National Theatre Lead

Job description

Job responsibilities

ROLE SUMMARY

The National Theatre Lead plays a pivotal leadership role within a dynamic and growing organisation. This individual will support in leading key clinical strategies, supporting and enhancing clinical services across all national sites, working closely with local theatre management and perioperative teams to shape a consistently safe, high-performing and patient-focused environment.

This role also carries responsibility for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC), providing expert oversight and supporting the Director of Infection Prevention and Control to provide clinical leadership across the organisation's IPC systems, practice, and improvement efforts.

Operating across a broad landscape of services, the postholder is both a champion for clinical excellence and a partner to frontline teams, supporting them through expert advice, mentoring, and data insights. They will contribute to the clinical direction of the business, working collaboratively to advise and develop key pathways, and lead clinical reviews using research and data analytics to inform decisions.

The postholder will also act as a key contact within the support office, delivering support to colleagues around the business to deliver key projects which require clinical subject matter expertise and input. This will often include teams such as contracting, business development, procurement, and learning and development.

This is a complex and high-influence role requiring a rare combination of strategic thinking, subject matter expertise, data informed insight, and strong leadership. The role involves system wide improvement and policy development, therefore clinical leadership and direct engagement with clinical teams and our partners will be a core part of the role.

Through skilled partnership working, credible clinical support and a compassionate approach, the postholder will build confidence, strengthen capability and drive meaningful, sustainable improvements in patient care. The successful candidate must demonstrate flexibility and the ability to effectively adapt to the evolving dynamics within the organisation, while also providing leadership to others in navigating these complexities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

National Clinical Leadership & Influence

• Act as a national leader, mentor and resource to local Theatre Leads and their teams, supporting them to develop their teams to enhance quality, and maintain compliance within their services.

• Contribute expert clinical insight, supporting colleagues across operational and governance roles to make informed, patient-centred decisions.

• Support the design and evolution of clinical models and theatre pathways, bringing in national policy, emerging research, and local feedback to co-create better ways of working.

• Shape and support the clinical infrastructure for service expansion or new clinical models, providing expertise on theatre design, IPC, workforce, and risk.

• Serve as a respected, accessible source of clinical support to theatre teams, offering guidance on best practice, coaching on complex issues, and celebrating local innovations and success.

• Represent the voice of theatre services in organisational committees where required, ensuring perioperative care remains a core pillar of the organisation's wider clinical strategy.

• Promote structured communication tools such as the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist and champion a culture of safety, civility and teamwork within the surgical environment.

• Develop and implement national standards and protocols for safe surgical practice, incorporating learning from national data, local incidents, and external reports (e.g. GIRFT, NHSE).

• Support Newmedicas growth strategy by actively shaping new clinical pathways and new clinical procedures, aligned to thorough evidence-based practice and focusing on clinical quality, patient experience and efficiency.

• Support in the development and review of key quality and performance indicators.

• Support with Mock CQC Inspections and Quality Assurance visits where required, ensuring a robust handover of identified good practice and improvements using trusted and supportive advice.

Leading Quality Improvement

• Design and lead quality improvement initiatives in relation to portfolio, tackling areas focused on improving patient experience and outcomes.

• Ensure the efficient and effective delivery of projects, leveraging strong project management skills.

• Use collaborative approaches to help sites identify opportunities for improvement, test change ideas, and build sustainable, locally owned solutions.

• Use audit results, clinical incidents, performance data, and benchmarking to identify risk and opportunity, then support site teams in developing and delivering local improvement plans.

• Lead and support on PSIIs where clinical expertise and support is required.

• Secure stakeholder buy-in to support successful quality improvement and project implementation. Foster collaboration and maintain transparent communication to align initiatives with organisational goals.

Infection Prevention & Control

• Provide national leadership on IPC matters, working in close partnership with local IPC Leads and clinical teams to strengthen practice and reduce avoidable risk.

• Support the delivery of the IPC strategy alongside the Theatre Advisors and Head of Clinical Quality and Patient Safety, ensuring it is both evidence-based and meaningful at service level.

• Guide sites in the interpretation and application of national IPC guidance (e.g. from NHS, NICE), supporting proportionate and thoughtful implementation.

