Could you be a Croydon Nurse?

Working at Croydon Health Services is both fulfilling and challenging. You’ll meet some of the most engaging and stimulating people in London who will push you to develop your skills, learn something new and reward you in equal measure. 

With nurses in demand across London and the UK, you could choose to work at any Trust, we want to tell you why Croydon Health Services is the best place to be a nurse. 

Croydon Health Services NHS Trust is a modern integrated healthcare organisation providing acute and community health services across the borough of Croydon.

Working in Croydon does not come without its challenges. Across the NHS everyone is working hard to meet growing demand and we’re no exception. But with the right team, we are rising to this challenge, putting our people in the driving seat, encouraging innovation and transforming our services to give local people the quality of care they deserve.

If you want to make an impact, accelerate your learning and rise to the daily challenge of caring for a diverse community then head for Croydon. 

Visit our dedicated site to find out if you could be a Croydon Nurse! 

Could you be a Croydon Nurse recruitment brochure

You can search for current nursing roles in Croydon here

Newly qualified nurses and Band 5

Croydon Health Services is a great place to start your career as a nurse. As a district general hospital we offer the opportunity to get solid experience in an environment that supports your development as a nurse, with a wide range of clinical areas to get involved in.

Band five nurses will enjoy the challenge of working in Croydon and the ‘big family’ atmosphere that the Trust has.

Support and preceptorship opportunties

Newly qualified nurses can fast-track their career in Croydon. A rotation programme which gives varied experiences, ongoing support through a preceptorship scheme and an environment that promotes innovation, it’s a vibrant and diverse place to start out, wherever you come from and whatever your destination.

We know that the first steps in a nursing career can be the most challenging and believe it’s important to support nurses so that they can learn and grow. Our dedicated team of Practice Education Nurses are on hand to ensure that you never feel alone.

All newly qualified nurses who join the Trust are enrolled in our preceptorship scheme which offers a carefully planned way to develop clinical skills with the guidance and support of experienced clinicians. The scheme includes one-to-one mentoring and a named ‘buddy’ in the Trust for support and guidance. Further career advice is also available to help you plan for the future.

For more information, download our preceptorship leaflet

Experienced nurses

There are lots of opportunities for experienced nurses at the Trust, whether this is in our hospitals or in our community services.

If you want to develop your career in nursing then the Trust has the challenge you’re looking for. We have roles for experienced acute nurses, specialist nurses, advanced practitioners and community based nursing including health visiting and district nursing.

The Trust has over 80 specialist nurses, who work closely with medical teams but have a high degree of independence in how they manage their caseload and working lives.

We are always looking for our next generation of nurse leaders and often have great opportunties for band five and six charge nurses and sisters. We provide career clinics for our staff meeting with senior education and development nurses and discussing your training and career pathway opportunities.

Changing focus

As a Trust which runs both hospital and community services, we have opportunities for experienced nurses, looking to make a career change and will support education and development in high-demand areas. If you’re looking to make a change or would like to explore another nursing profession, we can support your transition.

For example you may wish to try moving from hospital to community nursing. We can support this move, provide an introduction programme and if it is for you we can support you to train as a district nurse, school nurse or health visitor. 

Croydon Health Services is an integrated Trust, providing services in hospitals and in the community. This makes moving between the two, re-education and progressing, easier than in many other Trusts. Service improvement programmes such as ‘Listening Into Action’ foster innovation and encourage staff at all levels to make a difference. This provides a foundation for those wanting to develop management skills and an environment where new ideas are embraced.

Your chance to shine

Ambitious, creative nurses can thrive at Croydon Health Services and we are keen to foster enthusiasm and develop nurses who want to fast-track their career.

We know that modern nurses want the chance to make a difference and will offer opportunities to those who want to accelerate their learning and progress quickly through nursing grades. We are responding to the demands of a modern health service by embracing ambition and supporting development. If you’re keen to progress, we’ll provide the help you need. 

