Job summary
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. They 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 supported 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.

Main duties of the job
Key Result Areas & Performance:
Care Provision
To manage the quality of the provision of nursing care at all times, within their ward/department by:

• Holding the Departments/Wards, Matrons, and Senior Staff Nurses to account for delivery of their key performance indicators in clinical areas on tendable.
• In conjunction with the Directorate's Divisional Director of Nursing and Head of Nursing, ensure effective action is taken where nursing performance is at risk of falling below expected levels and standards are not maintained.
• Ensuring that the Trust's Nursing and Midwifery priorities are implemented locally.
• To lead and ensure action is taken on staff discipline, grievance, poor performance and sickness, including dismissal.

About us
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is a community focused provider of local and acute care, providing high quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich and Bexley. With a turnover of around £700 million, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham and a range of community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.

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

Job responsibilities
Risk & clinical governance:

• Ensure patients are cared for in a clean and safe environment, including the appropriate decontamination of multi-use equipment and taking remedial action if standards are not maintained.
• Be champions for driving the infection prevention and control agenda and challenging poor practices.
• Take the lead on managing and monitoring complaints and adverse incidents, including serious untoward incidents. Liaise with the PALS Department regarding informal complaints and, where possible, actively diffuse complaints to avoid escalation and implement action plans to prevent reoccurrence. Undertake PSIM reviews and develop action plans, ensuring that this leads to change in practice.
• Ensure risk assessments are undertaken and action plans are implemented in the ward areas within their remit.
• Lead the implementation of patient safety strategies such as audits, projects and action plans
• Share best practices and drive improvements in patient care.
• The senior matron will monitor and maintain excellent clinical standards within the clinical teams in conjunction with the head of nursing.

Professional leadership and staff management:

• Be a visible leader who is accessible to patients, visitors and staff.
• Provide professional and clinical leadership within the department and acute wards.
• Take forward and develop the nursing and midwifery contribution to excellent service provision
• Develop Matron's leadership and management.
• Ensure that nursing staff comply with Trust-wide policies and procedures. Represent the Trust at local and National forums promoting achievements in patient care.
• Ensure that all staff within the ward/department receive education in infection prevention and control in line with trust policy.
• Deputise for the Head of Nursing in their absence.

Research and Development, Education and Training:

• Undertake training needs analysis in conjunction with the Practice Development Nurse and Matrons.
• Support the development and implementation of education and training programs within the area of responsibility for nurses and midwives.
• Be responsible for developing your skills and knowledge and contribute to the development of others.
• Provide advice relating to improvement projects.
• Work in collaboration with the Matrons/Ward Sisters/ Charge Nurses to monitor and regulate the training and development of all staff to ensure:All nursing staff are appraised using the Trust Competency Documents.
• All mandatory training is undertaken and recorded.
• Monitor and regulate study leave to ensure consistency and equality.
• Ensure clinical environments are fit to receive students and are regularly audited, including the appropriate number of practice assessors.
• All staff are competent in acute care skills and have passed their Medicines Management test.
• Comply with all Trust policies, procedures and protocols.
• Carry out duties with due regard to the Trusts Equal Opportunity PolicyProfessional standards and patient experience.

Promote excellent standards in all wards/departments through:

• Promoting a nurturing environment for patients, relatives, visitors, and staff through monitoring, measuring, actioning, and evaluating.
• Advocating for patients at all times.
• Daily ward rounds and monitoring observations of care.
• Implementing a system for gaining patient feedback and responding to adverse outcomes
• Driving the privacy and dignity agenda.

Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential

• Registered nurse qualification
• Degree or equivalent clinical/advanced practice
• Minimum 5 years post registration
• Masters Degree or working towards

Desirable

• Evidence of post registration/ qualification
• Management/Leadership qualification

Experience
Essential

• Clinical expertise relevant to the post
• Experience of managing staff
• Minimum of 3 years' experience working at Band 8 or equivalent in an acute setting.
• Leadership of clinical governance and patient safety
• Achievement of high quality patient care through evidence based practice
• Management of finances within a budget, including delivery of cost improvements
• Management/Clinical Leadership experience
• Experience of successfully leading and implementing change
• Experience in analysing complex problems and implementing workable solution

Knowledge
Essential

• A good understanding of the changing NHS environment

Desirable

• Ability to work on service development projects

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.

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer contact details
For questions about the job, contact:
Head of Nursing
Samantha Kelly
samantha.kelly19@nhs.net
07824361861