Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Matron - Surgical

The closing date is 19 April 2026

Job summary

My name is Mel and I am the Divisional Director of Nursing for Surgery. Together with Elaine, our Deputy Divisional Director of Nursing for Surgery and with our team of six Matrons, we are responsible for the effectiveness of professional leadership and development of nursing within the Surgical Division in order to facilitate the delivery of excellent clinical practice.

Are you ready to make a real difference? We're looking for an experienced, passionate senior nurse or HCPC-registered professional to join our Surgical Division as a Matron for a six month period.This is your chance to lead with confidence, champion innovation, and shape the future of patient care in a supportive, forward-thinking team.

Do you thrive on the challenge of ensuring quality, safe care and fostering a positive experience for both patients and staff? If so, we want you to bring your passion and expertise to our team.

At the RUH we're proud of our collaborative, supportive culture.As part of our senior team, you'll join a group that values collaboration, understands the challenges we face, and works together to provide outstanding care and exceptional leadership.

Main duties of the job

Why this role matters

As a Surgical Matron, you'll play a pivotal role in shaping nursing practice and driving excellence across our division. This isn't just a job - it's an opportunity to influence patient outcomes, empower staff, and contribute to service improvements that make a tangible difference.

What you'll do:

Lead and inspire teams to deliver safe, compassionate, patient-centred care

Champion evidence-based practice and innovative approaches to improve outcomes

Act as a visible, accessible role model for staff, patients, and families

Support the Clinical Lead and Specialty Manager with the corporate nursing agenda

Manage Senior Sisters/Senior Charge Nurses/Team Leaders effectively and fairly

Drive quality initiatives, audits, and service improvements while maintaining financial performance

What we're looking for:

An experienced senior nurse or HCPC-registered professional with proven leadership skills

A strong commitment to quality, safety, and continuous improvement

Ability to mentor, motivate, and support nursing professionals

Passion for making a difference and delivering excellence in care

About us

We are proud to be part of BSW Hospitals Group - a formal partnership between the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust. With a combined workforce of over 17, 600 colleagues, and budget of 1.6 billion the Group is united by a common purpose to deliver the best possible care to over 1 million people.

We are creating a health and care system that works with the people we care for, reducing the differences people currently face in access, experience and outcomes, improving the experience of our colleagues and tackling shared challenges like sustainability and finances. Every improvement we make across our Group will be guided by what creates the greatest benefit for our colleagues, our patients, our communities and our partners.

By working together, we make a real difference for our patients, each other, and our community. Every role matters in delivering the exceptional, person-centred care we're proud of.

We're committed to a compassionate, inclusive culture where kindness is championed, differences are valued, and diversity makes us stronger.

We want to support you to thrive, taking your career to its full potential. We prioritise staff wellbeing - and yes, we even have a pool!

Discover what it's like to live and work in Bath, explore our RUH staff benefits, and learn how we're building healthcare for the future through the Dyson Cancer Centre and our commitment to research.

Details

Date posted

02 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£49,387 to £56,515 a year N/A

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

6 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

427-7897352

Job locations

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to attached job description and person specification for further information about this opportunity.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Please refer to attached job description and person specification for further information about this opportunity.

Person Specification

Qualifications and training

Essential

  • Registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) or HCPC
  • oMaster's degree in nursing or health related field or evidence of working at this level and towards master's degree

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Significant experience working at Band 7 in a leadership role
  • Demonstrable experience of achieving changed clinical practice and improving services
  • Demonstrable experience of developing staff and teams
  • Demonstrable experience of implementing and managing change effectively.
Person Specification

Qualifications and training

Essential

  • Registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) or HCPC
  • oMaster's degree in nursing or health related field or evidence of working at this level and towards master's degree

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Significant experience working at Band 7 in a leadership role
  • Demonstrable experience of achieving changed clinical practice and improving services
  • Demonstrable experience of developing staff and teams
  • Demonstrable experience of implementing and managing change effectively.

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).

Additional information

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

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Employer's website

https://www.ruh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Employer's website

https://www.ruh.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Divisional Director of Nursing for Surgery

Mel Broad

melanie.broad1@nhs.net

01225824877

Details

Date posted

02 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£49,387 to £56,515 a year N/A

Contract

Fixed term

Duration

6 months

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

427-7897352

Job locations

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust

Combe Park

Bath

BA1 3NG


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)