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East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust; South Willesborough; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a registered Children's Nurse to join our senior nursing leadership team as Matron for the Paediatric Emergency Department. You will provide visible, professional leadership and ensure children, young people and their families receive safe, effective and high-quality emergency care.

Working with the Head of Nursing and multidisciplinary teams, you will lead staffing, governance, patient flow and continuous improvement, promoting a

Qualifications

• Registered Children's Nurse with extensive senior leadership experience.
• Strong knowledge of paediatric emergency care and patient safety.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and improve services.

Responsibilities

• Provide visible clinical leadership and professional oversight.
• Ensure safe staffing, governance and risk management.
• Lead recruitment, retention and staff development; drive quality improvement.

Skills

Nursing leadership

Paediatric emergency care

Staff performance management

Education

Registered Children's Nurse

Job description

Paediatric Emergency Department Matron | East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, experienced and highly motivated Registered Children's Nurse to join our senior nursing leadership team as Matron for the Children's Emergency Department.

The Matron will provide visible, professional and operational nursing leadership, ensuring children, young people and their families receive safe, effective, compassionate and high-quality emergency care.

Working closely with the Head of Nursing, senior medical colleagues and the wider multidisciplinary team, the postholder will lead the day-to-day delivery of the Children's Emergency Department, with a strong focus on patient safety, safeguarding, clinical quality, workforce, patient flow, performance and experience.

We are looking for an experienced and credible clinical leader who can lead effectively within a busy and rapidly changing emergency care environment. You will provide oversight of staffing, clinical standards, governance and risk, ensuring learning from incidents, complaints and patient feedback drives continuous improvement.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Children's Nurse with strong leadership skills and a passion for developing high-quality paediatric emergency care.

The Children's Emergency Department Matron will provide visible, professional and operational nursing leadership, ensuring safe, effective and high-quality emergency care for children, young people and their families.

The postholder will lead the day-to-day management of the Children's Emergency Department, working closely with the Head of Nursing, senior medical colleagues, operational teams and the wider multidisciplinary team.

Key responsibilities include providing clinical leadership and professional oversight; ensuring safe staffing and an appropriately skilled workforce; supporting recruitment, retention and staff development; and effective management of resources.

The Matron will oversee patient safety, safeguarding, clinical governance, incidents, complaints, risks and quality improvement, ensuring learning is embedded into practice.

The role will support safe patient flow and operational performance, responding to increased demand and escalating risks appropriately. The Matron will monitor quality and performance, ensure compliance with professional and regulatory standards, and lead continuous improvement.

As a senior nursing leader, the postholder will promote a compassionate, inclusive and accountable culture, supporting staff to deliver excellent care and experience for children and their families.

We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five

hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference'. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.

This advert closes on Wednesday 14 Oct 2026