Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Ensures effective communication channels exist between patients and relevant stakeholders at all levels.

Ensures patients and their families are treated with dignity and respect and information is conveyed to them in a timely and understandable manner. Supports patients and staff in the handling of complaints and works to ensure early and satisfactory resolution of concerns.

The Matron takes the lead role within their Surgical Business Group for ensuring effective patient and family engagement, ensuring that the views and comments of patients, carers and service users are sought and acted upon.

Utilises agreed mechanisms to access the Surgical Business Group Quality Board regarding matters relating to patient care, hospital cleanliness and infection prevention and control, where appropriate.

Where possible, take all reasonable action to address problems, concerns and complaints as near to ‘source’ as possible, but also understands when to escalate.

Monitor the quality and timeliness of nursing care and service provision in accordance with relevant professional and local standards.

Responsible for ensuring that care is delivered in a safe, efficient, effective and timely manner and that plans for discharge to ward and department areas and transfer of patients is within acceptable safe parameters.

Responsible for providing senior nursing advice across areas of the Trust as required, including participation in Site management (1090 bleep) rota cover for evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Support Matron colleagues and Charge Nurses/Sisters to ensure the most appropriate distribution of staffing resources in order to balance risks and to ensure the safe and smooth running of the Surgical Business Group.

Ensuring that the environment in which patient care and treatment takes place is fit for purpose, clean, well ordered and maintained.
Planning and organising.

Organise and plan own day to day workload or activities in order to meet the demands of the job role.

Ensure that day to day staffing and resources are deployed across the Business Group to meet the needs of services.

Use information obtained from patients, families and staff to make changes to the patient environment and care where appropriate or necessary.

Investigate clinical incidents and complaints/concerns as required and ensure that effective risk management and incident investigation systems are in place within their Surgical Clinical Directorate.

Take every reasonable effort to ensure that issues, concerns, and problems are managed efficiently and effectively.

The Matron will supervise the assessment, planning, implementation provision and evaluation of patient care; ensuring that nursing and corporate standards are implemented, maintained, monitored and improved upon where necessary. This includes assuming all overall accountability within the directorate for the monitoring, review, improvement and provision of evidence and assurance relating to patient care.

Undertake Trust StAR accreditation reviews and develop and monitor action plans as appropriate. Undertake regular audits for assurance and escalate where required. 

In conjunction with the Surgical Nurse Director, the Matron will contribute to the strategic direction of service lines and specialties through meeting key performance indicators and national and local activity targets.

Responsibilities for Physical and / or Financial Resources
Ensure safe and efficient use of equipment, resources and consumables at all times.

Within sphere of responsibility ensure self and line-report staff manage pay and non-pay resources efficiently and effectively, and in accordance with corporate standards, procedures, policies and objectives. Include formulating and delivering remedial action plans where adverse variances arise.

The Matron is responsible for ensuring that all equipment in their department is well maintained and cleaned and replaced in accordance with relevant professional and corporate standards, ensuring accurate records are maintained.

Responsible for implementing effective risk assessment and management within own Clinical Directorate working closely with the Business Groups quality and governance team.

The Matron is accountable for implementation of systems for monitoring the quality and safety of patient care and experiences including effective and efficient patient throughput in the theatre environment.

Responsible for overseeing ward pay, non-pay budgets and addressing adverse variances whilst identifying opportunities for cost improvements.
Responsibility for Policy and Service Development and Implementation

Participates with service/speciality teams in the development of policy, processes and business plans at Directorate/Service level

Represent and provide nursing expertise and advice to business and operational discussions, meetings and forums.

Responsible for recognising service requirements and ensuring these are communicated to the Directorate/Speciality teams, Business Manager and the Nurse Director.

Ensuring that all staff practice in accordance with statutory and corporate policies; including those specific to patient safety.

To be aware of, comment on and/or actively participate in changes on policies, procedures or service developments.

To embrace and support line management and the department in making service improvements effective within the workplace.

Responsibilities for Human Resources and Leadership
Support new or less experienced work colleagues to adapt to the workplace.

Ensure self and others practice is in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Code of Conduct.

As an ambassador of the nursing profession, ensure self and others practice to the highest professional standards.

Responsible for the informal and formal appraisal of direct line report staff and for ensuring that they are trained, supported and developed accordingly.

Ensure that all direct line report staff have clear and agreed performance objectives that support the delivery of the Directorate and the wider Business Group objectives.

Responsible for ensuring that the Trust’s Organisational Development Strategy is supported and implemented within own Clinical Directorate.

Participate in skill mix review, workforce redesign and recruitment and retention strategies to develop and modernise the workforce in conjunction with the Surgical Nurse Director and Business Manager.

Responsible for the effective management of staff sickness and absence as well as maintaining an overview ensuring absence percentage targets are not breached ,taking action where required.

Responsible for overseeing HR management within the Business group including recruitment, sickness absence, training etc.

Overseeing and monitoring the quality, timeliness and development of nursing care in accordance with relevant professional standards.

Under the guidance and direction of the Business Group’s Director and Surgical Nurse Director the Matron is the line manager and professional/clinical leader of nurses and support staff within his/her Clinical Directorate.

The Matron will provide professional advice and support to specialty teams and service line colleagues to ensure the delivery of the highest quality of patient care and service delivery.

As a member of the senior team within the Business Group, the Matron will act as a professional role model to all nurses and will take corrective action to uphold the standards required of the Trust and the profession. This will include participating in hospital specific shift arrangements to provide professional advice and leadership during evenings (including nights in extreme circumstances), weekends and bank holidays in support of the operational teams.

The Matron will be required to deputise for the Surgical Nurse Director/Lead Nurse Practitioner as required and appropriate.

The Matron will support new or less experienced work colleagues to adapt to the workplace.

The Matron will ensure that nursing and relevant support staff are managed and developed in order to enable them to deliver the highest standards of patient care and service.

Responsibilities for Teaching and Training
Participate in training and development activities that are relevant to the job role.

Responsibilities for data and information resources 

Participate in training and development activities that are relevant to the job role.

The Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and promote safeguarding by implementing the Trust’s policies and procedures, acting promptly on concerns, communicating effectively and sharing information appropriately.

If successful this vacancy will require an enhanced DBS check at a cost of £54.50. This cost will be deducted from your first Trust salary .

In addition to this it will be a condition of your employment that you will join the DBS update service and pay the annual subscription fee of £16.

‘Before applying for a secondment opportunity please familiarise yourself with the Trust secondment policy (found on the intranet) and ensure that you have discussed and gained approval from your current line manager’