Band 7, ward manager

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley. We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

Job overview

Are you looking for a new challenge? Do you want to make a difference to the lives of people with haematological malignancies? We are seeking an experienced and motivated Haematology Ward Manager to lead Elf & Libra Ward, our specialist 16-bedded haematology ward. The Department of Haematological Medicine at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is a leading centre for the treatment of leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, aplastic anaemia, MDS and sickle cell disease. Services include Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT), Haematology Outpatients, the UK Leukaemia Ambulatory Care Unit, Apheresis and an expanding CAR-T Cell Therapy Programme. You will provide strong clinical and operational leadership, ensuring safe, effective and compassionate care while leading multidisciplinary teams and driving service improvement. Join us and help shape the future of haematology care at King’s.

Advert

As the Ward Manager for Elf & Libra Ward, you will provide clinical, operational and professional leadership for a specialist haematology service comprising a 9-bedded inpatient ward and an 8-bedded extended care area. You will ensure the delivery of safe, effective and compassionate care for patients with haematological malignancies and complex blood disorders. Working closely with the multidisciplinary team, you will promote high standards of patient care, patient flow, quality, safety and clinical governance. You will act as a visible clinical leader and role model, supporting staff in the delivery of complex haematology nursing care and driving a culture of excellence, learning and continuous improvement. The role includes responsibility for workforce planning, recruitment, staff development, performance management and resource utilisation. You will lead quality improvement initiatives, manage risks and support service development, including innovative pathways such as stem cell transplantation and CAR-T cell therapy. The post holder will maintain a strong clinical presence, provide expert support to staff and patients, contribute to the strategic development of the Haematology Service and deputise for the Matron when required.

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. In June 2026, we launched our new strategy for 2026-31. Our vision is to transform healthcare, and we have agreed six strategic ambitions to help us improve care for patients, and the working lives of our staff. Our six strategic ambitions are delivering high-quality patient care; creating a great place to work; leading pioneering research, innovation and education; building strong and successful partnerships; providing timely and efficient care; and ensuring long-term financial sustainability. We have also agreed four new organisational values – Caring, Collaborative, Inclusive, Innovative – and these underpin everything we do, and how our teams interact with the patients under our care. We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people. King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Ward Manager has continuing responsibility and accountability for the delivery of high-quality nursing care, operational performance, workforce management, patient experience, clinical governance and service development within Waddington Ward and its associated extended inpatient area. The post holder will provide expert clinical leadership, ensuring that patients receiving treatment for haematological malignancies and complex blood disorders receive safe, effective and compassionate care throughout their treatment journey.

Clinical Leadership and Patient Care

Provide visible clinical leadership and maintain overall responsibility for the standards of nursing care delivered across the ward and extended inpatient area. Ensure patients receive high-quality, evidence-based care that meets professional, regulatory and Trust standards. Maintain expert knowledge of haematology, stem cell transplantation, cellular therapies and supportive care to guide clinical decision-making and service delivery. Demonstrate advanced patient assessment, clinical judgement and problem-solving skills in the management of complex and acutely unwell haematology patients. Ensure effective admission, transfer and discharge processes are in place, promoting patient flow and the timely delivery of treatment. Lead the management of clinical deterioration, infection prevention, medicines safety and patient safety initiatives within the ward environment. Maintain close working relationships with medical staff, Clinical Nurse Specialists, allied health professionals, pharmacy, apheresis, stem cell laboratory and other specialist services to ensure coordinated care. Act as a professional role model, promoting excellence in nursing practice and patient-centred care.

Operational Management

Manage the day-to-day operational delivery of services across the ward and associated inpatient area. Ensure appropriate staffing levels and skill mix are maintained to meet patient dependency and service demands. Oversee patient flow, bed utilisation and capacity management to optimise access to specialist haematology services. Monitor and manage ward performance indicators including length of stay, patient outcomes, complaints, incidents and quality metrics. Work closely with the Matrons, Lead Nurse and multidisciplinary teams to support service objectives and operational priorities. Participate in business planning, service redesign and implementation of new pathways of care.

IMPORTANT

Check your email account regularly as this is how we will communicate with you. If you delete the job from any of your accounts, you may be prevented from accessing further communications. To enquire about your application or inform us of any changes in your circumstances, please contact the named person on this advert. Please provide email addresses for referees where possible. Click here to see the range of benefits we offer. Please review the documentation on our recruitment microsite, particularly the Trust’s criminal records checking policy. All staff have a responsibility for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and for ensuring they are aware of the specific duties relating to their role. Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. On occasion, we might close a vacancy early due to a high number of applications being received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment. AI tools like chatbots and virtual assistants can support you as you complete your application. For example, they can check for spelling or grammar errors, or help you to decide what to include. They shouldn’t however replace your own responses or be used to write the application for you. Relying too much on AI can negatively impact your chances of success because automatically generated answers might not be specific or relevant enough to address the criteria in the recruitment profile, often seem generic and not personalised enough – an AI response won’t show your unique voice and perspective, and could misrepresent information about you, such as your qualifications, skills and experience. We monitor applications for any behaviour that could create an unfair advantage, and we check all references carefully. You are likely to be tested on your experience at interview, so be honest and make sure all the information in your application is correct.

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