Head Nurse - Walton on Thames in London

We are rebuilding the veterinary experience from the ground up, making access to care seamless, joyful, and genuinely personal for every pet and their owner.

With beautifully designed clinics and purpose-built technology, we are transforming how veterinary care is accessed and delivered.

Our clinics combine modern design with first-class clinical care, creating spaces that vet teams, clients, and pets genuinely want to be in.

Our purpose is simple: healthier, happier pets and vets.

We believe in a model that benefits everyone: our clinical teams, our members, our local communities, and our investors.

That means competitive compensation, sensible caseloads, genuine career development, and a culture where people feel supported to do their best work.

We are building the vet group of the future. If you share our passion for doing things differently, we would love to hear from you.

Role Overview

As Head Nurse, you will hold a key role within the practice leadership team.

You are responsible for ensuring the highest clinical nursing standards, driving team engagement and client satisfaction, and sharing joint responsibility for overall clinic performance.

You understand and are passionate about what Creature Comforts is building, and you promote this to your team and clients.

Within the Creature Comforts clinical framework, you will lead the day-to-day delivery of nursing standards in your clinic, shaping how the strategy comes to life on the ground and contributing your clinical expertise to how we continue to develop it.

You will directly manage, develop, and support the RVNs, PCAs, and SVNs where applicable.

• Clinical Excellence
• Understand and implement all clinical practice protocols, maintaining the highest standards of nursing care
• Take an active part in clinical duties for approximately 80% of your working hours
• Lead team communications, ensuring all protocols and new guidance are shared and understood
• Lead, develop, and manage the nurse consult rota and delivery of nurse consultations
• Ensure accurate patient record keeping and that all patient care instructions are followed by the nursing team
• Implement and maintain RCVS Practice Standards Scheme and ISFM standards across the practice
• Use and promote Vet Safe reporting to target training and maintain a no-blame learning culture
• Clinical Coaching (if applicable)
• Support nursing students by keeping your clinical coaching qualification current (annual standardisation) in clinics where SVNs are employed
• Make time for SVN practical skills development, including NPL and e-portfolio tasks on the rota
• Ensure SVNs have a clear development plan, with regular opportunities to ask questions and reflect on their progress
• Team Leadership and People Management
• Lead by example, always promoting the culture and ethos of Creature Comforts
• Develop direct reports through regular 1:1s and performance development reviews
• Ensure there is a clear induction and training for all new nursing team members
• Manage disciplinary, attendance, and performance matters within the nursing team fairly and professionally
• Foster a culture of respect, inclusion, and psychological safety that is open, honest, and no-blame
• Advocate for team wellbeing, identifying issues early and working with your line manager to resolve them
• Business Performance
• Ensure membership remains a consistent focus for the nursing team, fully training and supporting them to deliver our messaging
• Work alongside the Practice Manager to achieve membership and client acquisition targets
• Understand the clinic P&L and the KPIs that drive financial performance
• Work within the allocated budget to deliver financial targets
• Oversee and support nursing team recruitment
• Efficiently discuss estimates with clients and provide coaching and support to the nursing team to ensure consistency and client satisfaction in this process
• Compliance and Governance
• Ensure all equipment is appropriately maintained and serviced
• Report and summarise critical incidents in line with the Practice Clinical Governance Policy
• Ensure GDPR compliance and confidentiality across all clinical and business information
• Be fully aware of all Health & Safety requirements and ensure the nursing team meets them

Candidate Requirements

Essential

• Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN)
• At least 4 years of clinical nursing experience in veterinary practice
• Previous leadership experience, including direct line management
• Awareness of budgets and finances
• Knowledge of the RCVS code of conduct
• Confident using IT across clinical and practice management systems
• Excellent spoken and written communication
• Self-motivated and self-directed
• Strong time management
• Leadership and people management skills
• High emotional intelligence
• Project management skills
• Committed to continuous learning
• Integrity and honesty
• Able to multitask effectively
• A fair, kind and inclusive leadership style
• An entrepreneurial approach to growing the practice

Desirable

• Experience in training, coaching or clinical mentoring
• Mental health first-aid qualification
• Certificate in a clinical area, such as emergency and critical care, anaesthesia, oncology or feline nursing
• Clinical coaching qualification (useful in clinics with student nurses)
• Internal medicine or advanced nursing qualification
• Knowledge of performance management, Health & Safety, GDPR and Vet Safe
• A logical, practical approach to problem solving

What We Offer

• 210 hours' annual leave plus bank holidays, and your birthday off after one year's service
• Salary sacrifice pension scheme (5% employee, 3% employer contribution)
• £1,500 CPD allowance and 5 days of dedicated study leave
• Access to our healthcare incentive after one year of employment
• Genuine career progression as we grow across London and beyond
• A supportive, inclusive culture where your development is taken seriously
• Regular team and company social events
• Upon successful completion of your probationary period, you may become eligible to participate in the Creature Comforts share options scheme, subject to the scheme rules and eligibility criteria in place at the time
• The opportunity to be part of something genuinely different in veterinary care
• Employee Assistance Programme and Mental Health First Aiders
• Free snacks and lunch in clinic
• Monthly peer recognition schemes
• Celebrating clinic milestones
• Equal Opportunities

At Creature Comforts, we believe the best teams are built from diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences.

We are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels genuinely welcome, respected, and able to do their best work, and we actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds.

We do not discriminate on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

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