Retrieval Nurse jobs

Location: St Mary’s Calne

Remuneration: SA31 £44,559 (FTE) (actual salary £20,874.18 per annum, £1,739.52 per month)

Working hours: Part time (24 hours per week), term time

Based on 2 x 12-hour shifts or 1 x 24-hour shift per week. Exact hours are subject to rota. (inclusive of at least one overnight shift per week – sleepover room on site)

Start date: As soon as possible (subject to employment checks)

The Role

The School Nurse works as part of a team consisting of five Nurses working individual shifts in a lone capacity under the guidance and support of the Deputy Head Pastoral, alongside a dedicated school counsellor and one well-being practitioner.

The team provide clinically effective, high-quality nursing care within NMC guidelines. To ensure 24/7 cover in the Health Centre during term time weeks, the nursing team need to offer flexibility where possible to share a variety of shifts during the working week. The School Nurse will be naturally caring and empathetic, able to build positive relationships with pupils, parents and external agencies, maintain the highest standards of confidentiality and professionalism, and uphold the Health Centre team’s commitment to excellent professional practice.

Nursing Staff and the wider pastoral team promote a welcoming environment to pupils and parents, ensuring that there is good communication between the boarding Houses and the Health Centre to advise and support any health or well-being concerns they may have. Updates and concerns are recorded on a school IT system and nursing staff need to have a moderate level of confidence using such systems.

The School Nurse takes a holistic approach to pupil care, assessing and triaging illness and injury, providing appropriate treatment, and promoting health. This role supports pupils’ health and well-being, enabling them to participate fully in school life.

In both areas, the Health Centre team strive to develop and maintain positive and mutually supportive relationships with parents/guardians and all staff across the school.

The School Nurse is directly responsible to the Deputy Head Pastoral for the health and medical welfare of all the pupils in the school. Subject to the requirements of medical confidentiality, the School Nurse is responsible for ensuring that the Welfare Group and, where appropriate, the relevant Housemistress or Housemaster and Tutor are informed of any health or well-being concerns affecting a pupil.

Our school (St Mary’ Calne, St Margaret’s Calne and St Mary’s Calne Sports Club) is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Key Responsibilities

Care for the Pupils:

• Clinically effective assessment and management of illness and injury
• Medical treatment to pupils including administering of medication when appropriate
• Ensuring care plans are developed and written for pupils requiring them, in liaison with pupils, parents and boarding house staff
• Assess, implement and evaluate in-patient care of pupils admitted to Health Centre
• Liaising closely with the Head, Senior Leadership Team, House Staff, Parents, Teaching Staff, School Counsellor and Well-being Practitioners, in a pastoral, as well as medical capacity
• Arranging medical appointments, transport and escorts for pupils
• Acting as escort when required
• Management and recording of termly health checks for all pupils
• Allocation as Named Nurse for a specific boarding House, attending House meetings / providing health promotion sessions / managing welfare issues
• Counselling pupils when appropriate and within level of competence and referring to school counsellor as required
• Liaising closely with Head of PSHE and providing a health advice service as required

Assisting St Mary’s GPs

• Assisting the Southbroom Surgery GP during clinics held twice weekly in the Health Centre
• Supporting medicals of new boarding pupils at the beginning of the school year.
• To become competent in using the computer link up system ‘System One’ between Southbroom and the Health Centre. Ensuring documentation between System One and the school’s database, iSAMS, is up to date. Ensuring the school’s CPOMS system is fully updated with information as required.
• Building relationships with staff at Southbroom Surgery and the local Pharmacy to ensure timely ordering & delivery/collection of medication, effective identification & management of childhood illnesses such as Asthma / Diabetes / Anaphylaxis and Epilepsy and successful delivery of Physiotherapy

