Ward Manager

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an exceptional Ward Manager to lead the new Guthrie Ward at King’s College Hospital. This is a pivotal role in our Private Patient Services, reporting directly to the Deputy Chief Nurse and working closely with the multidisciplinary team to deliver exceptional, patient-centred care.

You will lead a specialised unit that will provide care to patients with complex conditions across a range of specialties and be responsible for managing a talented team, ensuring safe and high-quality care delivery and contributing to the strategic development and growth of the ward. You will play a key role in shaping the service, expanding its capacity and leading service innovation.

We are looking for a dynamic, compassionate and experienced nursing leader with proven leadership skills who is passionate about developing teams and improving patient outcomes. A confident decision-maker, you will manage the clinical and operational aspects of the ward and be committed to maintaining high standards of care. You will have experience working in an acute environment with the ability to drive performance, quality improvement and a culture of compassion and respect. Emotionally intelligent, modern in approach and able to inspire, empower and influence teams, your leadership will be vital in ensuring the continued success and expansion of Guthrie Ward.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds and encourage individuals from under-represented communities.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of exceptional, safe, patient-centred care that meets the high expectations of private patients and their families. They will be required to oversee a culture of clinical excellence, patient satisfaction and operational efficiency, whilst maintaining regulatory compliance and supporting quality improvement initiatives.

Guthrie Ward has a strategic plan to expand its capacity to meet growing market demand and the post holder will play a vital role in supporting the design and implementation of this phased expansion, including input into estate development, workforce planning and service innovation. In addition to managing the inpatient nursing team, the post holder will also hold line management responsibility for the private outpatient nursing team.

As Ward Manager, you'll play a vital role in our Care Group's quality governance structure, contributing to patient safety initiatives and leading on the implementation of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF). Your commitment to developing both yourself and your team will be essential in maintaining high standards of care and driving service improvement.

You'll develop strong collaborative relationships with relevant partners, to optimise patient pathways and enhance the seamless delivery of care. Your commitment to gathering and acting upon patient and family feedback will be crucial in continuously improving  service quality and patient experience

Working for our organisation

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£1.8 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 15,000 staff based across South East London. 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

Leadership and Operations

• Provide clinical and operational leadership to the multidisciplinary team, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care
• Maintain robust oversight of staffing levels, skill mix, and resource allocation to ensure safe and effective service delivery
• Lead by example in promoting evidence-based practice and maintaining professional standards
• Oversee the unit's performance metrics and implement changes to improve efficiency

Financial Management

• Manage the unit's budget and resources effectively, ensuring optimal staffing levels and efficient use of resource

Quality and Governance

• Actively participate in Care Group quality initiatives and governance meetings, contributing to trust-wide improvement projects
• Implement and embed the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF), fostering a culture of learning and continuous improvement
• Drive quality improvement initiatives and maintain compliance with regulatory standards
• Ensure robust governance processes are in place to maintain patient and staff safety
• Drive quality improvement initiatives based on patient feedback, clinical audits, and performance metrics
• Oversee medication safety processes, including audits, incident reporting, and implementation of best practices
• Lead regular medication safety reviews and ensure compliance with medication management policies
• Monitor and analyse medication incidents, implementing improvements to prevent recurrence
• Ensure all staff maintain up-to-date medication competencies
• Support the development and implementation of medication safety initiative

Service Development and Strategy

• Develop and implement strategic plans to enhance service delivery and patient outcomes
• Champion innovation and best practice, leading service development initiatives
• Support the delivery of the Care Group's strategic objectives through local action plans and initiative

Stakeholder Engagement and Patient Experience

• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure seamless patient pathways
• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with key external stakeholders
• Develop and optimise patient pathways in collaboration with external partners to ensure smooth transitions of care
• Lead on the collection, analysis, and implementation of patient and family feedback to drive service improvement

People Management and Performance

Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.

• Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.
• Ensure the team is compliant and up to date with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements.
• Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.
• Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.
• Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.
• Review skills mix at regular intervals in order to identify any potential opportunities to maximise resource utilisation / allocation, ensuring job descriptions are kept up to date.
• Ensure overall wellbeing of the team is maintained. Continuously support in improving the morale of the team and implementing a culture of zero-tolerance for bullying and harassment

General

The post holder has a general duty of care for their own health, safety and wellbeing and that of work colleagues, visitors and patients within the hospital, in addition to any specific risk management or clinical governance accountabilities associated with this post.

• To observe the rules, policies, procedures and standards of King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust together with all relevant statutory and professional obligations.
• We want to be an organisation where everyone shares a commitment to delivering the very best care and feels like their contribution is valuable and valued.
• At King’s we are a kind, respectful team:

Kind . We show compassion and understanding and bring a positive attitude to our work

Respectful . We promote equality, are inclusive and honest, speaking up when needed

Team . We support each other, communicate openly, and are reassuringly professional

• To observe and maintain strict confidentiality of personal information relating to patients and staff.
• To be responsible, with management support, for their own personal development and to actively contribute to the development of colleagues.
• This job description is intended as a guide to the general scope of duties and is not intended to be definitive or restrictive. It is expected that some of the duties will change over time and this description will be subject to review in consultation with the post holder.
• All employees must hold an 'nhs.net' email account which will be the Trust's formal route for email communication.
• Everyone is responsible for promoting inclusion no matter their role or team. At King’s, we want to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and welcomed

Safeguarding 

The Trust takes the issues of Safeguarding Children, Adults and addressing Domestic Abuse very seriously. All employees have a responsibility to support the organisation in our duties by

• attending mandatory training on safeguarding children and adults
• familiarising themselves with the Trust's processes for reporting concerns 
• reporting any safeguarding child or adult concerns appropriately

Infection Control Statement

The post holder has an important responsibility for and contribution to make to infection control and must be familiar with the infection control and hygiene requirements of this role.

These requirements are set out in the National Code of Practice on Infection Control and in local policies and procedures which will be made clear during your induction and subsequent refresher training.  These standards must be strictly complied with at all times.

Person specification

Education/Experience/Skills

Essential criteria

• • Current NMC registration with significant post-registration experience
• • Management experience in an acute hospital setting
• • Experience in budget management and resource allocation
• • Proven track record of successful team leadership and staff development
• • Strong understanding of clinical governance and quality improvement methodologies
• • Demonstrated commitment to personal and professional development
• • Experience in implementing change
• • Knowledge of current healthcare policy and regulatory requirements
• • Decision making skills
• • Ability to work independently using own initiative and consistent clinical judgment
• • Ability to work flexibly as determined by needs of the service
• • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• • Evidence of continuous professional development
• • Experience in developing clinical pathways and service improvement
• • Strong leadership abilities with excellent people management skills
• • Ability to work effectively under pressure and manage competing priorities
• • Commitment to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion

Desirable criteria

• • Master's level qualification in healthcare management or relevant field
• • Leadership qualification or management development program completion
• • Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret and act on performance data

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.

King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Annual Reports and Other Corporate Publications

King's Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre Website

King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.