Senior Matron for Emergency and Acute Medicine

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone. You can read more about our visions and values here

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

We are delighted to offer an exciting opportunity for a compassionate, ambitious, strong, senior nursing leader.

We will be looking for an inspirational leader who can translate professional development into outstanding patient's care and experience.

This post will require a unique and talented individual who will continue in the strong clinical leadership of our high quality Emergency and Acute Services, and will be a key leader in patient centred care on our Journey to being exceptional.

This post provides the successful candidate with a great opportunity to build on existing strengths, make a positive impact and drive new developments.

We will be looking for an inspirational leader who can translate comprehensive professional development into outstanding patient's care and experience.

Main duties of the job

The Senior Matron will be expected to present potentially sensitive or contentious information to her staff or members of the public regarding admissions, discharges, staffing requirements/vacancies

Act as escort with the Medical staff and also in an independent role, when 'breaking bad news and offer emotional support to the patient and their relatives

To actively diffuse difficult and confrontational situations that may occur within ones area with patients and their relatives or other members of the general public

To have regard for the spiritual and cultural needs of the patients

The post holder will have access to the Trust's training and development courses supported by the Division and in accordance with the IPD scheme. Please refer to the person specification for desirable / essential application criteria

This role will entail a combination of sitting, standing and walking with occasional light physical effort.

The Senior Matron's role will require concentration for ensuring accuracy for written reports to be produced, and attendance at meetings, however the post holder may have to change plans in response to requests from a more senior level.

The Senior Matron will be frequently exposed to distressing or highly emotional circumstances, for example, death of patients, disciplinary/staffing matters

The post holder will on occasions be exposed to body fluids etc.

Working for our organisation

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
5. Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Senior Matron's key responsibility is to provide viable, accessible leadership to all clinical areas within their given areas of responsibility.

The Senior Matron will support the Departmental/Wards Senior Nurses to promote excellence in nursing care to maintain and improve clinical standards. The post holder will ensure that all patients are treated with compassion, dignity and respect placing value on the diversity of the local community and beyond. He/she will promote best practice in the prevention of infection through ensuring a clean and safe environment, and that clinical practices are in accordance with Trust policy and best practice guidelines to minimise the risk of infection.

The Senior Matron will ensure that the patient experience is of the highest quality inspiring patient and public confidence. This will be achieved through high visibility, accessibility and surveillance. The post holder will be expected to work clinically for an agreed 20% of their time and where required will be a specialist in their clinical area.

The Divisional Directors, the General Manager and the Heads of Nursing lead each Directorate. The Senior Matron will report directly to their Head of Nursing who has overarching responsibility for the operational management and strategic direction of nursing.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered nurse qualification
• Degree or equivalent clinical/advanced practice
• Master's Degree or working towards

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of post registration/ qualification Management/Leadership qualification

Experience

Essential criteria

• Clinical expertise relevant to the post.
• Minimum of 3 years' experience working at Band 8 or equivalent in an Emergency and acute setting.
• Achievement of high quality patient care through evidence based practice • Management of finances within a budget, including delivery of cost improvements
• Ability to think and plan strategically, operationally and creatively and to prioritise work programs in the face of competing demands

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• A good understanding of the changing NHS environment Highly developed written and verbal skills
• Ability to be intellectually flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships
• A strong sense of personal and team accountability coupled with a clear understanding of the boundaries around delegated authority

Desirable criteria

• Ability to work on service development projects

Personal Qualities

Essential criteria

• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement Flexibility in approach and attitude
• Able to work with staff at all levels across the Trust Self confident, assertive and pro-active Attentive to detail Able to work to tight deadlines and cope under pressure

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

• candidate information pack (PDF, 800.3KB)
• Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)