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Job summary

Main area
WXH Medicine Management
Grade
Band 8a
Contract
Permanent
Hours
  • Full time
  • Flexible working
37.5 hours per week
Job ref
259-8063092WXH
Employer
Barts Health NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Whipps Cross University Hospital
Town
London
Salary
£63,665 - £70,887 per annum inc
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
21/06/2026 23:59
Interview date
10/07/2026

Employer heading

Barts Health NHS Trust logo

Matron Care of the Elderly

Band 8a

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.

The Barts Health group of NHS hospitals is entering an exciting new era on our improvement journey to becoming an outstanding organisation with a world-class clinical reputation. 

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.

Barts Health supports the Pregnancy Loss Pledge and commits to supporting their staff through the distress of miscarriage.

We are dedicated to being an outstanding place to work and will work with you to get the best experience. We know flexible working is not a one size fits all and will mean something different to everyone. We are inclusive, so if you are interested in flexible working, please speak to the recruiting manager.

Job overview

This is an exciting opportunity to provide strategic oversight and leadership across our diverse medical wards, which include Frailty, Older People Services, End of Life Care, Respiratory, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, General Medicine, and Stroke. The role also involves some outpatient activity, offering a varied and rewarding portfolio.

What the Role Involves

As a Matron, you will:

  • Deliver high-quality, patient-centred care and uphold clinical governance standards across the division.
  • Lead, support, and develop nursing teams, focusing on professional growth and staff wellbeing.
  • Provide visible, compassionate leadership, empowering ward managers and team leaders to deliver excellence.
  • Contribute to the division’s operational and strategic goals, including quality improvement, patient safety, and efficiency metrics.
  • Work clinically for at least 50% of your time, maintaining your expertise and credibility as a nursing leader.

What We’re Looking For

  • A registered nurse with proven leadership experience, ideally at Band 7 or above in an acute care setting.
  • Strong knowledge of clinical governance, safeguarding, and acute nursing practice.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead teams in delivering safe, compassionate, and efficient care.
  • Commitment to professional development, both personally and for your teams.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to engage with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders

Main duties of the job

This role provides key strategic oversight for our Medical Wards at Whipps Cross Hospital. The post holder provides innovative clinical and professional leadership to nursing at all levels within the service group, ensuring nursing care is delivered to a high standard and the nursing resource is managed effectively. This will be achieved by the post holder supporting ward managers running the directorate wards. The role will be supportive of nursing leads in these areas in their delivery of safe and compassionate care. The post holder is responsible for maintaining the standards as identified by the Care Quality Commission and other regulatory bodies are maintained supporting quality improvement projects with the ward sister/charge nurse and support the multidisciplinary team to take forward the directorate’s quality and safety agenda. This post combines clinical expertise, leadership and educational/research skills with managerial and professional responsibilities.

Working for our organisation

Barts Health is one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, and one of Britain’s leading healthcare providers.  

Our vision is to be a high-performing group of NHS hospitals, renowned for excellence and innovation, and providing safe and compassionate care to our patients in east London and beyond. That means being a provider of excellent patient safety, known for delivering consistently high standards of harm-free care and always caring for patients in the right place at the right time. It also means being an outstanding place to work, in which our WeCare values and behaviours are visible to all and guide us in how we work together.  

We strive to live by our WeCare values and are committed to promoting inclusion, where every staff member has a sense of belonging. We value our differences and fully advocate, cultivate and support an inclusive working environment.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are underrepresented within Barts Health at this band. 

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s below.

Person specification

Qualifications and Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Comprehensive knowledge of acute nursing
  • Comprehensive knowledge of the role of the ward manager
  • Knowledge of clinical governance systems in the acute setting
  • Knowledge of safeguarding policies and procedures
Desirable criteria
  • Degree level registered nurse
  • Ability to study at Masters level (or working towards)
  • Leadership/management course
  • Post-registration qualification in a relative area of nursing practice

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Previous experience as Band 7 in acute care setting
  • Experience in staff / practice development including Policy development
  • Experience of leading a team to develop and deliver on action plans related to external organisations assessment ( eg CQC)
Desirable criteria
  • Previous experience of working as an 8a
  • Operational management experience in acute hospital setting
  • Teaching and education

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Formal presentation skills
  • Promotes, monitors and maintains best practice in health, safety and security
Desirable criteria
  • Audit skills
  • Clinical governance and risk management
  • Ability to interpret and analyse complex data and findings

People and people development

Essential criteria
  • Able to utilise ICT to full potential
  • Organisational skills
  • Decision making skills
  • Professional nursing issues
  • Able to manage time effectively
  • Able to prioritise objectives and workload
Desirable criteria
  • Human resource skills
  • Practice development
  • Clinical supervision

Specific requirements

Essential criteria
  • Respect privacy &dignity of an individual
  • Understands the implications of equal opportunities
  • Data collection and interpretation required
  • Able to delegate appropriately
  • Highly professional role model
  • Budgetary management skills
  • Skill mix and workforce planning
Desirable criteria
  • Thorough understanding of NHS improvement agenda
  • Business planning
  • Quality assurance and improvement
  • Developing policies and procedures

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Green@Barts HealthNHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyLondon Living Wage is a voluntary commitment made by employers, who can become accredited with the Living Wage FoundationPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveInvestors in People: GoldImproving working livesMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Pregnancy Loss PledgeDisability confident employerStonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.Happy to Talk Flexible Working

Applicant requirements

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.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Maria Pitt
Job title
Senior Nurse
Email address
[email protected]
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