Job summary
We are seeking an experienced, compassionate and highly motivated Matron for Perioperative Services to provide visible clinical and professional leadership across Operating Theatres, Day Surgery and Pre-assessment at Airedale General Hospital. This currently includes a main suite of nine theatres including obstetrics, a procedure suite and the remote Dales suite.

Alongside leading the delivery of safe, effective and person-centred care throughout the perioperative pathway, you will have an opportunity to contribute to the planning and development of our new hospital on the Steeton site by 2033. Working as part of the Directorate of Anaesthetics and Theatres triumvirate, comprising the Matron, Patient Service Manager and Clinical Director, the post holder will provide collaborative leadership to deliver the Directorate's strategic, quality and performance objectives. The Directorate sits within the wider Division of Surgery and Diagnostics. The triumvirate will share responsibility for the clinical governance, providing effective oversight and assurance in relation to patient safety, quality, risk, patient experience and continuous improvement.

The Matron will play a key role in supporting elective recovery and service transformation. This will include improving theatre utilisation, list scheduling and start-time reliability; increasing clinically appropriate day-case; pre-operative assessment and optimisation; and reducing avoidable delays and cancellations.

Main duties of the job
The successful candidate will combine strong professional credibility with effective operational leadership. They will act as a positive role model, maintain high professional standards, and develop and support the workforce. A key focus will be promoting psychological safety, openness and learning, creating an inclusive environment in which colleagues feel confident to speak up, share ideas, challenge constructively and learn from incidents and experience.

They will ensure that productivity improvements are clinically led, sustainable and delivered without compromising patient safety, quality of care, patient experience or staff wellbeing. They will also provide assurance against national standards and best practice, including NatSSIPs 2, surgical safety requirements and relevant GIRFT principles.

As part of the wider Divisional leadership team, the post holder will provide support across the Division of Surgery and Diagnostics and deputise for other Matrons as required.

About us
We are delighted to offer a wide range of benefits to employees including:

• Cycle to Work
• Travel Scheme
• Childcare Vouchers with Salary Sacrifice
• Onsite Nursery
• Buying and Selling Annual Leave
• Car Leasing
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Employee Health and Wellbeing
• Extensive Reward Scheme
• Counselling Service
• Financial packages including Vivup and Wagestream
• Staff Networks, Enable, Rainbow, Gender, Race Equality Ecoaware and Admin Network

Our values
We understand that it's down to the hard work, effort and dedication of our staff that makes a difference for our patients. Our people really do make our Airedale experience. We take pride in fostering a friendly, effective and caring work environment. Our values are part of our DNA:

• Committed to Quality of Care
• Compassion
• Working together for patients
• Improving Lives
• Everyone Counts
• Respect and Dignity

Essential Experience

• Experience of leading and managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Substantial senior leadership experience within operating theatres, perioperative services or a closely related acute clinical environment.
• Knowledge of theatre productivity and elective recovery programmes.
• Experience of clinical governance, patient safety, risk management and incident investigation.
• Evidence of delivering improvements in quality, safety or patient experience.
• Achievement of high-quality patient care through evidence-based practice.
• Management of change, service redesign or quality improvement.
• Management of finances within a budget, including delivery of cost improvements.

Essential Qualifications

• Registered nurse (level 1) / ODP.
• Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council as a Registered Nurse or the Health and Care Professions Council as an Operating Department Practitioner.
• Postgraduate qualification/certificate in Leadership or equivalent.
• Relevant post-registration qualification or demonstrable advanced experience in perioperative practice.
• Evidence of recent continuing professional development, teaching and assessing ENB 998 (or equivalent).

Desirable

• Service redesign
• Role design
• Experience in quality improvement or service improvement.
• Experience in human factors, patient safety and clinical governance.
• Project or programme management.
• Coaching or mentoring qualification.
• Hold, or be working towards, a master's degree in nursing / leadership or equivalent.

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).

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

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.

Closing date: 18 November 2026
Apply through our website