Band 5 Practice Nurse Primary Healthcare

Job summary

At Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) we are an inclusive, dedicated organisation working to provide outstanding care to our entitled personnel.

Are you a Band 5 Primary Healthcare Practice Nurse looking for an exciting role, working alongside the military, which offers numerous benefits and opportunities? If the answer is yes, then we are looking to appoint a professional and patient focused individual with a strong commitment to providing a high quality service to work within our friendly and welcoming team at the East of Scotland Combined Medical Practice, Leuchars Station, St. Andrews.

This is a full time role offering 37.5 hours per week. Part-time candidates will be considered but due to service delivery requirements it must be on a job share basis as full time hours need to be covered. The salary will be pro-rata where part time hours are undertaken.

Could this be the role for you? If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Job description

The Band 5 Practice Nurse Primary Healthcare is to provide Primary Healthcare Nursing services within East of Scotland Combined Medical Practice (EoS CMP), based at Leuchars Station on behalf of the Senior Nursing Officer (SNO) and Senior Medical Officer (SMO). This is to ensure that the standards and objectives of the medical centre are achieved.

The post holder will work as part of a multidisciplinary primary healthcare team delivering primary healthcare nursing including elements of occupational health. You may also be asked to provide cross-cover as required at Royal Marines Condor.

Depending upon qualifications and experience the post holder will be responsible for the delivery of appropriate assessment treatment, screening, and advice to patients within their professional competence and in accordance with Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) clinical guidelines and protocols.

Person specification

The duties and responsibilities of this role include, but are not limited to:

• To provide high-quality person-centred care which always considers people's safety, privacy and dignity using advanced clinical knowledge that is evidence based.
• Once trained and assessed competent, undertake preventative health programmes e.g. travel and vaccination clinics, new patients screening, audiometry.
• Support the care of patients with chronic illnesses e.g. Asthma, Diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and hypertension ensuring continued maintenance of the Chronic Disease Register and provide admin support for the Band 6 nurses.
• Undertake technical nursing treatments and procedures for patients (e.g. wound care, sutures removal, electrocardiogram (ECGs)).
• Assist with health and well-being clinics (e.g. smoking cessation, weight management, alcohol misuse) using health promotion, health education, screening, and therapeutic communication skills.

For further details, please see the attached Terms of Reference.

Qualifications

Must be in date for Basic Life Support (BLS), Anaphylaxis, Automated External Defibrillation (AED), Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). Safeguarding Level 2 (Children and Adult - depending on population at risk) or willingness to undertake training.

Memberships

Registered Nurse - on part 1 of the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Register
Current registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC).

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• NHS Core – NHSC1 – Communication
• NHS Core – NHSC2 – Personal & People Development
• NHS Core – NHSC5 – Quality
• NHS Health & Wellbeing – HWB1 – Promotion of Health & Wellbeing
• NHS Health & Wellbeing – HWB2 – Assessment & Care Planning

Benefits

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• An NHS pension
• Free parking
• Access to gym, shop & dining facilities
• Reimbursement of Professional Fees
• Up to £330 per training year towards CPD
• NHS Agenda for Change (AfC) Scotland Market Skills Allowance (MSA) - £3000 pa (pro-rata)
• Eligibility for Blue Light / Defence Discount Card

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Experience and Technical skills.

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.
• Please provide information of how you meet the criteria set out in the Job Description. You may wish to further include examples of how you have tackled similar tasks or demonstrated the skills outlined in the job advert.

Experience:

• Candidates will be required to provide a Personal Statement (word count: 750).

At interview you will be assessed against the following:

Technical Skills:

• NHS Core – NHSC1 – Communication
• NHS Core – NHSC2 – Personal & People Development
• NHS Core – NHSC5 – Quality
• NHS Health & Wellbeing – HWB1 – Promotion of Health & Wellbeing
• NHS Health & Wellbeing – HWB2 – Assessment & Care Planning

The interview may consist of a mix of direct questions and clinical situation-based scenarios.

NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework - https://www.msg.scot.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/KSF-Handbook.pdf

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.

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 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.

Access to the NHS pension scheme is available to the successful candidate.

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. Making the Civil Service a Great Place to Work for Veterans - GOV.UK

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Suzanne Turner
• Email : Suzanne.Turner157@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-SGDMSResourcing@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please see Further Information document.

Attachments

DPHCSNI_B5_Practice_Nurse_PHC_LEU Opens in new window (pdf, 294kB)20250910-Candidate_Pack-compressed Opens in new window (pdf, 697kB)Further Information - External Opens in new window (pdf, 101kB)FAQs updated 28.11.2025 Opens in new window (docx, 48kB)