Job summary
The Nurse Team Lead will provide day-to-day leadership and operational oversight of the Nursing Team, working alongside the existing Nursing Team Lead to ensure safe, effective, and high-quality patient care.

This role is focused on supporting service delivery, strengthening team consistency, and ensuring clear communication across the practice during a period of transition.

The post holder will act as a key point of contact for the nursing team, supporting both clinical and operational processes, and ensuring the service remains safe, responsive, and well-led.

The post holder will be expected to conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to the role.

Main duties of the job
As Nursing Team Lead, you will work closely with the nursing team and other healthcare professionals to ensure the delivery of excellent nursing care. This includes chronic disease management, preventative healthcare, and addressing the health needs of our practice population.

You will provide leadership for a holistic, evidence-based nursing service and play a key role in supervising and mentoring team members. You will manage the day-to-day operations of the nursing team, ensuring that the Practice's priorities are met.

As part of this role, you will also act as a Safeguarding Lead for the practice, supporting robust safeguarding processes across all clinical teams and ensuring that concerns are identified, escalated, and managed in line with statutory requirements and best practice.

About us
The Swan Practice is a large, well-established healthcare provider serving Buckingham and the surrounding villages. With three clinical sites and an administration hub, we are dedicated to delivering high-quality care to over 30,000 patients, and our patient base continues to grow. As a forward-thinking practice, we are committed to creating opportunities for staff to progress and develop their careers, fostering a supportive and dynamic working environment.

Job responsibilities
Team Leadership and Day-to-Day Oversight

• Support the coordination and smooth running of daily nursing team operations
• Act as a visible and accessible point of contact for all nursing staff
• Promote a positive, open, and supportive team culture
• Lead by example, demonstrating professionalism and consistency
• Ensure clear communication within the team and across the wider practice

Workforce and Capacity Management

• Monitor capacity and escalate risks early where service delivery may be impacted
• Contribute to recruitment, induction, and retention of nursing staff
• Support onboarding of new starters to ensure safe integration into the team

Performance, Development and Wellbeing

• Support staff appraisals and personal development planning
• Identify training needs and facilitate access to learning opportunities
• Provide informal coaching and day-to-day support to team members
• Promote staff wellbeing and ensure concerns are recognised and addressed early
• Support return-to-work processes and absence management

Service Delivery and Quality

• Support delivery of safe, effective, and high-quality nursing services
• Monitor key activity areas (e.g. LTCs, treatment room, screening, QOF delivery)
• Identify gaps or variation in processes and support improvements
• Ensure consistency in clinical and administrative processes across the team
• Escalate risks relating to patient safety, quality, or capacity appropriately

Safeguarding Lead

• Act as a Safeguarding Lead for the practice, ensuring robust systems for identifying, responding to, and escalating safeguarding concerns involving children, young people, and adults
• Provide advice, guidance, and support to all practice staff on safeguarding matters, including complex or high-risk cases
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding legislation, local pathways, multi-agency procedures, and best practice
• Ensure safeguarding training compliance across the practice workforce and support staff in achieving required competency levels
• Work collaboratively with the GP Safeguarding Lead(s), Executive Manager, Operations Manager, and external safeguarding partners (e.g., social care, MARAC, health visitors)
• Ensure safeguarding incidents, disclosures, and concerns are documented, escalated, and reviewed in line with statutory requirements and practice policy
• Promote a culture of vigilance, safety, and professional curiosity across the practice
• Contribute to safeguarding audits, learning reviews, and quality improvement activity

Governance and Communication

• Work with the Executive Manager, Operations Manager and GP Clinical Leads to ensure services are well-led and compliant with CQC standards
• Support implementation of policies, protocols, and clinical processes
• Ensure learning from incidents, complaints, or feedback is shared within the team
• Liaise with other Team Leads to ensure alignment and reduce duplication
• Contribute to practice-wide meetings, including Protected Learning Time (PLT)

Engagement and Collaboration

• Build strong working relationships across the multidisciplinary team
• Liaise with external agencies and stakeholders where required
• Support engagement with the Patient Participation Group (PPG) where appropriate
• Contribute to wider practice priorities and service development

Working Relationships and Decision-Making
The Nurse Team Lead will operate within a clear delegated framework to support safe and effective service delivery. They will be responsible for the day-to-day operational leadership of the Nursing Team, including rota coordination, workload prioritisation, and immediate issue resolution. The post holder will work collaboratively with the Operations Manager, who retains responsibility for wider operational delivery across the practice. The role is responsible for nursing service coordination only, not wider non-clinical operational management. Clinical oversight and decision-making remain with the GP Clinical Leads. The role supports implementation and consistency, rather than setting clinical policy.

The post holder will escalate risks and concerns appropriately, including:

• Clinical risks to the GP Clinical Lead
• Operational risks impacting wider services to the Executive Manager or Operations Manager
• Workforce or capacity concerns to the Executive Manager

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Please see person specification attached to job description

Desirable

• Please see person specification attached to job description

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.