We actively seek out ambitious, proactive nurses, support talent, and promote on merit to develop future leaders. If you have the skills and drive to rise through the ranks we’ll remove the traditional barriers and work with you to support your progress. More information about career development for nurses at all stages is included in our separate nursing career prospectus.

Midwifery

There’s never been a better time to be a midwife at Croydon Health Services.

Following the £630,000 refurbishment of our maternity unit and the gold-standard numbers of midwives caring for our local mums, you’ll be joining a motivated, caring team who will give you all of the support you need to develop your career, however long you’ve been practicing. 

Croydon was one of the first Trusts to employ a consultant midwife, who alongside our dedicated preceptor midwife, supports and develops the skills of the whole team. The midwife-led birth centre provides a modern, welcoming environment for new parents as well as a great place for to work.

A recent CQC inspection gave a ringing endorsement of the service, “We found that maternity and gynaecology services were provided to a good standard. There had been continued and sustained improvements to maternity services. Women who had previously given birth at the hospital commented positively on the improvements to maternity services and told us staff were caring, responsive and knowledgeable." CQC, October 2015

Find out more about our maternity service.

Healthcare assistants

Becoming a Healthcare Assistant at Croydon Health Services

Working life

The role of healthcare assistant is a rewarding and essential part of the nursing team.  As a healthcare assistant (HCA), you will work under the guidance of a qualified healthcare professional, usually a nurse. As well as nurses, HCAs work with doctors, midwives and other healthcare professionals. They have a lot of contact with patients. Sometimes staff working in HCA roles are known as nursing assistants or generic support workers.

The work varies depending on where you're based, though for the majority of ward based HCAs you will be

  • washing and dressing patients
  • serving meals and helping to feed patients
  • helping people to move around
  • toileting
  • making beds
  • talking to patients and making them comfortable
  • monitoring patients' conditions by taking temperatures, pulse, respirations and weight

Skills and personal characteristics needed 

To be a healthcare assistant, you will need to be

  • caring and kind
  • cheerful and friendly
  • willing to be hands-on with patients
  • willing to do personal care tasks (washing, toileting, etc)
  • able to follow instructions and procedures
  • able to work in a team but use your own initiative

You'll also need

  • communication skills, including listening
  • organisation skills
  • observational skills

Training and development

Recruitment process

  • Assessment - numeracy and literacy assessment; you need to achieve 80% in each section to pass.
  • Interview - you need to achieve 80% in the interview to be successful.

Allocation to clinical area

If you are successful at interview we will do our best to allocate to an area that suits your preference however if we do not have a suitable position for you we will place you on our waiting list.  Once on the waiting list we will continue to process your pre-employment checks and should a permanent post become available we can allocate you to that post. 

We will also provide you with the contact details of NHS Professionals so if you want to work with them whilst on the waiting list then you can register to do so.

We will ask you if you have any preferences for working in particular areas, such as elderly care or medical wards; your preferences are not guaranteed but it will help us to assign you the most appropriate interview panel.

Working hours and ward shift times

Long day 07.30 – 20.00  or  08.00 - 20.30

Night 19.30 - 08.00  or  20.00 - 08.30

We need to know if you want to work full-time or part-time, and if part-time what hours you would be available to work, i.e. full-time is three shifts per week for three weeks and one week of four shifts.  Two shifts per week would be 23 hours; once offers have been sent out, the hours requested cannot be changed.

You need to inform us if you are attending college / university / have other commitments and would need particular shifts as it can be difficult to accommodate requests within the rosters whilst ensuring the needs of the service are maintained.

You will be expected to work a variety of long days and nights throughout the four week roster, this will include weekends.  You are allowed up to five requests per roster. Requests for flexible working hours or changing your hours can only be made once you’ve worked at Croydon Health Services for a minimum of 26 weeks, in accordance with the Working Life Balance Policy and Procedure.