Verified Skilled Worker sponsor

Senior Ward Sister - Stroke Unit

Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Dorchester, DT1 2JY £49,387 – £56,515 a year Permanent Posted 27 August 2026 Apply by 9 September 2026

Home Office register entry: Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Dorchester

Visa sponsorship

This role is listed by an employer that holds a live Home Office sponsor licence on the Skilled Worker route.

NHS roles fall under the Health and Care Worker route. Public reference figures for that route: the general salary minimum is £25,000 a year, and salaries set by national pay scales (NHS bands) at or above the relevant band rate typically meet the occupation's requirement. Individual eligibility depends on personal circumstances. These figures are public reference information, not advice or a verdict on this job.

Role description

Job summary

Our Stroke Service is expanding to support patients across Dorset and somerset, including the launch of our brand new Hyper-Acute Stroke Unit (HASU).

We are seeking an experienced, motivated and dynamic leader to manage our newly refurbished 30 bedded unit which include 2 Hyper Acute Bays.

This is an exciting opportunity for an individual with strong leadership, organisational and operational management skills who is passionate about delivering high quality patient centred care.

The successful candidate will lead the development and implementation of effective systems and processes that enhance the safety, quality and efficiency of our Stroke Services.

UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibility criteria.

Main duties of the job

Provide professional and operational leadership with continuing responsibility for Stroke services.

Lead manage and support the ward teams undertaking line management responsibilities such as performance management, appraisals, supervision, recruitment and staff development.

Work collaboratively with the MDT to co-ordinate the delivery of comprehensive Stroke services ensuring care is individualised.

Develop and maintain effective communication and collaborative working relationships across professional groups and organisational boundaries to ensure seamless patient care.

Ensure effective management of ward resources including workforce, equipment, and delegated budget to deliver efficient high quality services and achieve organisational objectives.

About us

At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.

Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.

We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.

We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.

All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.

Date posted

27 August 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£49,387 to £56,515 a year Per Annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

405-26-NM432SWSS

Job locations

Dorset County Hospital

Williams Avenue

Dorchester

DT1 2JY

United Kingdom

Job description

Job responsibilities

For further details about this vacancy please see the attached job description and person specification.

Person Specification

education, qualifications & training

Essential

Registered Nurse
Evidence of continuous professional development
Teaching qualification
Completed relevant speciality qualification
Intermediate life support training, cannulation, venepuncture
Intravenous administration of medicines
Masters Qualification or equivalent

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

Demonstrate experience of leading a team
Understanding of professional nursing issues
Significant post registration experience with recent acute hospital care
Stroke/medical experience in an acute hospital setting
Experience of developing a service/project
Experience of quality improvement initiatives
Experience of influencing ward level quality standards

Skill & Abilities

Essential

Expert stroke clinical knowledge with a proven evidence based approach to work and ability to practice as a proficient practitioner
Detailed knowledge of clinical and corporate governance requirements and best practice
Detailed knowledge of understanding clinical risk management systems and processes
Excellent communication skills
Well developed skills in effective management of people and resources
Inspire team members to maintain the highest professional standards
Appropriately and decisively manage poor performance and provide effective feedback to staff in a constructive manner
Evidence of ability to maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, patients and visitors
Evidence of an ability to manage patient flow and ability to escalate as required in accordance with policy
Evidence of critical appraisal skills

Desirable

Evidence of an area of special interest
Evidence of ability to develop leadership 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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website.

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants.