Matron - Paediatrics

Job summary

Paediatric Matron

Are you an inspiring and experienced paediatric nurse leader with a passion for delivering outstanding care for children and young people? We are seeking an exceptional Paediatric Matron to provide visible leadership across our Paediatric Inpatient Unit, Children's Emergency Department, Paediatric Assessment Unit and Paediatric Outpatient Department.

This is a pivotal leadership role within the Paediatric Directorate, offering the opportunity to influence and shape services while ensuring the highest standards of nursing care, patient safety and patient experience are consistently achieved.

As a highly visible and accessible clinical leader, you will provide professional, operational and strategic leadership to nursing teams, supporting staff to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care and achieve excellence in clinical practice. You will work collaboratively with multidisciplinary colleagues to drive quality improvement, service development and innovation, ensuring children, young people and their families receive the very best care.

We are looking for a credible and compassionate leader who is committed to empowering teams, developing staff and championing continuous improvement. If you are passionate about paediatric care and ready to lead services that make a real difference to children and families across Mid and South Essex, we would love to hear from you. Join us and help shape the future of paediatric services.

• Provide visible, professional nursing leadership across paediatric services, ensuring the highest standards of clinical care, patient experience, safety and service delivery.
• Be professionally accountable for nursing standards and influence the non-clinical aspects of care delivery, including nutrition, cleanliness, patient welfare and the overall care environment.
• Lead and support Senior Sisters, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, continuous improvement and staff wellbeing across all clinical areas.
• Work as a key member of the Clinical Service Unit Management Team, overseeing safe operational delivery, capacity management, patient flow, discharge planning and workforce deployment.
• Ensure appropriate staffing levels and skill mix are maintained 24/7, supporting safe, effective and responsive paediatric services.
• Manage delegated budgets and resources effectively, contributing to Cost Improvement Programmes (CIPs) while maintaining high-quality patient care and achieving divisional objectives.
• Lead on clinical governance, audit, quality improvement, policy development and compliance with national standards, including CQC and CNST requirements, ensuring learning from incidents and complaints is embedded into practice.
• Drive the implementation of the Nursing and Midwifery Strategy, promoting professional development, education, shared governance and staff empowerment while supporting multidisciplinary collaboration and service innovation.

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Date posted: 07 September 2026

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8a

Salary: £57,528 a year

Per Annum (Pro Rata for Part Time)

Contract: Fixed term

Duration: 4 months

Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time

Reference number: 390-WAC-BA-6930

Job locations: Basildon, Nethermayne, Basildon, SS16 5NL
, United Kingdom

• Hold current NMC registration as RN Child or RSCN
• Recent evidence of CPD

• Educated to Degree level
• Management Qualification

• Senior Nurse/Ward Manager experience
• Staff management experience
• Budget Management

• Previous experience as Lead Nurse/Matron
• Participated in audit and research

• Demonstrates strong leadership skills with proven ability to make sound clinical and operational decisions

• Aware of current professional nursing issues and government charters relevant to role
• Understanding of the modern NHS and current national and local priorities within children's and young people's healthcare

This post is subject to the…