Main area Surgery Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Predominantly Monday to Friday) Job ref 323-NM8088-MH
Employer Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site St Peters Town Chertsey Salary £55,877 - £62,626 pa inc. HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 12/03/2025 23:59
Matron for Surgery
NHS AfC: Band 8a
Job overview
We are seeking a matron for General Surgery within the GSAC division.
The individual will join an established matron team led by the Divisional Chief Nurse and supported by a Head of Nursing. We are looking for someone with excellent management, communication, clinical, and leadership skills to support the workforce in GSACT.
In return, we can offer you a supportive leadership team and division where you can build your skills and gain further experience.
Main duties of the job
1. Support the Divisional Chief Nurse to integrate both corporate and divisional nursing plans focusing on quality and safety of nursing care, patient experience, and service improvement.
2. Support the Divisional Chief Nurse in managing the operational elements pertinent to the clinical areas within the Division.
3. Be a visible, accessible senior leader in clinical areas, professionally representing the Division at all times.
4. Work alongside clinical teams as a senior nurse and provide experienced advice to ensure quality patient care and team support.
5. Focus on efficient, safe, and timely patient discharge, eliminating delay and inconvenience to patients, next of kin, and care discharge destinations.
6. Ensure all patients are treated with privacy, respect, and dignity throughout their stay, ensuring safety issues are prioritized and adhered to at all times.
7. Provide effective clinical leadership, expertise, advice, and support to the clinical teams and ensure best practice and the provision of high-quality care to patients, families, and carers.
8. Lead, support, develop, and strengthen the role of the unit/department managers and ensure that appropriate time is allocated to ward improvement, improving ward metrics, and overseeing the management of staff and work rotas.
9. Ensure that practice standards are adhered to and that mandatory compliance is achieved and maintained.
Working for our organisation
Ashford and St. Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 410,000 people living in North-West Surrey, parts of Hounslow, and beyond.
Over 3,700 highly trained doctors, nurses, midwives, therapists, healthcare scientists, and other support staff make up our workforce, providing a wide range of services across our two hospital sites, Ashford, Surrey, and St Peter's, Chertsey, Surrey.
We also run many specialist clinics in the community and local community hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Our vision is to be one of the best healthcare Trusts in the country. There has never been a better time to join us in the NHS at Ashford & St Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust with our strong commitment to staff health and wellbeing. We are committed to providing continuous professional development, staff benefits, and flexibility to shape our workforce around our patient care.
Although it isn't the Trust's normal practice, adverts may close early, so applicants are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
1. To be a highly competent, knowledgeable, and visible practitioner within the specialty ensuring that the provision of excellent evidence-based nursing care is available for patients, families, and carers.
2. Have daily contact with staff and undertake rounds to assess and respond to clinical priorities, patient, and staff concerns.
3. To ensure that patients are assessed daily by a qualified nurse, and that their care is planned, implemented, and evaluated in negotiation with the family, and that this is accurately documented.
4. To work alongside all members of the team to identify new ways of working that ensure high quality of care is delivered by an educated team of nurses and Nurse Educators.
5. Accountable for achieving rigorous adherence to infection control safety practices including hand hygiene and universal precautions.
6. Liaise with clinical, non-clinical, and facilities staff to maintain a safe, friendly, and welcoming environment for patients, visitors, and staff.
7. To communicate complex and sensitive information effectively to patients and their families/carers, and other staff, overcoming barriers to understanding and providing support during distressing or emotional events.
8. Ensure effective communication between all members of the multidisciplinary team, other hospital departments, relatives, and visitors.
9. In conjunction with the Divisional Chief Nurse, Divisional Director, and Associate Director of Operations to identify, develop, and monitor clinical and non-clinical performance standards, taking action as required.
10. To develop and maintain clinical skills and knowledge necessary to provide holistic, evidence-based nursing care. This includes completion of the Trust's clinical skills competency framework and expanded role responsibilities following appropriate training.
11. Develop and strengthen the role of the ward managers and nursing teams in line with division and trust objectives.
12. To ensure that all nursing staff are accountable and responsible and that care is provided in line with Divisional and Trust’s strategic objectives, e.g., financial stability, zero harm, zero waste, and zero waits.
13. To carry out individual performance reviews with the teams and ensure they have access to relevant training and development opportunities, as defined in their PDR and in relation to their role and ensuring mandatory training is completed.
14. Function as line manager for designated specialist nurses within the sphere of control.
15. To support the Divisional Chief Nurse in working with the ward managers to review staffing establishments and skill mix, and ensure that staffing is appropriate for current and projected clinical demands.
16. To monitor and oversee duty rotas via use of electronic staff rostering to ensure effective use of resources, ensuring rigorous control of bank and agency usage.
17. To support the ward managers to effectively and efficiently coordinate the day-to-day operational management of their immediate clinical area informing the Divisional Chief Nurse of anything which threatens to affect the safety of the environment or which may compromise the care of patients or the reputation of the division.
