Key Details:

• Working Days: 4 days per week with a set day off, 1:4 weekends
• Hours: 40 hours per week across 4 days
• Duties: Deputy Head Nurse maternity cover with clinical leadership, team coordination, and coaching responsibilities

About the Role:

• The client is seeking an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse to join as Deputy Head Nurse on a fixed 12-month maternity cover contract.
• The role is primarily clinical and based on the hospital floor. The Deputy will coordinate daily nursing operations, support workflow between medical and surgical teams, and act as a point of contact for urgent queries from non-clinical teams and referrals.
• Responsibilities include conducting team meetings, assisting the Head Nurse with return-to-work meetings and absence recording, maintaining day-to-day process compliance, and communicating updates on protocols and procedure changes.
• The post holder will teach and support the nursing team’s clinical development, contribute to clinical inductions, and undertake clinical coaching, for which full training will be provided.
• Candidates will be confident leaders with strong communication and organisational skills, a medical bias, and at least 3–4 years of RVN experience. Prior senior or team-leading experience is desirable.
• The salary is up to £36,000 per annum, reflective of skills and experience, with enhanced benefits including subsidised private healthcare, income protection, and colleague discounts.
• The Deputy will be supported by the Head Veterinary Nurse and Head of Clinical Services.

About the Practice:

The practice is a busy 24-hour small animal hospital with purpose-built facilities, including in-house CT and MRI, hydrotherapy, physiotherapy, laser therapy, and rehabilitation services. It supports first opinion care alongside ECC, orthopaedics, and ophthalmology, and manages a high caseload of emergency and critical care cases, as well as a range of soft tissue and orthopaedic surgeries. Clinical areas include dedicated cat, dog, and exotic wards, outpatients and isolation units, and a dental suite with dental X-ray. The team comprises 14 vets, including surgical and medical certificate holders, supported by skilled nurses with Schedule 3 and imaging expertise, a Hydrotherapist, two Physiotherapists, and a client care team. The practice values education and team development, offers EMS placements, and is an approved training practice. It holds zero-pain practice accreditation and promotes advanced anaesthesia and pain management, including regional techniques.

Job Reference No: JN-102025-33363