Education and Quality Lead

Working Full time: 37.5 hours per week

As Education and Quality lead for theatres you will work alongside the Theatre Matron and the Theatre Speciality Managers. You will be responsible for overseeing educational development within theatres as well as facilitating quality improvements relating to all aspects of the quality strategy.

You will also be involved in the daily running of the Operating Theatre Department in the Manager of the Day or Coordinator role ensuring productivity, efficiency and effective use of the theatre environment.

The ideal candidate will start in April 2026

To lead and operationalise the Trusts rolling programme of compliance monitoring to ensure progress is in a timely and effective manner to achieve Care Quality Commission requirements, National Health Service Litigation Authority standards and the requirements of the Quality Strategy as a whole. Ensuring outcomes feed into future programmes of work and facilitate the development of action plans for improving standards of clinical care.

To deliver evidence-based training and education programmes in relation to all Quality, Risk and NHSLA issues including guidance from professional regulatory bodies at Divisional and Trust level. Escalate any gaps in assurance to the Directorate Manager for Theatres.

Maintain accurate reports / action plans relating to all aspects of Quality and risk management. Support managers to formulate reports and training needs, identifying appropriate training providers and costing.

Be responsible for maintaining health, safety and security of self and others and implement best practice throughout the theatre department.

As Manager of the Day you will attend regular meetings such as 'Daily Safety Brief' with Head of Nursing for Theatres, Hospital Matrons and other clinical Band 7s. Daily 'Look Back' meeting with Planned Care admin staff to discuss theatre utilisation.

To maintain and update the departmental Dashboard showing staff compliance with required mandatory and online training/appraisal.

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:

• The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds.
• Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility.
• Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.

The Trust employs over 5916 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 411,000. This includes 361,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.

See Job Description for further details.

Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.

Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs will be deducted from their salary over the first three months of employment.

You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.

New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.

Good luck with your application.