• Provide clinical expertise during incident reviews, or IPC audits, supporting measured responses and shared learning.

• Shape and oversee IPC audit programmes and decontamination processes, ensuring they are both effective and supportive to teams.

• Support new activations with ICB inspections.

Supporting Quality Clinical Outcomes

• Lead complex national review projects, bringing structure, research, and systems thinking to issues such as adverse trend analysis, compliance gaps, or variation in surgical outcomes.

• Draw upon clinical evidence, audit data, literature, and national reports (e.g. GIRFT, NHS publications) to support teams in evaluating and evolving their practice.

• Provide analytical insight to underpin strategy, project delivery, and learning, translating data into practical, human-focused recommendations for teams.

• Collaborate with partners and governance teams to refine incident analysis, thematic reviews, and action plans, embedding a culture of transparency and curiosity.

• Lead national review projects that will require in depth analysis, drawing on evidence based practice and research to inform improvements, often for challenging and complex topics such as endophthalmitis.

Working in Partnership

• Actively build and maintain collaborative relationships across clinical, operational, and support teams.

• Work alongside support office colleagues to co-design solutions, resolve complex issues, and support joined-up care.

• Take an active approach in team meetings, building strong relationships with our team members and collaborating in a way that fosters integrated working.

• Work closely with the operational team and ePR team in the development and upgrade of OpenEyes, ensuring clinical quality and governance is integrated into our decisions.

• Foster a strong sense of clinical identity and shared standards among Theatre Leads, clinical partners and site-based teams, while recognising local diversity and autonomy.

• Foster partnerships by actively collaborating with key external partners, including major suppliers like Alcon, to build robust support networks. Leverage these relationships to enhance and refine our operational practices.

Assurance Support

• Co-create audit tools and methodologies in partnership with Theatre Leads and clinical governance colleagues, ensuring they reflect both national standards and service-specific priorities.

• Review audit outcomes alongside site teams, providing guidance and coaching on action planning, communication, and meaningful reflection.

• Contribute to internal assurance reporting and clinical narratives by synthesising local intelligence into strategic understanding, presenting this to our key stakeholders during clinical governance committees where required.

Building Theatre Leadership Capability

• Line-manage two direct reports (theatre advisors), supporting their development and effectiveness in delivering hands-on support across the national network.

• Chair the Theatre Practitioner Network to offer mentorship, case-based learning, and coaching to local Theatre Leads, nurturing a confident, empowered, and collaborative theatre leadership community.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience within the theatre environment, including clinical management.
• Actively practice in an extended scope within ophthalmology, bringing specialised expertise such as intravitreal injecting and medical retina.
• Proven experience in managing teams, including direct reports, with a focus on development and performance improvement.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver projects efficiently and effectively, with strong project management skills.
• Experience in clinical governance, including the development and implementation of policies, protocols and audit tools.
• Experience in engaging and securing buy-in from stakeholders to support quality improvement and project implementation.
• Experience in mentoring and coaching healthcare professionals, particularly in a theatre setting.
• In-depth knowledge of national healthcare standards and service-specific priorities.
• Proficiency in data analysis to identify areas for improvement and inform decision-making.
• Strong understanding of evidence-based practices and research methodologies.
• Knowledge of quality improvement processes and techniques.
• Clinical expertise in areas relevant to theatre and clinic operations across all ophthalmic sub-specialities.

Skills and Personal Attributes

Essential

• Ability to inspire staff with authentic and credible leadership qualities.
• Able to lead and motivate others with strong influence and negotiation skills.
• Can make and implement complex decisions in a time of competing priorities and needs.
• Has well developed project management skills and ability to deliver results.
• Able to see bigger picture when leading and developing strategy.
• Has strong influencing, negotiating, motivational and facilitation skills.
• Has strong analytical and interpretation skills.
• Ability to work in partnership.
• Needs to be able to travel across sites nationally on a weekly basis.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered professional with HCPC or NMC registration

Desirable

• MSc qualification in relevant subject

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

New Medical Systems Ltd

Address

Newmedica

Cirrus East, NG2 Business Park

Nottingham

NG2 1EP

Employer's website

https://www.newmedica.co.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)