NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.
NHS Lothian is excited to be recruiting to a Deputy Charge Nurse at St John's Hospital.
We are looking for an inspirational leader who is caring, compassionate and motivated to join our strong, empowered and highly skilled nursing family.
Our Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan sets out our Vision, Ambitions and Values that enable excellent care for our patients and service users. It also demonstrates what you can expect from our organisation and what you can aspire to in your own career development. A collaborative, person focused approach is at the very centre of everything we aspire to achieve, and necessary to deliver care that is high quality, compassionate, safe and effective. We continue to work towards having a diverse and inclusive culture for people who work for us and use our services. We want everyone to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution. We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and communities. We are committed to supporting the development of a nursing and midwifery workforce that is made up of diverse skills and experiences. We are interested in your passion for developing with us as a leader as well as demonstrating alignment with the values and ambitions set out in our Strategic Plan. We are committed to providing the strong foundations of clinical education with our Clinical Education and Training team, our education co-ordinators, robust induction programmes and preceptorship as well as working with you to build on your leadership strengths.
Recruitment process – We use a values and competency-based recruitment process that is linked to the ambitions set out in our Strategic Plan. Within NHS Lothian, Nursing and Midwifery interviews are linked to our Nursing & Midwifery Strategic Plan. We aim to offer an equitable experience and are sharing interview questions in advance. A selection of the interview questions can be found on our Careers site: How to Apply – NHS Lothian Careers
AI tools like ChatGPT or Copilot can be great for planning and preparing your application—but your answers must be your own.
- Show us the real you: Your application should reflect your skills, experience, and motivations authentically.
- Use AI wisely: It’s fine to use AI for ideas or to check spelling and grammar, but don’t let it write your answers.
- Why this matters: Applications that rely on AI-generated content may be withdrawn. By applying, you confirm your responses are based on your own knowledge and achievements.
Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.
As from 1st April 2026, the Agenda for Change full-time working week will be reducing from 37 to 36 hours per week. Part time hours will be reduced pro-rata. However, there will be a corresponding increase in the hourly rate so that pay will not be affected.
Please note: we anticipate a high level of interest in this position and may close the vacancy early once a sufficient amount of applications are received. Therefore, please make sure you complete and submit your application at an early stage.
We cannot accept late applications so please ensure your application is submitted early.
The email address you provide will be used for notifications. Please check your Junk and Spam inboxes as notifications may go directly to these.
We will fully support disabled candidates, and candidates with long-term conditions or who are neurodivergent by making reasonable adjustments to our recruitment policy and practices.
To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found in the further information for this vacancy.
This post requires the post holder to have a PVG Scheme membership/record. If the post holder is not a current PVG member for the required regulatory group (i.e. child and/or adult) then an application will need to be made to Disclosure Scotland and deemed satisfactory before they can begin in post.
For further information on what is included in the role and what skills/experience are being looked for, click on the links at the bottom of the screen to the job description and person specification. If after reading this information you have any questions, please contact Alena.Hughes@nhs.scot
