Job Summary
This post is for internal staff only. An exciting opportunity has arisen for an exceptional and compassionate Matron to provide professional, clinical, and operational leadership across our Specialist Palliative Care Services. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced senior nurse leader to influence the delivery of high-quality, person-centred care for patients with life-limiting illness and those important to them.

As Matron, you will champion excellence in palliative and end-of-life care, ensuring services are safe, effective, responsive, and aligned with organisational and national priorities. You will work collaboratively across community, acute, hospice, and primary care settings to support integrated care pathways and improve patient outcomes.

The role covers services across Sunderland and South Tyneside and includes specialist palliative care team, out of hours nurses, St Benedicts hospice, day services, lymphoedema clinic, education department and end of life facilitators.

Main Duties of the Job
The Matron will provide visible clinical leadership and professional nursing oversight across Specialist Palliative Care services, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and compassionate care.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing strategic and operational leadership to multidisciplinary teams.
• Leading on quality, safety, patient experience, and clinical governance.
• Supporting the development and implementation of palliative and end-of-life care strategies.
• Ensuring compliance with professional, regulatory, and organisational standards.
• Leading service improvement initiatives and quality improvement programmes.
• Supporting workforce planning, recruitment, retention, and staff development.
• Developing effective partnerships with acute trusts, community services, hospices, primary care, and voluntary sector organisations.
• Acting as a professional role model and expert resource for palliative and end-of-life care.

About Us
Please add your telephone number to your application form so we can contact you quickly if required.

One Team One Trust - There are many reasons to work at our Trust. From our commitment to putting people first to our accessible services and award winning teams. We have a passion for research, innovation and tackling inequalities. We are committed to respect, fairness and civility and promote a compassionate, caring and positive culture / working environment.

We welcome all applications irrespective of peoples race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups. Looking after our workforces health and wellbeing is a priority for us. We also provide access to high quality education, training, career progression and support. Flexible working is supported via our Flexible Working Policy.

The Trust employs around 8,746 people and provides a range of hospital services to a local community of around 430,000 residents. We also provide a range of more specialised services outside this area. We offer our staff outstanding benefits - Fitness Centre (SRH), libraries at both hospital sites, chaplaincy support and access to a Care Co-ordinator to help staff with childcare arrangements. If you use AI, and it poses a risk to the integrity of your individual recruitment process, we may withdraw your application at any stage of the process.

Job Responsibilities
Please see attached Job Description for full details

The Matron will always ensure that the patient is at the centre of all their decisions and actions and act as a role model for clinical staff at all times.

The Matron has 24-hour accountability for the wards and departments within their Directorate, including the efficient and effective operational management of the workforce and providing high-quality, evidence-based practice which will be delivered within the hospital, community and outreach settings.

Provides strong clinical leadership within the service and be highly visible and accessible to the patients and their families.

Lead by example, to drive up standards of clinical care.

Ensure that there are appropriate systems and processes in place to ensure continuity of safe and effective care at all times.

Responsible for supporting developments within Clinical Governance and Service Improvement, to improve patient services and ensure that patients and carers are involved in the way services are developed, delivered and evaluated.

Contribute to the identification and management of poor performance, risk and complaints.

Promote and share best practice and encourage personal development.

Comply with the NMC/HCPC Code.

Comply with the Trusts vision, values and behaviours compact:

Person Specification
Physical Skills
Essential

• Travel between sites and off-site meetings as required
• Ability to work flexible hours as well as support for major incidents
• Able to participate in an on-call rota.

Experience
Essential

• Extensive post-registration experience, some of which will be at a senior level within the required specialist area of practice.
• Ability to manage conflict in the clinical environment
• Experience of managing a clinical environment.
• Experience of managing difficult and complex personnel/people situations
• Experience of writing and critiquing policy
• Experience of successful budget management and evidence of achieving financial targets.
• Experience of leading and delivering significant programmes of change with an NHS setting.
• Demonstrate the ability to lead and implement quality improvement strategies.

Desirable

• Experience of undertaking root cause analysis.
• Leadership and Management Training.

Skills & Knowledge
Essential

• Competent in IT skills and ability to operate Windows and Microsoft Office software.
• Evidence of participating in clinical audit.
• Knowledge of NHS policies and strategies.
• Knowledge and understanding of governance arrangements and standards in the NHS and the wider health and social care economy.
• Excellent presentation skills
• Well-developed report writing skills
• Excellent verbal briefing and communication skills
• Able to work effectively within the Multi-Disciplinary Team.

Desirable

• Knowledge and experience of using project planning IT programmes and tools.
• Knowledge of and ability to utilise LEAN techniques

Qualifications
Essential

• NMC Registered Nurse (Adult/Child, as appropriate to post) / Allied Health Professional with current NMC/HCPC registration / Registered Midwife.
• Degree in healthcare-related subject (UK equivalent).
• Masters level study, or equivalent specialist study/experience.
• Willingness to work towards masters qualification.
• Mentorship certificate/Practice Assessor training or demonstrable equivalent experience.

Desirable

• Masters degree or working towards in relevant associated subject.

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 (opens in a new window).

For questions about the job, contact:
Head Of Nursing
Sue Buchanan
susan.buchanan8@nhs.net
07385119234