Job summaryThe Clinical Operations Matron is a senior operational nursing leader responsible for the delivery, performance, quality and effectiveness of hospice clinical services.
Working closely with the Director of Clinical Services and wider senior leadership team, you will provide visible leadership across inpatient, therapy and lymphoedema services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, patient-centred palliative and end of life care.
You will have significant responsibility for clinical operations, workforce planning, patient flow, capacity management, financial performance, service improvement and clinical governance. The Clinical Operations Matron will work collaboratively with multi disciplinary teams and external partners to ensure safe, responsive and effective services while driving continuous improvement and supporting delivery of the hospice's strategic objectives.
Main duties of the job- Provide senior operational leadership for hospice clinical services.
- Participate in daily operational and system coordination meetings.
- Lead patient flow and capacity discussions across hospice services.
- Ensure safe and effective delivery of inpatient, therapy and lymphoedema services.
- Maintain oversight of staffing levels, resource allocation and service capacity.
- Support clinical leaders with operational decision-making and service challenges.
- Coordinate operational responses to service pressures and escalation events.
- Maintain a visible presence within clinical services and act as a role model for hospice values and standards.
- Lead, support and develop clinical leaders across the organisation.
- Provide line management to designated clinical leaders.
- Promote a culture of accountability, compassion, inclusion and continuous learning.
- Ensure effective workforce planning, establishment management and deployment of resources.
- Monitor staffing levels, skill mix and workforce utilisation.
- Lead recruitment, retention and succession planning initiatives.
- Manage performance, attendance and wellbeing in accordance with hospice policies.
- Foster staff engagement and a positive workplace culture.
About usSalary Band 8a equivalent, £57,500 - £64,750 in accordance with previous experience. The successful candidate will join on a permanent contract, subject to a three month probation period.
Pension: Ability to stay in the NHS pension scheme or join a stakeholder pension scheme.
Hours of Work: 37.5 hours a week, worked flexibly to meet service needs.
Flexible Annual Leave: Generous annual leave, increasing with service. Ability to buy or sell one week of leave each year.
Relocation: If appropriate, support with relocation to Cornwall may be available.
What we can offer youMedical and Wellbeing: Non-contributory medical cash plan providing payments towards everyday healthcare treatments. Employee Assistance Programme offering virtual and face to face counselling. 24/7 access to remote GP services. Free complementary therapies.
Life Assurance: Death in service life assurance of three times annual salary, if not in NHS pension scheme.
Training and Development: We offer a wide range of high quality training, learning and development opportunities to challenge and stimulate your professional development.
Compassionate Leadership: We provide a supportive working environment by focusing on relationships through careful listening to, understanding, empathising with and supporting our people.
Interviews will be held on Wednesday 2nd September 2026Job responsibilitiesLead operational management of inpatient capacity and patient flow across both hospice sites.
Maintain a minimum bed occupancy target of 80% at each site.
Monitor and analyse occupancy, admission and discharge trends.
Ensure admission waiting times remain below 48 hours wherever clinically appropriate.
Work collaboratively with clinical teams, referrers and external partners to facilitate timely admissions, transfers and discharges.
Identify and address barriers to access and patient flow.
Monitor performance against agreed operational and service access indicators.
Produce performance reports and action plans to support service improvement.
Hold delegated responsibility for agreed clinical operational budgets.
Ensure effective stewardship of financial and physical resources.
Monitor expenditure and financial performance against agreed plans.
Support budget setting, business planning and service development.
Optimise workforce resources and skill mix to meet patient need.
Ensure procurement processes are followed and deliver value for money.
Oversee appropriate management of clinical equipment, consumables and supplies.
Work closely with Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust Pharmacy Services.
Maintain relationships with NHS Supply Chain and approved suppliers.
Support medicines governance and compliance with relevant legislation and policies.
Ensure effective stock management systems are maintained.
Oversee equipment replacement programmes and oxygen supply arrangements.
Provide assurance regarding the safe procurement and use of clinical resources.
Contribute to leadership and delivery of the hospice clinical governance framework.
Promote a culture of safety, learning and continuous improvement.
Lead or support investigations relating to incidents, complaints and serious events.
Ensure learning is embedded into practice.
Monitor quality indicators and implement improvement actions where required.
Work closely with governance and quality colleagues to support organisational compliance.
Participate in audits, inspections and accreditation processes.
Ensure risks are identified, assessed and managed appropriately.
Support research and quality improvement activity across hospice services.
Lead and support service redesign and transformation initiatives.
Embed evidence-based practice and innovation into service delivery.
Champion quality improvement methodologies across clinical services.
Support delivery of organisational strategies and operational plans.
Lead and support implementation of digital healthcare systems, including eCare.
Promote staff engagement, training and adoption of digital solutions.
Support data quality, reporting and system optimisation.
Identify opportunities to improve patient experience, outcomes and operational efficiency.
Develop productive relationships across clinical, medical and corporate teams.
Act as a key operational link between: Medical staff, Nursing teams, Therapy services, Lymphoedema services, Governance and quality teams, Community and acute care partners.
Promote multidisciplinary working, collaborative decision-making and shared accountability.
Represent clinical operations at internal and external meetings as required.
Act as an ambassador for hospice values and standards.
Maintain registration and practice in accordance with the NMC Code.
Provide expert professional nursing advice and leadership.
Support development of future clinical leaders.
Maintain professional competence through continuing professional development.
Ensure best practice standards are embedded across services.
The post holder will participate in a senior Clinical Operational On-Call rota, providing leadership and operational support outside normal working hours.
Responsibilities include:
Workforce escalation and staffing issues.
Clinical operational concerns.
Environmental and estate issues affecting patient care.
Controlled drug incidents.
Equipment failures and service disruption.
Escalation of operational risks.
Business continuity management.
Major incident and emergency response.
This post does not provide direct medical advice, prescribing support or patient-specific clinical decision making, which remain the responsibility of the medical on call service.
Person SpecificationQualificationsEssential- Registered Nurse with current NMC registration.
- Degree-level qualification in Nursing, Healthcare Management or related field.
- Evidence of continuing professional development.
- Leadership and management qualification or equivalent experience.
- Full UK driving licence and business insurance.
Desirable- Masters degree or working towards masters level study.
- Quality Improvement qualification.
- Coaching or leadership development qualification.
- What you'll bring: Our ideal Clinical Operations Matron will have the following knowledge, skills, experience and qualities. We all have different experiences, so we don't expect all candidates to meet every requirement. If you have a few gaps and a plan on how you would address these, we would love to hear from you.
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.UK Registration: Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.Employer contact details: For questions about the job, contact: Director of clinical services Sarah Machin, smachin@cornwallhospice.co.uk, 0172665711. 
