Deputy Head Nurse - Small Animal in Woking

Deputy Head Nurse – Small Animal

IVC Evidensia – Woking, England, United Kingdom

We have a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Deputy Head Nurse to join our friendly team. The role is full‑time (40 hours per week) with flexible hours: either four long days or five shorter days, plus a 1:5 Saturday rota (8:00‑2:00) compensated as TOIL.

About the Practice

Kingswood Vets is a well‑established local practice. We moved to a new purpose‑built hospital premises in 2018. The facility includes 4 consult rooms, 2 theatres, dental and imaging rooms, separate dog and cat wards, and high‑end equipment such as multiparameter monitors, digital dental radiography, hot‑air warming devices, syringe drivers.

We run a mix of well‑insured clients who value gold‑standard care and also support the RSPCA and other charity work.

Key Duties

• Assist the Head Nurse in managing the nursing team, supporting when necessary with general nursing duties; ensuring efficient running of all surgical areas.
• Demonstrate excellent work protocol in all nursing duties including theatre practice, lab techniques, assisting veterinary surgeons with anaesthesia; maintain high hygiene standards and infection control.
• Dispense drugs safely and manage pharmaceuticals in compliance with legislation; calculate drug doses and prepare drugs as prescribed.
• Daily running of clinical procedures; ensure all surgical cases are dealt with timely and prevent unnecessary delays.
• Work closely with the Head Nurse, vets, and non‑surgical team; attend regular meetings to ensure all areas work effectively together.
• Ensure patient records are completed accurately and that all patient‑care instructions are followed by the nursing team.
• Ensure the nursing team is aware of their roles and objectives; provide support, training, CPD and supervision to meet required standards.
• Act as a Clinical Coach; support planning of student tutorials and training as needed.
• Discern staff motivation, team working, learning styles and methods of assessing employee performance.
• Assist the Head Nurse in regular performance reviews and update training documents or competency checklists.
• Promote the practice and group policies; effectively manage any performance issues.

Benefits

• 6.6 weeks annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays); increasing allowance based on length of service.
• Your birthday is a paid day off.
• Private medical insurance.
• Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 confidential helpline.
• Enhanced family‑friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and surrogacy pay.
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing.

Professional development:

• £550 CPD allowance and 24 hours paid CPD leave pro‑rata.
• Certificate support.
• Learning and development via the IVC Evidensia Academy.
• Access to Vetlexicon online encyclopaedia.
• Research funding for all vets and nurses.
• Infection Prevention and Control Programme.
• Quality Improvement Programme.

Professional memberships:

• VDS cover.
• RCVS fees.

Colleague benefits:

• Company pension scheme with company contribution.
• Cycle to Work scheme and Green Cars Scheme to support greener commute.
• Voluntary benefits – flexible choice of benefits package.
• Discounts/cashback with hundreds of retailers.
• Discounted treatment for own pets at an IVC Evidensia practice.

Salary

£0‑£0 a year – Up to £37,000 per annum (DOE).

Additional Information

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