual needs. This often involves us thinking outside the box, going above and beyond for patients and their relatives. This makes the unit a very special place to work and ensures that no two days are ever the same! As a Deputy Unit Lead be involved in supporting the team to develop their clinical skills in venepuncture, cannulation, IV therapy, management of syringe pumps. To support staff to develop communication skills to enable them to facilitate difficult conversations. Working in palliative care requires excellent communication skills and the ability to have open, honest conversations with patients and their relatives during difficult times. As a team we encourage ongoing learning and development through reflection and clinical supervision which we try and embed in our daily practice. The Deputy Unit Lead works closely with the Unit Lead to ensure the Unit is staffed safely.

About us

At Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, we are working together to deliver outstanding care. We run community hospitals and community health services across Worcestershire and provide mental health and learning disability services across both Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Our people (all 4500+ of them) provide services for people of all ages, experiencing both physical and/or mental health conditions from over 100 sites.

We will support you to thrive; offer flexible working options for a great work‑life balance, help you fulfil your ambitions, and empower you to make positive changes within your team or service. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities.

What we offer

• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when you work unsocial hours
• Flexible and agile working opportunities
• Great maternity, paternity, and adoption support
• Wide range of supportive staff networks
• Health and wellbeing opportunities

If you would like to know more, please visit our website.

We encourage you to read the attached applicant guidance notes.

Sharing your data – As a data controller we may sometimes need to process your data to pursue our legitimate business interests, for example to request a survey from you (optional), to support the Trust's understanding of where you gained interest in working for the Trust.

Job responsibilities

The post holder will :

• Behave consistently with the values and beliefs of the organisation and promote these on day to day basis.
• Act as a role model to colleagues, always seeking to maintain the highest standards of professionalism.
• Use their initiative and take responsibility for themselves and the quality of their work and the service they provide to patients.
• Responsible for the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of patients care within the Ward/unit, working in accordance with the philosophy of patient centred care and to NSF and other Trust standards.
• Practice as a member of the Community Hospital Nursing team, to support and work in partnership with the wider multidisciplinary team.
• For full details of the duties and criteria for the role please refer to the job description and person specification attached.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• Understanding of evidence‑based nursing, multidisciplinary working, clinical governance
• Awareness of Audit
• Evidence of on‑going continuing professional development
• Awareness and understanding of advance care planning.
• Understanding of symptom management in last days of life.
• Management of syringe pump
• Competence in male and supra‑pubic catheterisation
• Venepuncture
• IV Therapy
• Cannulation
• Experience of Audit
• Knowledge and understanding of Mental Capacity and DOLs

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (RN1)
• Degree / Diploma and working towards a first level degree
• Evidence of on‑going continuing professional development
• I understand that I will be asked to provide original certificates to verify my qualifications at point of offer.
• Independent / supplementary prescriber
• Management and Leadership qualification

Experience

• Experience of management of teams
• Clinical audit / project work
• Experience of providing clinical supervision

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to challenge poor behaviour
• Ability to praise and be supportive to others
• Able to work competently without supervision
• Compassion and empathy skills
• Versatile and adaptable
• Able to cope under pressure
• Team player
• Basic IT skills
• Experience of staff rostering
• Advanced communication skills

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.

Address

The Primrose Unit, Princess of Wales Community Hospital