Job summary Working Full time - 37.5 hours per week A rare and exciting opportunity has risen for the appointment of an Emergency Department Matron at The Countess of Chester Hospital. The successful candidate will be joining the Emergency Department leadership team at an exciting time, with ongoing redevelopment work underway to improve the emergency environment for patients, relatives, and staff. We are seeking a highly motivated, enthusiastic, caring, and passionate Matron with an eye for detail and strong leadership qualities. We are keen to hear from individuals who have experience at working at a senior nurse level within an emergency care environment, who are keen to embrace change and provide visible nursing inspiration. As Matron you will have responsibility for the delivery of high quality, responsive, safe and effective care that improves patient outcomes and patient experience. Proven skills and a working knowledge of leading, and an ability to demonstrate excellent communications skills are required. Main duties of the job The ED Matron will provide clinical and managerial leadership which inspires, motivates and empowers all staffing groups they work with. They will be visible leaders whose work will include clinical care in order to ensure quality care delivery and improve patient experience. The Matron will facilitate the achievement and delivery of our Emergency Department Improvement Framework and provide professional and operational management of the whole nursing delivery service and the providers of nursing care. The Matron will provide assurance of proactive management of clinical and cost improvement plans, ensuring appropriate actions are taken to mitigate or respond to identified risks. Locally, they will professionally lead innovative, improvement projects, which support the Trust's key quality, safety and patient experience priorities. As Matron you will have responsibility for the delivery of high quality, responsive, safe and effective care that improves patient outcomes and patient experience. Proven skills and a working knowledge of leading, and an ability to demonstrate excellent communications skills are required. About us The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations: The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population. The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000. The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances. Date posted 11 February 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 8a Salary £53,755 to £60,504 a year pa Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time Reference number 210-2025-107 Job locations Countess of Chester Hospital Liverpool Road Chester CH2 1UL Job description Job responsibilities See Job Description for further details. Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £27.50(standard) or £55.50(enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16per year applies. New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above. Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application. Job description Job responsibilities See Job Description for further details. Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values. Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £27.50(standard) or £55.50(enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment. You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16per year applies. New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above. Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application. Person Specification essential Essential RN/RSCN Diploma or Degree NMC Registered MSc or equivalent in Health, Quality or leadership related or working towards within 2 academic years of appointment Recognised teaching/assessing qualification 998/997 /mentorship Management Qualification (ISM) or relevant management experience Leadership programme or equivalent Desirable Continuous Professional Development portfolio to include clinical and leadership training Advanced communication training Knowledge and Experience Essential Knowledge of advanced clinical, psychological, and social needs of patients attending urgent /acute care Good understanding of strategic health economy strategy for the delivery of care Good knowledge of national and local targets, NICE Guidelines and policies in relation to care Evidence of prior senior clinical decision making Extensive ED experience at senior level/ leadership role Evidence of recent research and audit Evidence of change management and/or innovative practice Experience of budget and resource management Desirable Experience of leading patient involvement/patient feedback Knowledge and experience of capacity planning Demonstrate a knowledge of Trust corporate objectives Person Specification essential Essential RN/RSCN Diploma or Degree NMC Registered MSc or equivalent in Health, Quality or leadership related or working towards within 2 academic years of appointment Recognised teaching/assessing qualification 998/997 /mentorship Management Qualification (ISM) or relevant management experience Leadership programme or equivalent Desirable Continuous Professional Development portfolio to include clinical and leadership training Advanced communication training Knowledge and Experience Essential Knowledge of advanced clinical, psychological, and social needs of patients attending urgent /acute care Good understanding of strategic health economy strategy for the delivery of care Good knowledge of national and local targets, NICE Guidelines and policies in relation to care Evidence of prior senior clinical decision making Extensive ED experience at senior level/ leadership role Evidence of recent research and audit Evidence of change management and/or innovative practice Experience of budget and resource management Desirable Experience of leading patient involvement/patient feedback Knowledge and experience of capacity planning Demonstrate a knowledge of Trust corporate objectives Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Additional information Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions. Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window). Employer details Employer name Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Address Countess of Chester Hospital Liverpool Road Chester CH2 1UL Employer's website https://www.coch.nhs.uk/working-with-us.aspx (Opens in a new tab)