18. To monitor and ensure that staffing levels deliver the full complement of beds and activity targets within the agreed budget, working closely with the Divisional Chief Nurse and the Associate Director of Operations.
19. Manage nursing recruitment and foster an environment that enhances the retention of staff and looks at new ways of working in line with the improving working lives policy. Supported by the Divisional Chief Nurse to reduce staff turnover by 50%.
20. Lead on specific service improvement initiatives as determined by the Divisional Management Team.
21. To actively manage in conjunction with the ward managers sickness/absence, as per Trust policy, and lead on disciplinary activities including performance management.
22. Assist the Divisional Chief Nurse in change management including facilitating new ways of working through implementing additional support roles, and supporting their integration and development within the clinical environment.
23. To manage and assist the ward managers in the appraisal process and ensure all staff have the opportunity to review their performance and develop a meaningful professional development plan in line with the knowledge and skills framework which serves to deliver personal as well as division-wide objectives.
24. Working in partnership with the Divisional Chief Nurse, maximize and develop leadership abilities and skill set within the senior nursing team, based within the clinical environment.
25. Working in partnership with the Divisional Chief Nurse, introduce a model of nursing care which is patient-focused.
26. In conjunction with the Service Managers introduce processes to streamline communication within the clinical environment and to ensure staff, at all levels are effectively informed enabling them to successfully carry out their duties.
27. Provide professional advice and support to staff in the department in conjunction with the Clinical Practice Educator/Facilitator.
28. To ensure that all staff are familiar with the nursing vision and ensure that key indicators are met in relation to getting the basics right, implementation of Ward Quality audits, Ward Accreditation, and adherence to CQC standards.
29. Initiate and develop audits of service delivery and implementation of findings to improve patient care.
30. Act as an ambassador for the Division and specialty and contribute to relevant trust-wide groups.
Educational
1. To foster an environment conducive to learning, enquiry, and research that is linked to the Trust’s research strategy.
2. Support the Clinical Practice Educator with the planning, implementation, and evaluation of training and educational requirements.
3. To be a professional resource for all staff within the unit including nursing, medical, administrative, support, and therapeutic staff.
4. To contribute to the production of clinical procedural guidelines and pathways of care.
5. Promote, initiate, and participate in audit and research studies relating to nursing and multidisciplinary care, presenting findings through presentations and writing for publication.
6. Maintain and develop own professional and mandatory training.
7. To support relevant Division and Trust-wide projects and facilitate forums to ensure staff are actively engaged.
Professional
1. To maintain confidentiality surrounding the patient’s care and treatment at all times.
2. To ensure documentation is completed accurately and within agreed timescales using Trust approved documentation, in line with NMC and Trust guidelines.
3. To have a knowledge of and adhere to local and Trust policy and professional standards. To ensure that team members do likewise.
4. To demonstrate a professional approach to work, and act in accordance with the Trust 4 P’s pledge and the NMC Code of Professional Conduct at all times.
5. To undertake further training and academic qualifications as relevant to the role and service requirements.
Person specification
Attitude, Behaviour and Values
* Seeks out and takes opportunities for improving the service offered.
* Flexible in their attitudes and behaviours to support team working and delivery of objectives.
* Respects, values, and cares for others.
* Takes pride in their work and their team.
Qualifications and Further Training
* NMC Registered Nurse.
* Evidence of ongoing dynamic continuing professional development linked to demonstrable clinical competencies and academic studies.
* Possession of a relevant Honours degree or in the process of obtaining or working towards higher education.
* Leadership or management training.
* Assessing and mentoring qualification.
Experience
* Post-registration experience within relevant clinical environment including time at Band 7 level.
* Experience of taking charge of a department and leading and managing a team.
* Previous experience of budget and financial management.
* Experience of handling clinical incidents and complaints.
Knowledge
* Trust vision, values, strategic objectives.
* Understanding of resource management, health and safety, clinical risk, and quality issues.
* Awareness of equality and diversity.
* Must be able to demonstrate that you have knowledge of your professional code of conduct and guidance issued by your professional body and that you adhere to these.
Skills
* You have a good understanding of their communication, physical & emotional needs; can identify their individual needs and preferences, their changing needs, and recognize and promote their independence.
* Excellent up-to-date clinical skills, excellent managerial, leadership, and organizational skills.
* Able to work across professional teams and organizational boundaries.
* Interviewing and appraisal skills.
* Ability to initiate, manage, and sustain change.
Other
* Ability to deal with conflict situations.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Name Sue Sexton Job title DIVISIONAL CHIEF NURSE Email address ssexton@nhs.net Telephone number 01932722422 Additional information
Ralph Hayes, Head of Nursing for Surgery can also be contacted for further information.
ralph.hayes1@nhs.net
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