Lead Nurse Children's Cardiac Nurse Specialist

University Hospital Southampton NHS FT; Southampton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in the United Kingdom seeks an experienced Lead Cardiac Nurse to join the prestigious Cardiac Ward at Southampton Children’s Hospital. This role requires a strong leader to oversee the care of children with congenital heart disease, ensuring compliance with national standards and promoting quality service delivery in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. The position offers opportunities for professional growth in a dynamic clinical environment and a commitment to anti-discriminatory practices.

Benefits

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Experienced in leading clinical teams and managing patient care.
• In-depth knowledge of congenital heart disease management.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Ensure high standard of care for children with congenital heart disease.
• Provide leadership to clinical staff.
• Collaborate with network partners to ensure quality services.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical expertise in congenital heart disease

Effective communication

Education

Nursing qualification

Specialization in paediatric care

Job description

Overview

A Vacancy at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Cardiac Ward at Southampton Children’s Hospital for an experienced and passionate Cardiac Nurse to join our highly specialised team as Lead Cardiac Nurse.

This pivotal leadership role offers the chance to shape and support excellence in a dynamic clinical environment.

University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognising that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti‑racist, anti‑discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Responsibilities

• The Lead Nurse will ensure the provision and delivery of a high standard of care to children with congenital heart disease providing professional and clinical leadership to multi‑professionals.
• The postholder will work alongside the matron team and the DDN to ensure quality of services across the trust, ensuring patients and their families have equitable access to services.
• The Paediatric Congenital Heart disease Lead Nurse at Southampton General Hospital is responsible for ensuring the delivery of seamless high‑quality care, in line with national standards from foetal life to adulthood across the region.
• The Lead Nurse for Congenital Heart Disease will be an integral team member for Congenital Heart Disease within the Children’s Hospital and Wessex and Thames Valley Region. The post holder will lead on development and compliance with all the CHD standards, achieved by working with the Congenital Heart Disease team within UHS and the Network.

Network & Collaboration

The Level 1 centre at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) delivers high quality care, education and research across the region in partnership with the Level 2 service based at Oxford University Hospital Foundation NHS Trust (OUH) and numerous Level 3 centres across the Thames Valley and Wessex region.

The Paediatric Congenital Lead works closely with the network board, consisting of the Lead Nurse, Network Manager and Network to ensure the quality of CHD services across the Thames Valley and Wessex area, ensuring patients and their families have equitable access to high quality services throughout the network. Fetal medicine, Maternity and Paediatric and Adult Congenital Heart Disease (ACHD) services work closely together on one site at UHS and have developed integrated, effective cross‑site working with our Level 2 and 3 partners in the network. We strive to promote a culture of openness and respectful close‑working with all partners within Southampton General and the network, focussing on placing the patient and family at the centre of care.

We are committed to the development of improvements in CHD care delivery through collaborative working, quality research and academic activity. Research is an integral part of our mission to constantly improve and be able to offer better care for patients and is conducted across the trust at all levels of service delivery.

Closing Date

This advert closes on Friday 13 Feb 2026