Head Veterinary Nurse (HVN)

Job Description

Introduction
Our Client’s hospital is a well-established 24-hour veterinary hospital located in Northwest London, supporting multiple surrounding clinics. The hospital delivers first opinion, emergency, critical care, and referral services, all within a collaborative and high-performing environment focused on clinical excellence.

Working Hours / Rota
This is a full-time role working Monday to Friday, with a 1:5 weekend rotation (with time off in lieu) and up to 2 bank holidays per year. You will also be part of a manager on-call rota for weekends and bank holidays, although no on-site attendance is required when on call.

Role Description
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse to step into a Deputy Head Nurse position within a fast-paced hospital environment.

You will play a key role in the daily coordination of the nursing team, including allocating duties and breaks, ensuring high standards of patient care, and maintaining smooth hospital operations. Responsibilities include overseeing hospitalised cases, coordinating patient flow including admissions and discharges, and ensuring all clinical areas such as prep, theatres, and imaging suites are maintained to the highest standards.

You will work closely with the Head Nurse to ensure appropriate staffing levels and support across all areas, as well as liaising with referring practices to coordinate emergency and routine referrals. The role also involves mentoring and supervising student nurses and care assistants, ensuring high standards of training and development.

Additionally, you will ensure all equipment is maintained and functioning correctly, reporting any issues promptly, and contributing to the continuous improvement of clinical standards across the hospital.

Team Size
You will be part of a large, highly experienced clinical team, supported by a dedicated front-of-house team, Head Nurse, Head Vet, and Hospital Manager.

Practice Details
The hospital is a state-of-the-art 24-hour facility offering advanced diagnostic and surgical services. It includes a CT scanner, ultrasound services led by a diploma holder in imaging, and a strong team performing advanced orthopaedic, soft tissue, and minimally invasive procedures. The hospital provides a wide range of services including emergency, critical care, and referrals, ensuring exposure to a varied and complex caseload.

Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be an experienced RVN with strong leadership skills and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced hospital environment. You will have a passion for delivering the highest standards of patient care and experience across all areas of hospital nursing.

You will demonstrate excellent organisational and communication skills, alongside the ability to support and develop a team. Experience in supervising or mentoring junior staff is highly desirable, along with a proactive and collaborative approach.

A calm and confident attitude, with the ability to manage multiple responsibilities effectively, will be essential for success in this role.

This is just some of the information about the job and company, but there will be more questions. Tempus Veterinary Recruitment is happy to get those questions answered for you during the recruiting process. Tempus Veterinary Recruitment is here to make the recruiting process simple and stress free.

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