Critical Care Matron

Job summary
Are you an experienced critical care nurse ready to lead at the next level? We are looking for a compassionate, visible and forward-thinking Clinical Matron to join our Adult Critical Care nursing leadership team across our City and Weston sites.

Reporting to the Deputy Director of Nursing for Critical Care, you will hold clinical and managerial responsibility for a defined critical care portfolio. You will be the recognisable face of nursing leadership in the clinical area, someone patients, families and staff know they can turn to for support, advice and decisive action. Patient safety, experience of care, quality and clinical outcomes will sit at the heart of everything you do.

Working closely with the Divisional Nurses, you will help manage service pressures and patient flow, lead delegated improvement projects, and deputise when required. You will also be an active voice within the Trust's professional nursing networks, helping to shape the future of critical care services.

We would love to hear from you if you hold current NMC registration (Adult), have completed a post-graduate critical care course, and bring significant experience at Band 7 within adult critical care. You will have studied at Master's level (or hold equivalent experience), have a leadership and management qualification or be working towards one, and have direct line management experience. Above all, you will be resilient, innovative and able to inspire others, even under pressure.

Main duties of the job
Lead safe, compassionate care. Provide expert clinical leadership and specialist advice so every patient receives safe, evidence-based, person-centred care. Act as a patient advocate, support families through end-of-life care and bereavement, and champion privacy, dignity and equality.

Manage the day-to-day service. Oversee staffing, skill mix, patient flow, equipment and delegated budgets, responding to operational pressures and maintaining high standards of infection prevention, safety and medicines management.

Drive governance and improvement. Lead on complaints, incidents, investigations and risk management, embedding learning in practice and leading audit and quality improvement in line with NICE and GPICS.

Communicate and influence. Represent the service at divisional, Trust-wide and external meetings, building strong multidisciplinary partnerships and promoting openness and psychological safety.

Develop our people. Line manage staff, supporting appraisal, wellbeing and performance, and foster a positive learning culture through teaching, coaching, supervision and training compliance.

Contribute to planning. Support business and workforce planning and lead service development towards a shared vision for critical care.

About us
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.

Job responsibilities
Role purpose The Clinical Matron holds clinical and managerial responsibility for a defined portfolio within Adult Critical Care across the City and Weston sites, reporting to the Deputy Director of Nursing for Critical Care. The post holder is accountable for making sure the highest standards of care are delivered, with a particular focus on patient safety, experience of care, quality and clinical outcomes. They will support the Divisional Nurses with operational delivery, lead delegated projects and service improvements, and deputise when appropriate.

Communication and relationships The post holder will communicate highly complex, sensitive and sometimes contentious information to patients, families, carers and colleagues with empathy and professionalism. They will build effective partnerships across the multidisciplinary team, Trust and external agencies, represent the service at divisional and Trust-wide meetings, and present clinical, operational and governance information to senior audiences and committees. They will lead on complaints, serious incidents, patient safety investigations and risk management, and promote a culture of openness, psychological safety and shared learning.

Patient care The Matron will provide expert clinical leadership and specialist advice so that care is safe, evidence-based and centred on the individual. This includes overseeing the care of patients with complex physical, psychological and social needs, supporting families through end-of-life care and bereavement, and acting as a patient advocate on ethical issues. They will ensure compliance with patient safety and infection prevention standards, maintain accurate electronic records, and uphold the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients and colleagues. They will work autonomously within professional and regulatory frameworks, exercising advanced clinical judgement.

Organisation and planning The post holder will lead the operational management of the clinical area, including staffing, skill mix, patient flow, equipment, consumables and delegated budgets. They will respond proactively to operational pressures, implement contingency plans, and ensure emergency equipment, medicines and resuscitation resources are maintained. They will oversee compliance with statutory and regulatory standards, including infection prevention, decontamination, waste and medicines management, and contribute to business and workforce planning.

Professional development and education The Matron will foster a positive learning culture, leading and supporting education, training, coaching and clinical supervision for registered and non-registered staff and students. They will manage appraisal, attendance, wellbeing, performance and capability within their area, oversee competency and mandatory training compliance, and encourage staff to take part in research, audit and quality improvement. They will maintain their own professional development and practise in line with the NMC Code.

Other responsibilities The post holder will participate in appraisal and mandatory training, comply with infection control policies and professional codes of conduct, and take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing. They will contribute to local guidelines, clinical audit and nursing research, raise awareness of vulnerable patients with complex needs, and promote service developments that meet national standards, including NICE guidance and GPICS.

Person Specification
Essential

• qualifications and experience

Desirable

• all desirable criteria

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.

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).

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).