Matron

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Matron

The closing date is 28 August 2025

Interviews for this role will take place on 17/09/2025 at University Hospital North Durham.

County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest integrated care providers in England, serving a population of around 600,000 people. We are a high performing organisation with a track record of success.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Matron in Diabetes to join our team in the Medicine Care Group. We are looking for an appropriately experienced, highly motivated, and committed Band 8a Matron with expertise in Diabetes management. The post will involve working closely with the Clinical Lead in Diabetes and the care group triumvirate. The matron in diabetes will provide leadership and direction to the staff within care pathways for which they are accountable, to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality care in line with the organisation\’s strategic vision. The post holder must be able to motivate teams to reach their full potential by providing exemplary line management skills.

Main duties of the job

• The post holder will provide clinical care to both Type I and Type II diabetic patients in primary and secondary care.
• Monitor performance against relevant patient safety indicators such as medication errors and record keeping, and outline improvement plans where aspirations are not being realised.
• The role will be clinically focused and include working alongside nurses in a coaching, teaching, and supervisory capacity.
• The post holder will lead all aspects of patient safety and complaints for their area of responsibility, launching investigations and root cause analyses as required with support from the relevant clinical lead and general manager.
• The matron will ensure that patient feedback is acted upon and all lessons learned from complaints and incidents are implemented. Themes will be disseminated widely as part of the overall Clinical Governance framework.
• The matron will champion the experience of people who receive services by striving to improve quality care.
• The matron will ensure the safety of team members through adherence to Trust Health and Safety Policies.

About us

If you are being interviewed, you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated as essential in the person specification, or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites—Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield, and Weardale, as well as over 80 other community-based settings and in patients\’ homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over-reliance on AI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant\’s chances of success.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

From April 9th, 2025 — Healthcare assistants: You must have a minimum of two years of experience working within the NHS as a HCA for the Trust to consider sponsorship (we will only consider sponsorship if you meet this criteria and have a current visa expiring within 3 months).

Job responsibilities

JOB PURPOSE/SUMMARY

The matron in diabetes will provide leadership and direction to the staff within care pathways for which they are accountable, to ensure delivery of safe, high-quality care in line with the organisation\’s strategic vision. The post holder must be able to motivate teams to reach their full potential by providing exemplary line management skills.

The matron will provide expert clinical leadership to frontline staff, actively promoting Compassion in Practice, the underpinning 6Cs, as well as the Trust\’s values & Behaviours.

The matron will be accountable for both the standard of nursing/midwifery care and the environment within their area of responsibility. The matron will work with clinical teams to maintain excellent standards of care.

The matron will, as part of their role, deliver direct patient care to diabetic patients meeting the requirements of a registered nurse. It will also include teaching junior team members.

The matron will be highly visible and accessible to staff, patients, and visitors/family members, and be able to assist where issues cannot be resolved by the diabetic nursing team.

Effective line management of Senior Sister/Team Leaders within their areas is fundamental to support a culture of consciousness to deliver financial balance and achieve efficiencies.

Person Specification

Statutory Registration

• Registered Nurse (adult or Child) on part 1 of the NMC register
• Valid UK NMC PIN

Qualifications

• RGN
• Teaching qualification
• Educated to degree level
• Evidence of continuing Professional Development in Diabetes
• Management or Leadership qualification

Experience

• Management experience at senior level
• Expert in the field of diabetes management
• Current knowledge of professional developments in Diabetes Care
• Managing change
• Service improvement
• Knowledge of relevant nursing and healthcare policies
• Complaints management

Special Requirements

• Able to meet the travel requirements of the role

Special Skills & Knowledge

• Strategic thinking
• Demonstrates resilience
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Influencing and negotiation skills
• Service improvement

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and a submission for Disclosure will be made to check for any previous criminal convictions.

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

£55,690 to £62,682 a year, pro-rata per annum

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