Ministry of Defence (Defence Medical Services)

Band 5 Nurse

The closing date is 02 December 2025

Job summary

Here at Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) we are an inclusive and dedicated organisation working to provide excellent care to our entitled personnel.

Are you a motivated individual who strives to deliver excellent healthcare?

Are you a Nurse looking for a captivating role,working alongside the military, that offers numerous benefits and opportunities for career-development in a phenomenal team? if so, then we would love to hear from you!

This is a job share role, offering 18.75 hours per week, working as part of the Colchester Group Practice based at Merville Barracks, Colchester and The Military Correctional Training Centre (MCTC). There may be a requirement to provide cover at other facilities within the Colchester Combined Practice (Wattisham & Woodbridge) if necessitated by business needs. The working pattern will follow a two-week rotation:

Week 1: Thu/Fri all day Wed morning
Week 2: Thu/Fri all day - Wed afternoon

We offer the following employee benefits:

Access to gym
Free Parking
Inclusive Working Environment
Learning and development opportunities

Main duties of the job

The successful candidate will be responsible for providing appropriate Primary Health Care (PHC) nursing to the medical facility population at risk in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary primary healthcare team.

You will be responsible for the delivery of appropriate assessment; planning, implementation and evaluation of care needs, medical screening and advice to patients within their professional competence in line with current policy, guidelines and utilising agreed evidence based practice.

About us

Our success depends on our people, our Whole Force regular and reservist military, civil servants and contractors, all working as one, working together seamlessly to deliver for us.

Our civil servants are a central part of this Whole Force, developing strategy, making policy, supporting ministerial decision-making and Parliamentary processes. In fact, with over 2,000 different roles working across 650 sites around the world, now really is an excellent time to join one of the largest, most exciting departments in government.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to attracting and retaining people from across the full range of backgrounds and enabling flexible ways of working as the norm. We offer maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay followed by 13 weeks of statutory pay and a further 13 weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of 2 weeks full pay.

In return, you can expect a department that helps you learn and develop that recognises your expertise and contribution, both as an individual and part of a team.

If you've ever wanted to do more, see more, go further or be better, we have roles in more professions and vocations than ever before. Let's see where your future will take you, together.

Date posted

24 November 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 5

Salary

£31,049 to £37,796 a year pro rata.

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Job share

Reference number

K0003-25-0526

Job locations

Merville Barracks

Circular Road South

Colchester

CO2 7UT

Job description

Job responsibilities

As the successful candidate your duties include but are not limited to:

Maintaining written and/or electronic records in accordance with best practice and with regard to confidentiality in line with the NMC Standards for Record Keeping, Defence Medical Services (DMS) policy and local guidelines.
For patients with relatively stable health needs, provide appropriate assessment of their needs, developing individual plans of care. Implement and evaluate individual planned programmes of care
Triaging and treating minor injuries/illness as per agreed evidence based practice, Patient Group Directions (PGD) and adhering to agreed policies and guidelines
Provision of technical nursing treatments e.g. Venepuncture, Electrocardiograms (ECGs), Eye and Ear Care, Wound Management/Dressings, Suture Removals, assisting the Medical Officer with Minor Surgery.
Administering immunisation and monitor medications consistent with Surgeon General Policy Letters (SGPL), Director General Army Medical Services (DGAMS), Defence Primary Health Care (DPHC) policy, Patient Group Directions (PGDs), standards, and legislation.

Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for additional job duties and responsibilities.

Selection Process:

At application stage you will be assessed against the following:

CV: Please ensure you demonstrate that you have the required skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and memberships in the CV section of the application form.

At interview you will be assessed against the following Technical Skills:

NHS Core NHSC1 Communication
NHS Core NHSC2 Personal & People Development
NHS Core NHSC4 Service Improvement
NHS Information & Knowledge NHS IK1 Information Processing
NHS Health & Wellbeing HWB2 Assessment & Care Planning
NHS Health & Wellbeing HWB5 Provision of Care

The sift will be completed within 10 working days of the vacancy closing date. Interviews will be held on a date to be confirmed.

There will be no reimbursement for any travel expenses for the interview.

Further Information:

Please see the link to our YouTube channel for advice preparing your best responses with some hints and tips on answering behaviour-based questions. Hints and tips such as: Your behaviours can be based on situations from work, volunteering or home; match your situation to the behaviour requested and how to use your 250-word limit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEpdNWKQSRI

Requests to work flexibly and/or part time will be considered, taking into account business needs. Please note the salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.

All employees joining Ministry of Defence who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a 6-month probation period (unless otherwise advised) effective from the employment start date.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check.

If found successful for this position, you will be required to provide evidence of your immunity to Hepatitis B. Please note that evidence of your vaccination is not a proof of your immunity, but your serology levels will be required. Failure to provide sufficient evidence may result in the offer of employment being withdrawn.

To be considered for this role, qualifications and memberships detailed must be held in full, prior to submitting your application.

There is no requirement to deploy as this is met by our uniformed personnel, but you will form the continuity of care required by our patients when based at home.

The post does NOT offer relocation expenses (move of home, excess fares or temporary transfer). Non-Standard move applicants will be eligible for the full package, subject to eligibility.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.

Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected, and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn

This vacancy is part of the A Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact dbscivpers-sgdmsresourcing@mod.gov.uk.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.