Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for 9 month secondment full time post in the Dental Directorate for enthusiastic and forward-thinking leaders to join our friendly team as a Dental Matron at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. If you are passionate about patient care and wish to influence and develop Dental nursing leaders for the future, come and join us.
We seek passionate, highly motivated, and proactive individuals who enjoy working within a busy environment, alongside a large MDT supporting patients, KCL U/G & P/G students. Successful candidates will need to demonstrate evidence of Senior Dental Nursing leadership, excellent communication skills, transformation skills and a willingness to develop the service.
The successful candidate will work closely with the Head of Nursing and Deputy Head of Nursing and be instrumental in delivering on all aspects of clinical governance. You will actively participate and contribute to the ongoing development of clinical practice, research and standards of care within the directorates. You will work between both Guys site and STH site to provide operational matron cover.
Visible leadership is key in this role and the successful candidate will be someone who encompasses our Trust Values
Closing Date: 8th February 2026 at midnight
Interviews on the 17th February 2026
Main duties of the job
Through strong clinical leadership the Matron will support the Departmental Sisters/Charge Nurse to promote excellence in dental nursing care to maintain and improve clinical standards.
The post holder will ensure that all patients are treated with compassion, dignity and respect, placing value on the diversity of the local community and beyond. You will promote best practice in the prevention of infection through ensuring a clean and safe environment.
The Matron’s key responsibility is to ensure that the patient experience is of the highest quality inspiring patient and public confidence. This will be achieved through high visibility, accessibility and surveillance.
The successful candidates will also have key working relationships with other senior nursing colleagues across the integrated specialist medicine.
Working for our organisation
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust comprises five of the UK’s best known hospitals – Guy’s, St Thomas’, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, Royal Brompton and Harefield – as well as community services in Lambeth and Southwark, all with a long history of high quality care, clinical excellence, research and innovation.
We are among the UK’s busiest, most successful foundation trusts. We provide specialist care for patients including heart and lung, cancer and renal services as well as a full range of local hospital and community services for people in Lambeth and Southwark.
We have a long tradition of clinical and scientific achievement and – as part of King’s Health Partners – we are one of England’s eight academic health sciences centres, bringing together world-class clinical services, teaching and research. We have one of the National Institute for Health Research’s biomedical research centres, established with King’s College London in 2007, as well as dedicated clinical research facilities.
We have around 22,700 staff, making us one of the largest NHS Trusts in the country and one of the biggest employers locally. We aim to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and continue to develop new and existing partnerships with local people, patients, neighbouring NHS organisations, local authorities and charitable bodies and GPs
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Risk & clinical governance -
1. Ensure patients are cared for in a clean and safe environment taking remedial action if standards are not maintained.
2. Share best practice and drive improvements in patient care through the Clinical Indicator meeting and Matrons’ Forum
3. In conjunction with the Head of Nursing, the Matron will be responsible for monitoring and maintaining excellent clinical standards within clinical teams.
Professional leadership and staff management:
4. Be a visible leader who is accessible to patients, visitors and staff.
5. Develop Ward/Departmental Sister/Charge Nurse in leadership andmanagement
6. Departmental & staff organisation:
7. Work in collaboration with the clinical teams on a daily basis. Monitor and action decisions in relation to clinical areas ensuring an appropriate nursing skill mix in relation to activity and acuity. Manage and report any risk issues to the Head of Nursing in a timely manner.
8. Strategy and service improvement:
9. Collaborate with the Directorate Team in developing the Clinical Directorate service and business strategy
10. Financial management
11. Manage nursing resources on a day to day basis with particular attention to Bank and Agency expenditure.
12. Report monthly positions to the Head of Nursing.
13. R&D, education and training:
14. Support the development and implementation of education and training programs within area of responsibility for nurses and midwives.
15. Professional standards and patient experience
16. Promotion of a nurturing environment for patients, relatives, visitors and staff through monitoring, measuring and actioning and evaluating.
17. Daily ward rounds and monitoring observations of care.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
18. Recognised Dental Nursing certificate
19. Broad clinical experience relevant to the post
20. General Dental council Registration
Desirable criteria
21. A Masters level qualification in nursing or a post graduate qualification
Experience
Essential criteria
22. Demonstrable previous success in leading and delivering change and performance with and through clinical teams
23. A strong sense of personal and team accountability coupled with a clear understanding of the boundaries around delegated authority;
Skills & Knowledge
Essential criteria
24. A commitment to improving patient services through an ability to sustain a clear performance focus on achieving demanding goals
25. Well -developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams, and have them understand the Trust’s and your performance expectations;
26. Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with good listening skills
27. High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude
28. Strong sense of commitment to openness, honesty and integrity in undertaking the role.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitable according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or study’s at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership.