Senior Matron

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Ensuring Safe and Effective Clinical Practice.  

Work with the Clinical Director to embed systems to deliver high quality person-centred care with compassion, dignity and respect with good health outcomes

Monitor the Senior Sisters/Charge Nurses & Matrons delivery of on-going improvements in standards of nursing and nursing services through the development of effective systems and processes.

Implement agreed systems across the Group/Directorate to evidence and monitor the nursing contribution to both national and local standards of care.

Identify on-going and likely risks relating to nursing, developing & implementing action plans to mitigate them as well as alerting the Clinical Director and Head of Nursing and ensuring they are recorded on the appropriate risk register.

Lead the development of the nursing research agenda within the Group/Directorate

Implement and engage research and evidenced based practice to develop the skills of others.

Monitor complaints relating to nursing and patient experience in the clinical areas and incidents related to nursing within the Group/Directorate, ensuring appropriate responses and implementation of action plans effectively resolve issues.

Implement agreed systems to identify opportunities for learning and sharing good practice.

Take timely action when professional standards fall short of those acceptable.

Implement systems to deliver patient safety and prevention of harm assurance.

Ensure the implementation and monitoring of practice standards that meet Infection Prevention standards.

Ensure learning from the root cause analyses of incidents, complaints and claims are translated into learning and improvement within designated areas

Participate in a range of formal management processes, investigation, hearing and implementation of findings where nursing staff’s professional/personal conduct or professional competency is called into question

Enhancing the Patient Experience

Undertake clinical activity and be a visible presence to patients and staff whilst monitoring the quality of care and experience of patients in all clinical settings.

Actively seek out and organise systems to capture the patient experience liaising with the Patient Experience Lead

Take action to address poor patient experience identified through trend analysis/complaints and report outcomes to Group/Directorate

Work with the Clinical Director to embed processes to engage patients and the public in service developments, to seek their views on existing services and to respond to their ideas and concerns including attending the Patient Experience events/meetings to represent their Group/Directorate

Lead corrective actions when patients/carers raise concerns regarding care standards

Support the effective management of patient pathways through the organisation ensuring the safety and best patient experience is upper most in all decision making.

Monitor and identify standards in relation to cleanliness and environment and ensure corrective actions are taken

Ensure that everyone within sphere of care is treated with dignity and humanity, understanding individual needs, showing compassion and sensitivity, and provide care in a way that respects all people equally.

Professional Leading the nurses

Provide line management to a small group of Matrons who have accountability for a designated Directorate /Consultant Nurses ensuring all requirements of the roles are delivered.

Manage nursing pay and non-pay budgets for the designated Directorates

Undertake annual performance development review of Senior Sisters / Charge Nurses/Consultant Nurses / Matrons and Clinical / Advanced Nurse Specialists, ensuring each has a personal development plan to optimise their performance and potential for career progression

Develop and promote a positive culture within the Group/Directorate to enable continuous quality and service improvement

Act as a positive role model, creating a supportive ethos to empower staff to contribute to the delivery of excellent person centred care.

Lead by example, develop self and other staff, and influence the way care is given in a manner that is open and responds to individual needs.

Ensure nurses and nursing staff take responsibility for the care they provide and answer for their own judgments and actions and carry out those actions in a way that is agreed with their patients, and the families and carers of their patients, and in a way that meets the requirements of organisational policies and procedures, their professional bodies and the law.

Lead the appraisal process ensuring that personal development plans are consistent with the Trust, Division and teams objectives, succession planning, and workforce development and in support of professional revalidation.

Act in accordance with the Nursing & Midwifery Council Code –Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives.

Promote a positive image of the Trust and nursing both internally and externally this may include publications and presentations locally and nationally

Be an effective leader of change, embedding a culture of continuous quality improvement

Implement agreed systems to ensure the nursing workforce is fit for purpose in relation to statutory and mandatory training

Provide Clinical Supervision for nursing / midwifery staff within the Group/Directorate

Ensure the Head of Nursing is briefed on all professional issues within the Directorates

Lead a culture of continuous quality improvement through use of audit, patient feedback and reflection by self and within the designated clinical areas

Lead the implementation of the  Nursing & Midwifery Programme in the Group/Directorate

Participate in the recruitment  and selection processes of the Trust

Conduct a piece of nursing research within Group / Directorate

Ensure the NMC Standards to support learning and assessment in practice for education are met  within Group / Directorate

Continuous Service Improvement

Lead in the redesign and planning for the modernisation of nursing within the Group/Directorate

Facilitate effective multi-disciplinary team working at service level setting clear and measurable improvement outcomes