Head of Nursing - Gastroenterology and Endoscopy

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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust 2.85K subscribers

Head of Nursing - Gastroenterology and Endoscopy

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.

Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.

Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.

Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.

LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.

We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the IIS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.

Job overview

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust is seeking an outstanding and ambitious nursing leader to join our Medicine Directorate as Head of Nursing for Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, Bowel Cancer Screening and Hepatology.

This is an exciting opportunity to lead nursing practice and service development across a diverse and high-profile portfolio of services that play a vital role in improving the health and wellbeing of our local population. The successful candidate will provide strategic, professional and operational leadership, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective and compassionate care while driving excellence in quality, patient experience and clinical outcomes.

Working closely with Clinical Directors, General Managers, Consultants, Matrons and multidisciplinary teams, you will play a key role in shaping the future of gastroenterology, endoscopy, bowel cancer screening and hepatology services across the Trust. You will lead service transformation programmes, support the delivery of national standards and contribute to the development of innovative pathways that improve access, efficiency and patient outcomes.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced senior nursing leader who is passionate about developing people, improving services and delivering high-quality patient-centred care.

Main duties of the job

Provide visible professional leadership and strategic direction across Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, Bowel Cancer Screening and Hepatology services.

Lead the nursing workforce to deliver outstanding standards of care, safety and patient experience.

Drive quality improvement, service transformation and innovation to meet national and local priorities.

Ensure compliance with JAG standards, bowel cancer screening programme requirements, regulatory frameworks and clinical governance standards.

Lead patient safety, clinical effectiveness, infection prevention, safeguarding and risk management initiatives.

Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to improve patient pathways and service performance.

Support the development and delivery of workforce strategies, recruitment, retention and succession planning.

Lead on nursing quality indicators, patient experience metrics and performance management.

Promote a culture of continuous learning, professional development, inclusion and compassionate leadership.

Contribute to directorate and Trust-wide strategic objectives and transformation programmes.

Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:

• Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
• Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
• Improving the experience of staff with disability
• Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
• Making equalities mainstream

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

We are looking for an inspirational senior nurse who can demonstrate:

Current NMC registration.

Significant senior nursing leadership experience within an acute healthcare setting.

Experience within Gastroenterology, Endoscopy, Cancer Services, Hepatology or a related specialty.

Proven success in leading quality improvement, service development and transformation programmes.

Strong knowledge of clinical governance, patient safety and quality assurance frameworks.

Experience of leading and developing large multidisciplinary teams.

Excellent communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills.

A track record of delivering operational performance and managing complex healthcare services.

Commitment to equality, diversity, staff wellbeing and compassionate leadership.

Educated to Master's level or able to demonstrate equivalent senior leadership experience.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Post graduate training in Clinical Specialty, or Business or NHS Management in progress or completed
• Formal education to first degree level or equivalent ability
• Master’s degree or equivalent ability/evidence of skill

Experience

• Minimum 3 years operational management in an acute NHS Trust, including senior level experience & management of specialist services
• Minimum 3 years staff management, including senior level experience
• Management of change

Knowledge and Skills

• Thinks and solves problems creatively and from a position of inquiry (versus advocacy)
• Provides authentic and clear communication and direction even in times of uncertainty/ambiguity
• Engages effectively across boundaries, while operating in partnership with stakeholders

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.

Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.

Use of AI in recruitment: We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support the initial review of applications against the essential criteria for this role. Where AI is used, it will support rather than replace human decision‑making, and applications will remain subject to appropriate human review.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

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.

Name Shelly Rose Job title Divisional Director of Nursing and Governance Email address michellerose1@nhs.net Telephone number 07353101065