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University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust; Launceston; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an experienced Band 8a Lead Nurse to head the Peninsula transfer base in Launceston, Cornwall, for a 12-month fixed term. The role involves leading a multi-professional team, developing evidence-based transfer protocols, and delivering high-quality care for critically ill adults during inter-hospital transfers.

You will oversee the Training and Education team, manage the service budget, and benchmark performance against NHS

Qualifications

• Band 8a nurse leadership role.
• Lead development and delivery of transfer service.
• Oversee budget and resource management.
• Maintain evidence-based transfer protocols and guidelines.
• Lead Training and Education for the team.

Responsibilities

• Lead and role-model the multi-professional team to ensure high-quality, standardised care.
• Develop and maintain up-to-date transfer protocols with key stakeholders.
• Provide specialised nursing care for critically ill adults during transfers.
• Oversee Training and Education to sustain high-quality in-house programmes.
• Manage and monitor service budget and resources.
• Collect and benchmark data against NHS indicators and standards.
• Submit operational data to national databases efficiently.

Skills

Nurse leadership

Critical care

Clinical governance

Audit & research

Budget management

Staff training

Education

Registered Nurse (NMC)

Job description

Company:

Company: University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced critical care leader to take up the role of Peninsula Base Lead Nurse for a 12 month fixed term period.

Retrieve is the South West’s dedicated Adult Critical Care Transfer Service (ACCTS) and is one of a network of operationally similar services which have been commissioned by NHS England. We are looking for an Band 8a nurse leader who can drive the continued development and operational delivery of the Peninsula base, working in close partnership with the Severn Base Lead Nurse to manage and deliver the service across the South West.

The service has two operational bases located in Peninsula (Launceston, Cornwall) and Severn (Bristol) and from these we operate 24/7/365 managing referrals and undertaking transfers of critically ill and injured patients.The service is identical in each base to ensure we provide equitable access to our care across the region.

The Band 8a Lead Nurse is responsible for the continuous service development, quality improvement implementation, maintenance of the team infrastructure and operational delivery.

The Base Lead Nurse will:

• Lead and be a role model for the multi-professional team, ensuring that the clinical care delivered is of the highest quality and standardised in accordance with national guidance, policies and the NHS England Service Specification.
• In partnership with the Clinical Director, Base Lead Consultants and key stakeholders develop and maintain up to date, evidence-based transfer protocols and guidelines.
• Provide specialised knowledge and skilled nursing care for critically ill adults requiring transfer
• Oversee the Training and Education team to support the delivery of a high-quality in-house education programme that develops and maintains the skills of the team. This team is also tasked with the development and delivery of regional transfer courses.
• Manage and maintain effective control of the service budget.
• Monitor the effectiveness of the service working with the Lead Consultant for Audit and Research by means of audit and statistical data collection, benchmarking against NHS England Quality Indicators as well as locally and regionally defined standards.
• Ensure operational, clinical and performance data is submitted to national databases reliably, efficiently and effectively.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations,operatingfrom three main sites at Southmead, Bristol citycentreand Weston.

With an annual turnover of £2.3 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone’s throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that theSouth Westhas to offer.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust values all people as individuals. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.

(Continuation of main duties)

• Co-lead with the Clinical Director, Base Lead Consultants and Lead Consultant for Governance, the clinical governance agenda for the service, ensuring the service continues to meet the needs of its service users (patients, relatives, referring clinicians, specialties and Networks).
• Contribute to national adult transfer service development.
• Be an active member of the South West Critical Care Network Transfer Group.

Please see the attached job description.

This advert closes on Thursday 1 Oct 2026