Matron/Lead AHP- Medicine/Urgent Care

ESHT; Eastbourne; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS pension

Onsite nurseries

Staff restaurants

Accommodation

Onsite parking

Job summary

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust is recruiting for 8a Matron roles, providing senior clinical leadership across a range of services. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, embed standards and governance, and drive improvement while maintaining compassionate care and outstanding patient experience.

The role requires registration with NMC/HCPC, substantial leadership in NHS settings, and a track record of service improvement. A strong culture of accountability and learning is essential.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse with active NMC registration or Registered AHP with HCPC registration.
• Masters level qualification relevant to the role.
• Mentoring or coaching qualification.
• Project management and Quality improvement qualification.
• Proven leadership in NHS or healthcare settings.
• Experience in quality/service improvement and governance.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible clinical and professional leadership.
• Deliver safe, effective and high-quality care.
• Lead quality improvement, patient safety, governance and assurance programmes.
• Monitor standards, audits, incidents and performance to drive improvement.
• Develop and support the workforce through recruitment, education, appraisal and development.
• Collaborate with nursing, medical and operational leaders to improve services and pathways.
• Lead safeguarding, infection prevention, risk management and regulatory compliance.
• Manage staffing/resources/operational performance for safe services.
• Provide expert advice and model compassionate leadership.
• Participate in Matron of the day rota (evening/weekend).

Skills

Leadership

Staff management

Communication

Change management

Engagement

Education

NMC/HCPC registration

Masters level qualification

Mentoring/Coaching qualification

PM/Quality improvement qualification

Job description

We do not charge fees for job applications, recruitment processes, sponsorship arrangements or employment offers. All current vacancies can be found below, with the published contact details being the only authorised routes for recruitment communications, applications and verification of job offers.

Main area Matron Grade NHS AfC: Band 8a Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (out of hours roster) Job ref 374-ND1708-MED

Site East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust Town . Salary £57,528 - £64,750 Per annum, Pro rata Salary period Yearly Closing 03/11/2026 23:59

We are proud to provide 'Outstanding' care and be a great place to work.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides safe, compassionate and high quality hospital and community care to the half a million people living in East Sussex and those who visit our local area.

We are one of the largest organisations in East Sussex with an annual income of £700 million and we are the only integrated provider of acute and community care in Sussex.

Our extensive health services are provided by over 8,000+ dedicated members of staff working from two acute hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, three community hospitals in Bexhill, Rye and Uckfield, over 100 community sites across East Sussex, and in people's own homes.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated us as 'Good' overall, and 'Outstanding' for being Caring and Effective. The Conquest Hospital in Hastings and our Community Services were rated 'Outstanding' and Eastbourne DGH was rated 'Good' Our two acute hospitals have Emergency Departments and provide 24 hour a day care, offering a comprehensive range of surgical, medical, outpatient and maternity services, supported by a full range of diagnostic and therapy services.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for the professional and operational leadership of our clinical services in the newly created 8a Matron roles.

These are senior clinical leadership roles with responsibility for a diverse portfolio of services, in our Clinical Divisions.

As Matron, you will provide visible and compassionate leadership to multidisciplinary teams, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality services. You will have a strong track record of embedding professional, clinical and regulatory standards, using assurance processes, audit, quality improvement and governance frameworks to monitor performance, drive improvement and sustain excellence.

Working closely with operational, nursing and medical leaders, you will play a key role in shaping services, developing the workforce and supporting innovation across the paediatric pathway. You will be expected to influence practice, challenge poor standards where required and create a culture that promotes accountability, learning and continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will demonstrate exceptional leadership, communication and relationship-building skills, with experience of leading teams through change, managing operational pressures and ensuring compliance with national standards, regulatory requirements and quality indicators. A commitment to improving patient experience, safety and outcomes for patients will be central to your approach.

What we are looking for

• Registered Nurse or AHP with active NMC/HCPC registration.
• Significant senior leadership experience within clinical services and ability to provide senior operational and professional leadership out of hours.
• Proven ability to embed, monitor and improve clinical standards and quality outcomes.
• Strong experience in governance, patient safety, quality improvement and service assurance.
• Demonstrable ability to lead teams, influence practice and deliver sustainable service improvement.
• Values-driven leader with a visible, compassionate and inclusive leadership style

Main duties of the job

Provide visible clinical and professional leadership

Ensure the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care

Lead quality improvement, patient safety, governance and assurance programmes.

Monitor clinical standards, audits, incidents and performance, driving continuous improvement.

Develop and support the workforce through recruitment, education, appraisal and professional development.

Work collaboratively with nursing, medical and operational leaders to improve services and patient pathways.

Lead on safeguarding, infection prevention, risk management and regulatory compliance.

Manage staffing, resources and operational performance to ensure safe and sustainable services.

Provide expert professional advice and act as a visible role model for compassionate leadership.

Participate in the Matron of the day rota which includes evening and weekend working.

Working for our organisation

A wide range of staff benefits are available to our staff including staff development, enrolment in the NHS pension scheme, auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service, access to onsite nurseries. staff restaurants and accommodation.

In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme. Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.

Statement on the Use of AI

We value the individuality that each candidate brings to the application process. While we understand that AI tools are widely available, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI-generated content when applying for jobs with us. We believe that your application should reflect your true skills, experiences, and motivations, which are best conveyed through your own words and unique perspective.

Using AI for your application may not accurately represent your knowledge, skills, and experience and may result in a disconnect between your qualifications and our assessment of your application.

We encourage applicants to take the time to thoughtfully complete their applications; by doing so, you allow us to better understand your true potential and ensure a fair and transparent evaluation of your application. Over reliance on AI-generated content may diminish your chance of success.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see attached the job description

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse and hold active registration with NMC or Registered AHP and hold active registration with HCPC
• Masters level qualification relevant to role to demonstrate expert clinical and leadership skills
• Mentoring or coaching qualification
• Project management and Quality improvement qualification

Experience

• Proven experience working in a leadership position within NHS or relevant healthcare organisation.
• Demonstrate experience of : Quality/Service improvement- Project Management - Operational leadership - People Management
• Demonstrates evidence of national or regional networking

Patients come first at East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

Our vision is to be:

• The healthcare provider of first choice for the people of East Sussex.

Our mission is to:

• Deliver better health outcomes and an excellent experience for everyone we provide with healthcare services.

Our strategic objectives are to:

• Improve quality and clinical outcomes by ensuring that safe patient care is our highest priority.
• Play a leading role in local partnerships to meet the needs of our local population and improve and enhance patients’ experiences.
• Use our resources efficiently and effectively for the benefit of our patients and their care to ensure our services are clinically, operationally and financially sustainable.

Our aims are that all services delivered by the Trust are:

• Safe
• Effective
• Caring
• Responsive and
• Well led

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.