Pre-operative Assessment Senior Sister

Job Overview

We are seeking a dedicated senior nurse with expert knowledge in pre‑operative assessment who is committed to delivering high standards of safe, effective and compassionate care. The successful candidate will act as a specialist clinical resource, supporting patients throughout their surgical pathway and contributing to excellent patient outcomes and experiences.

• Work autonomously, demonstrating comprehensive assessment and decision‑making skills for complex patients.
• Identify and manage clinical risk, coordinate investigations and work effectively with the multidisciplinary team, providing specialist advice, support and education.
• Promote evidence‑based practice and continuous quality improvement through audit, service development and patient feedback.
• Ensure practice is compliant with clinical governance, health and safety, infection prevention and risk management standards.
• Maintain professional accountability in line with the NMC, national and local requirements, practising within an ethical framework based on dignity, respect and patient safety.
• Provide senior clinical leadership and deliver a high‑quality, safe and effective pre‑operative assessment service.
• Undertake and oversee comprehensive pre‑operative assessments for elective and complex surgical patients in line with local and national guidance.
• Make autonomous clinical decisions regarding patient optimisation, surgical readiness and the need for delay or postponement of procedures.
• Work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team to ensure robust, efficient and safe patient pathways.
• Lead, support and develop junior nursing staff through supervision, education and clinical leadership.
• Act as a change agent by developing and embedding clinically effective, evidence‑based practice through implementation, monitoring and review of standards, policies, procedures and protocols.
• Promote a culture of continuous quality improvement through audit, patient feedback, reflective practice and service evaluation at individual and team levels.
• Ensure a clean, safe and supportive environment for staff, patients and visitors, maintaining compliance with health and safety legislation, infection prevention, clinical governance, risk management and incident investigation processes, including root cause analysis.
• Deliver and promote consistently high standards of compassionate clinical care and record keeping in line with NMC, national and local standards.
• Lead effective communication across the multidisciplinary team to support safe, coordinated and patient‑centred care.
• Identify, assess and manage clinical risk, ensuring appropriate use of protocols and safe medical device practices to minimise harm.
• Monitor standards of care, implementing timely actions where practice falls below expected levels.
• Ensure incidents and near misses are reported promptly and appropriately, taking action to reduce future risk.
• Develop and implement systems that promote and demonstrate the contribution and impact of advanced nursing practice within the healthcare team and wider health and social care environment.
• Undertake and support ongoing evaluation and audit of practice at individual and system levels, applying valid and reliable methodologies and acting on findings to improve outcomes.
• Critically appraise and apply evidence from research, audits and service evaluations to inform and enhance clinical practice.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is one of the largest NHS trusts in the West Midlands providing primary, acute and community services. We are incredibly proud of the diversity of both our staff and the communities we serve and are building a workforce that can help us to fulfil our values, improve the quality of care for patients, and solve the health care problems of tomorrow.

We are passionate about the value that diversity of thinking and lived experience brings in enabling us to become a learning organisation and leader in delivering compassionate care for our patients. We are delighted that we have been rated as Good by CQC. We have achieved numerous awards;
The Nursing Times Best Diversity and Inclusion Practice and Best…