Senior Metal Health Nurse - Enhanced Therapeutic Observations and Care

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and dynamic Band 8a Matron to join the Integrated Medicine care group at Princess Royal University Hospital, part of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, on a fixed-term basis for 12 months to cover a period of maternity leave.

The post holder will provide senior clinical and operational leadership across a portfolio of medical wards, acting as a visible and accountable leader for nursing standards, patient safety, and staff development. Working closely with ward managers, the Lead Nurse, and the wider multidisciplinary team, the Matron will drive a culture of compassionate, high-quality care and continuous improvement, ensuring that governance, workforce, and quality assurance processes are maintained to the highest standard throughout the period of cover.

This is a rewarding opportunity for a motivated senior nurse who is ready to step into or continue at matron level and make a tangible impact on patient outcomes and nursing leadership within a large, complex acute medicine environment.

Main duties of the job

• Provide senior clinical and operational leadership across a portfolio of acute medicine wards, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, compassionate care in line with Trust and national standard

• Act as a visible clinical leader, supporting and developing ward managers and nursing teams through coaching, supervision, and regular quality round

• Maintain oversight of patient safety governance, including harm free care indicators, incident management, complaint oversight, and CQC compliance across the care group

• Lead on workforce management within the portfolio, including recruitment, sickness absence management, performance, and staff wellbeing

• Drive quality improvement initiatives, using audit, patient feedback, and performance data to identify areas for development and implement sustainable change

• Provide a senior escalation point for complex clinical, safeguarding, and HR matters, working in close partnership with the Lead Nurse, Head of Nursing, and care group management team

• Monitor and manage ward-level financial and resource performance, ensuring nursing establishments are maintained and budgetary targets are met

• Lead on the education and professional development of nursing staff across the portfolio, ensuring mandatory compliance and supporting a culture of learning and continuous improvement

• Represent the care group at relevant Trust-wide forums and governance meetings, contributing to divisional and organisational priorities

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Clinical Leadership and Patient Safety

The postholder will provide visible, compassionate, and accountable senior nursing leadership across a portfolio of acute medicine wards, ensuring the consistent delivery of safe, high-quality, person-centred care. They will lead regular quality rounds, supporting ward managers to identify and address clinical concerns in a timely manner, and will act as a senior escalation point for complex clinical situations. The postholder will maintain oversight of harm free care indicators, ensuring that data is used to drive local improvement projects and that practice is benchmarked against Trust and national standards. They will champion a safeguarding culture across the portfolio, ensuring that the needs of vulnerable patients, including those with mental health concerns or issues of mental capacity, are appropriately identified and escalated.

Governance and Quality Assurance

The postholder will be responsible for ensuring that robust governance processes are embedded across the care group portfolio, maintaining compliance with CQC essential standards, Trust policies, and relevant regulatory requirements. They will lead on complaint management within their portfolio, ensuring responses are timely, empathetic, and lead to demonstrable learning and improvement. The postholder will oversee incident investigation and the implementation of corrective actions in partnership with the patient safety team, and will contribute to the care group's governance and quality forums. They will ensure that accurate, contemporaneous records are maintained across all wards and that documentation standards are upheld by all nursing staff.

Workforce Management and People Development

The postholder will hold operational responsibility for workforce management across the portfolio, including oversight of recruitment and selection, sickness absence management, performance management, and compliance with mandatory training requirements. They will work closely with ward managers to maintain safe staffing levels and appropriate skill mix, and will lead on the escalation and resolution of complex HR matters in line with Trust policy. The postholder will actively support the professional development of nursing staff at all levels, contributing to preceptorship, mentorship, and education programmes, and will lead strategies to support staff retention, motivation, and wellbeing. They will identify talent within the team and support succession planning in partnership with the Lead Nurse and Head of Nursing.

Financial and Resource Management

The postholder will support effective financial stewardship across the nursing workforce budget within their portfolio, monitoring establishment levels, temporary staffing usage, and budgetary performance. They will work with the Lead Nurse and Head of Nursing to maximise resources, ensure care group and divisional priorities are met within budget, and contribute to the production of performance scorecard information as required.

Education, Training and Professional Development

The postholder will lead the provision of a high-quality learning environment across the portfolio, ensuring that all staff have access to relevant education and training opportunities. They will oversee mandatory training compliance and ensure that specific training programmes are in place and responsive to the needs of the patient group. The postholder will actively contribute to the development of preceptorship and mentorship programmes, support the educational development of newly qualified nurses, and establish effective links with Higher Education Institutions as appropriate. They will promote an evidence-based approach to clinical practice and contribute to nursing research and service development initiatives.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

The postholder will develop and maintain strong working relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including ward managers, medical consultants, allied health professionals, general managers, community care providers, and the clinical site team. They will ensure effective communication across the portfolio, facilitating the cascade of information relating to divisional, care group, Trust, and NHS initiatives. The postholder will liaise with discharge coordinators and bed managers to support effective patient flow, and will ensure that patients, relatives, and carers are received and communicated with in a professional, courteous, and compassionate manner at all times.

General Responsibilities

The postholder will observe the rules, policies, procedures, and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations. They will maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff, take responsibility for their own professional development, and actively contribute to the development of colleagues. The postholder will promote equality, diversity, and inclusion across the portfolio and ensure that services are responsive to the needs of all patient groups. They will hold an nhs.net email account as the Trust's formal route for communication and will comply with all infection control and safeguarding requirements as set out in Trust policy.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Level 1 registered nurse
• Completed degree in Nursing
• Mentorship or equivalent education / training course
• Current significant experience as a band 7 managing a team or department

Desirable criteria

• Actively working towards MSc modules or achieved MSc

IMPORTANT

• Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you
• If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications
• To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert
• Please provide email addresses for referees where possible
• Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy
• All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role.
• Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

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