Other Medical Duties

• Assisting with the organisation of vaccination programmes, keeping records of pupils’ immunisations and ensuring they are up to date, following good practice and specific directives on immunisation procedures relevant to the school population and individuals
• Operate procedures for the control of infectious diseases
• Follow procedures for the safe disposal of clinical waste
• Be aware of recommended safe storage, usage and disposal of medical supplies and drugs
• Maintain treatment room stock, hygiene and tidiness
• Carry out nursing procedures within scope of competency and role
• Be prepared to develop competencies to meet the needs of the service
• Administering emergency treatment to staff and visitors when necessary
• Liaising with staff of St Margaret’s Prep School (day), administering emergency treatment to its pupils when necessary and advising and working with its staff on health promotional issues
• Supplying and maintaining first aid boxes and bags around the school ensuring they are fit for purpose and issuing them for trips out of school, including games matches
• Ordering pharmaceutical items for the Health Centre
• Conducting weekly medication audits in the Health Centre and the allocated boarding house
• Issuing Boarding House medical supplies and ensuring they are replaced as necessary
• Ensuring emergency equipment including defibrillator and oxygen available at St Mary’s is fit for purpose and regularly checked as per Resuscitation Council UK guidelines (2025)

Management & Professional

• Adhere to NMC code of professional conduct
• Use evidence-based practice to develop and maintain a high quality of nursing care to pupils
• Ensure that a code of confidentiality & applicable policies (in particular the Child Protection Policy) is adhered to
• Administrative duties and record keeping as per NMC Code of Conduct (2018)
• Ensure the upkeep and renewal of annual policies and protocols pertaining to health within the school, creating new ones where required
• Recording dispensing of drugs as per Professional Guidance on the Administration of Medicines in Healthcare Settings (The Royal College of Nursing, 2019)
• Maintaining iSAMS records accurately, confidentially, safely and to a high standard ensuring the accurate and rapid retrieval of up-to-date information. Maintain CPOMS and ensure timely and effective communication with parents and Houses.
• Organising & effectively documenting school medical examinations and other surveillance audits
• Be familiar with recent government legislation that is relevant to health in school, such as Benedict’s Law

Health & Safety

• Maintaining hygiene and tidiness of the treatment room
• An involvement in health and safety issues within school affecting staff, children or the environment
• Keeping records of reported accidents & working with departments to improve processes; learning from outcome of incidents to improve practice as per school RIDDOR policy
• Carrying out appropriate risk assessments as required

Liaison

• Supporting the Deputy Head Pastoral and demonstrating excellent teamwork and compassion towards colleagues. Working closely with all staff to ensure seamless and continuous care (including parents, academic staff, school office staff and all other departments as necessary)
• Working closely with boarding staff to build strong working relationships and enhance the seamless care across the school
• Working with school health advisors, pharmacy and other members of the primary health team
• Liaising with Children’s Social Services where appropriate
• Arranging appointments with consultants, orthodontics, dentists and opticians and liaising with parents regarding outcome of these as appropriate

Person Specification

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

• A Registered Nurse with current PIN.
• Ability to work safely and effectively within the realms of professional limits
• Excellent communication skills - able to produce clear, concise and timely verbal and written communications
• Excellent organisational skills
• Competent IT skills including MS Office
• Able to prioritise and organise own workload and to meet deadlines
• Self-motivated - able to be conscientious and show initiative
• Able to listen well and understand the needs and perspectives of others
• Empathy with young people (11-18 years)
• Able to work effectively both in collaboration with other staff as well as being able to work independently
• Flexible and professional approach with a willingness to learn and grow into a new environment outside of traditional nursing venues
• Calm, methodical and logical
• Resilient and able to cope with the pressures of working within a busy school environment
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of school protocols and the role of Health Centre staff in the effective running of the school as a whole

Desirable requirements

• Experience in either School Nursing, A&E, Practice Nursing, Paediatric Nursing, Adolescent Health or Public Health desirable
• Demonstrable post registration experience
• Full clean driving license
• Mental Health experience
• Knowledge and understanding of sports injuries
• Knowledge of health promotion, particularly in young people
• An understanding and knowledge of child protection within a school or similar environment
• Experience of working in a Boarding School

Receipt of an application will be acknowledged as soon as possible.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early should we receive sufficient suitable applicants.

Pay: Up to £44,559.00 per year

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking
• Referral programme

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: In person