Lead Surgical Nurse

Willows Veterinary Centre & Referral Service; Metropolitan Borough of Solihull; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading veterinary service provider in the UK is seeking an experienced Lead Surgical Nurse to join their team. The role involves overseeing nursing care, maintaining clinical standards, and supporting team development. Ideal candidates will have a minimum of two years of experience and strong leadership skills. The position offers a supportive and enriching environment, competitive salary starting from £28,000 based on experience, and numerous benefits including professional development and work-life balance.

Benefits

5 weeks holiday + bank holidays + Birthday Leave

RCVS and VDS fees paid

External CPD funded

Life Assurance

Wellness program including employee assistance

Staff discount schemes

Qualifications

• Minimum two years of post-qualification experience.
• Experience in a busy hospital environment.
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead the nursing team to maintain high clinical standards.
• Organize daily patient flow and oversee nursing protocols.
• Identify training and development needs for the nursing team.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Nursing care

Education

Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) qualification

Job description

Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service is one of the leading small animal referral centres in the world, having been delivering the highest possible standard of pet healthcare for over 30 years.

Our vision is to provide an unrivalled clinical, patient, client, and team experience that is recognised for excellence worldwide. Our values centre around the care of our patients, our clients, our referring vets, each other, and the environment to make a Better World for Pets.

About the Role

We're looking for an enthusiastic RVN to join us as a Lead Surgical Nurse at Willows Referrals, and we would love to hear from you. Ideally, you will have at least two years of post-qualification experience and some valuable leadership experience under your belt. If you're a great communicator who loves being highly organised and feels comfortable working with autonomy in a busy hospital environment, you sound like a great fit.

As Lead Nurse, you'll play a vital part in helping us maintain our incredibly high clinical standards, making sure all our patients receive the best possible nursing care. Your contribution will be key to supporting the continued growth and success of our practice.

You’ll work alongside our leadership team, showcasing your excellent nursing skills in all you do, and take on overall responsibility for a specific area of the practice.

A big part of the Lead Nurse role involves organising and overseeing the daily patient flow, ensuring we're always working as effectively and efficiently as possible. You’ll have the opportunity to identify ways to make our patient pathways even smoother, from admission right through to discharge, all while ensuring we consistently deliver outstanding patient and client care by following our practice and group policies.

You’ll also work closely with our Head of Nursing Services and the Lead Nurse team to identify areas where our nursing team might benefit from further training and development, ensuring that our entire nursing team across the business is supported and managed as effectively as possible.

What You Can Look Forward to When You Join Us:

When you join our team, you’ll discover a genuinely supportive and enriching environment. Here’s just a glimpse of what we offer:

• A Warm Welcome and Great Support: We’ll make sure you feel right at home from day one with a really thorough induction and a strong support system on our large referral site.
• Grow Your Skills: Willows is widely known for delivering great CPD, and you’ll benefit from a dedicated nursing CPD program specifically designed and delivered by a nurse to help you enhance your professional growth.
• Great Work-Life Balance: Enjoy a balanced 38-hour work week, collaborating with a fantastic team of highly specialised professionals.
• Opportunity: With so many diverse disciplines, you’ll find plenty of room to specialise and grow within each team, exploring what you’re passionate about.
• Advance Your Career: We genuinely encourage you to showcase and develop your unique skills, helping you progress in your career.
• Our Team: You’ll be part of a dynamic team of over 250 Associates, led by renowned Specialists in Orthopaedics, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Internal Medicine, Clinical Nutrition, Oncology, Soft Tissue Surgery, Cardiology, Dermatology, Emergency and Critical Care (ECC), Anaesthesia and Analgesia, Diagnostic Imaging, and Physiotherapy.
• Always Supported: We provide 24‑hour veterinary and nursing cover, with wonderful support from our dedicated emergency vets and Interns.
• Fantastic Facilities: Our hospital facilities are truly state‑of‑the‑art, featuring an on‑site Siemens 64-slice CT scanner, a Siemens 1.5T MRI, two in‑theatre mobile image intensifiers, two digital radiography rooms, ultrasonography, electrodiagnostics, video endoscopy, and an extensive range of advanced surgical equipment.

Salary from £28,000, depending on experience

Benefits include

• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays + Birthday Leave
• RCVS and VDS fees paid
• External CPD funded
• Extensive free online Linnaeus CPD program
• Career progression opportunities
• Staff discount schemes
• Life Assurance
• Enhanced sickness pay
• Enhanced equal family leave
• E-car salary sacrifice scheme
• Wellness program including employee assistance program, eyecare voucher scheme, free annual flu jab, and cycle to work scheme
• Recruitment referral reward scheme

If you would like to apply for the role or for an informal chat to discuss it further, please get in touch with our Talent Acquisition Business Partner, Rebecca [e-mail]

At Linnaeus, we are committed to supporting the physical and mental health of all our Associates. We have an amazing team of Mental Health First Aiders (MHFA) across our practices and central support office, in addition to a confidential Employee AssistanceProgramme, which is available to everyone.

Linnaeus is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. We are committed to fostering a culture that is inclusive and diverse for all our associates.