About this role
Job summary
This is a 6 month fixed term contract (possible secondment for internal staff) for a Clinical Matron for:
Mental Health Liaison (MHLT) service based at Watford General Mental Health Liaison (MHLT) service based at Lister Hospital, Stevenage Mental Health Urgent Care Centre (MHUCC) based at Lister Hospital, Stevenage This is an unique opportunity to provide senior nursing leadership within a dynamic crisis service, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and high-quality care for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
As Clinical Matron, you will provide visible leadership across the service, promoting excellence in clinical practice, patient safety, professional standards and compassionate, recovery-focused care. Working closely with Team Leaders, Operational Managers, Heads of Service, the Head of Nursing and medical colleagues, you will lead quality improvement, clinical governance, workforce development and service transformation.
You will play a key role in strengthening clinical assurance by overseeing safe staffing, professional standards, incident learning, regulatory compliance and continuous improvement in patient and staff experience. This is an excellent opportunity for an established senior nurse who is passionate about leading change, developing others and influencing service-wide improvement. If you are committed to delivering outstanding care and inspiring high-performing teams, we welcome your application.
Main duties of the job
Under the direction of the Head of Nursing, the Clinical Matron is the professional and quality lead for nursing within their specialist areas promoting safe, high-quality and compassionate care, ensuring dignity, inclusivity and best practice in infection prevention and control.
The Clinical Matron is accountable for delivering safe, effective and person-centred care through a strong clinical presence, accessibility and oversight, promptly identifying and addressing concerns. They are accessible to service users, carers and staff, offering advice, support and resolution of issues.
In partnership with the Head of Nursing, the Clinical Matron contributes to strategic service development, delivery of key performance indicators and assurance of compliance with regulatory, professional and internal standards. They lead and develop staff, drive quality improvement, and promote teamwork, learning and continuous improvement.
As a senior divisional leader, the Clinical Matron acts as a professional role model, fostering a just, inclusive and learning culture, upholding Trust values, policies, and equality and diversity principles, and acting up as required.
About us
Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from theCare Quality Commission.
Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:
Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.
Job description Job responsibilities Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Leadership & Quality
Provide visible, authoritative clinical leadership and support to Clinical Nurse Specialists, Team Leaders, and MDT staff.
Act as professional lead for nursing care, ensuring high standards of quality, safety, timeliness, and effectiveness across the division.
Ensure nursing practice complies with professional standards, statutory requirements, Trust policies, and the NMC Code.
Lead infection prevention and control, cleanliness, privacy, dignity, health and safety in line with the Modern Matrons Charter.
Ensure care environments are safe, clean, well maintained, and fit for purpose.
Provide senior nursing advice, including out-of-hours support as required.
Promote shared decision-making and service user, family and carer involvement in care.
Lead quality improvement, audit, research activity, and the development of tools to demonstrate nursing quality.
Foster a learning culture by leading reviews of incidents, risks, and near misses, ensuring lessons are learned and shared.
Staff Management & Workforce
Ensure safe, effective staffing through oversight of eRostering and workforce deployment.
Ensure the right staff with the right skills deliver person-centred care.
Support and deputise for the Head of Nursing when required.
Provide line management, clinical supervision, mentoring, and performance management for Clinical Nurse Specialists and staff.
Ensure robust systems for appraisal, PDPs, supervision, and professional development are in place, monitored, and audited.
Identify learning and development needs, ensure delivery, and evaluate impact on care.
Governance, Performance & Service Development
Develop, implement, and monitor quality standards, policies, and governance frameworks.
Collect and analyse data to support audit, quality improvement, and research.
Work collaboratively across services and the wider Trust to support service development and quality assurance.
Promote a positive image of services and the Trust.
Communication & Engagement
Ensure effective, respectful communication with service users, families/carers, and stakeholders.
Support the management and early resolution of complaints and concerns.
Work collaboratively with Inclusion, Involvement and Experience teams and investigation leads.
Ensure service user and carer feedback is actively sought, acted upon, and embedded into service improvement.
Use Division Quality and Risk forums to address care quality, cleanliness, and IPC issues.
Person Specification
QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION/TRAINING Essential
Registered Nurse on NMC register Educated to Master's degree or currently working towards a Master's degree Evidence of continuing personal and professional development Leadership course evident or working towards Mentorship course
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE Essential
Management experience in clinical NHS environment Excellent understanding of the management of safe staffing Significant experience of people management and effective leadership Ability to lead the service areas with vision and determination Ability to offer encouragement and support to others to foster both personal and professional development
OTHER Essential
Hold a full valid driving licence and access to a car to use regularly for business purposes (unless you have a disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Address 99 Waverley Road
Parkway,
St Albans
AL3 5TQ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.hpft.nhs.uk/careers/ (Opens in a new tab)