Surgical First Assist
Department: Theatre Staff
Location: Margate
Salary: £20.34-£24.50 per hour dependent on experience and qualifications
Closing Date: 2nd December 2025
We are growing our Theatres team! Are you an experienced and motived Surgical First Practitioner ready to take the next step in your career?
Spencer Private Hospitals are seeking a dynamic and dedicated Surgical First Practitioner to provide specialist care within our busy operating Theatres.
The post holder will perform and assist in all aspects of surgical procedures to an expert level in line with personal competencies. They will be a point of knowledge for junior team members and act as a mentor to health professionals who wish to gain competencies within the field of surgery. The post holder will work with consultants in delivering and maintaining a high standard of surgical care before, during and after surgery.
We undertake a multiplicity of surgical procedures which include - but are not limited to - general surgery, orthopaedics, gynaecology, urology, ENT and colorectal patients. This post is clinical responsible to the consultant surgeon as a member of the surgical team.
The post holder is professional accountable for their own actions and advanced practice and must comply with local policies and procedures of the Trust and work within the boundaries of personal competencies and professional codes of performance, conduct and ethics.
You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the delivery of high quality patient centred care and maintaining professional standards within the theatre setting. This is an exciting opportunity for a compassionate, forward thinking, experienced SFA who is ready to be part of a skilled team.
Part Time Hours - 30 per week. 7.5, 15, 22.5 hours will be considered. Hours are worked across a 7 day working rota. Please specify your preference on the application form. Currently most theatre work is scheduled during the evenings and weekends. Start times in the evenings are from 17:00 pm. Weekend work consists of 08:00 am start. Flexibility is essential with finish times.
We offer enhancements for Saturdays and any work between 8pm and 7.30am on weekdays at time +30% of your basic salary rate. For Sundays and Bank Holidays at time + 60% of your basic salary rate.
Interview Date – Week commencing 15th December 2025
Qualifications and Experience
- Operating Department Practitioner
- Current registration with the NMC or HCPC
- Qualified Surgical First Assistant
- Ability to assess, plan and evaluate patient care
- Teaching and assessing/mentorship or willing to undertake
- Knowledge of CQC
- HLS Teaching (Anaes)
- Assist consultants during operation as per SFA
- Substantial specialist experience post accreditation
- Proven hands on surgical experience
- Appropriate experience acquired to demonstrate a high level of clinical skill and excellent manual dexterity
- IT skills
- Committed Team Player
- Ability to deal with emergency situations within the operating theatre department
- Provide highly specialised emergency knowledge
- Remain focused and alert for long periods of time
- Checking patient documentation
Thank you for considering a position within Spencer Private Hospitals (SPH)Ltd. We are a healthcare organisation which is genuinely passionate about delivering nothing less than excellence. Particularly patient care that exceeds all expectations. We are fortunate that we have a bespoke team who are valued and well respected by our patients, the board, peers and other stakeholders. We also recognise that the right team are our greatest asset.
We are building upon our strategy for growth and expansion and are looking to expand our nursing teams.
We provide a variety of services across East Kent, which include in patient, Day case, outpatients, Diagnostics, lifestyle and wellbeing services including options via the choose and book option in their care pathway.
Our principle sites are in Margate and Ashford with an outpatient provision in Canterbury.
I hope Spencer Private Hospitals will appeal to those of you whose purpose is to provide the best of care in an appreciated and respected environment with ambition to improve their knowledge and skillset whilst caring for a multiplicity of patients in a considerate environment with opportunity for further growth and development.
Thank you for considering a position a position with us. We look forward to welcoming you into Spencer Private Hospitals should you be successful at interview.
How to apply:
We regret that CVs are not accepted for any of our roles, for an application pack please download the above file. If you are using an iPad or iPhone you will need to download an app for opening zip files.
Please note we are not offering sponsorship for this role.
To discuss these opportunities, please contact:
Kate Twyman, Theatre Sister at Kate.Twyman@spencerhospitals.com
Alternatively, please contact Carina Pieries, HR Business Partner
Telephone: 01304 222687
E-mail: recruitment@spencerhospitals.com
Previous candidates need not apply. Please note: We reserve the right to close the advert prior to the advertised closing date, dependent upon the number of adverts received.
About Spencer Private Hospitals
Spencer Private Hospitals recognise and value all of their staff and are committed to developing a well-trained and flexible workforce.
Staff wellbeing is a priority for the organisation with some perks of employment being -
- Free on-site staff carparking
- Staff discount for treatments
- Enrolment into a staff pension scheme
- Investment in staff training
- Annual salary increment
- Additional benefits available in line with our NHS colleagues
- Local retail discounts
We are also fortunate enough to be based in East Kent, arguably one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, often boasting the best weather due to our close proximity to Western Europe and is aptly know by the missive `the Garden of England’. We are a short hop across the channel to France with the added bonus of fast rail connections to Europe, London and surrounding areas. The availability of high-quality schools which support grammar school education as well as academy and private schools are all available within the locality.
Our CQC report has a rating of Good – and we are now on an improvement trajectory to Outstanding.
Spencer Private Hospitals is an equal opportunity employer. This position is subject to a Disclosure and Barring check.
How to Apply
We regret that CVs are not accepted for any of our roles, for an application pack please click the download button. If you are using an iPad or iPhone you will need to download an app for opening zip files.
Alternatively, please contact Sarah Washington, Learning & Development Lead on 01304 222690 or Carina Pieries, HR Business Partner on 01304 222687
E-mail: recruitment@spencerhospitals.com
Previous applicants need not apply.
Please note we are not able to offer sponsorship for our roles.
Note to Agencies
Spencer Private Hospitals does not accept speculative CVs. We will only review completed application forms for an advertised post. Any unsolicited CVs received will be treated as the property of Spencer Private Hospitals and Terms & Conditions associated with the use of such CVs will be considered null and void.
Please do not send CVs unless explicitly requested by Spencer Private Hospitals to do so in respect of a specific vacancy. Spencer Private Hospitals will not recognise any CV submissions related to unsolicited applications and no agency fees will apply in relation to such submissions. If an agency submits an unsolicited CV to any employee at Spencer Private Hospitals, we will not accept liability for commissions or other charges if we subsequently employ that candidate whether directly or through another agency. Receipt of unsolicited CVs does not imply an introduction to Spencer Private Hospitals and will be considered property of Spencer Private Hospitals.
If two or more agencies submit a CV for the same applicant and the same role any payment will be deemed to be with the original submission based upon the time the email is received by Spencer Private Hospitals.