Head RVN – Wards & Clinical Team Leader

About the Role

Swift Referrals is seeking an experienced Registered Veterinary Nurse to lead and manage the dedicated Wards team across day and night shifts. As the Clinical Team Leader, you’ll oversee a team of RVNs and ACAs, ensuring gold-standard patient care while driving continuous improvement across the wards and OOH services. This full-time position includes some OOH cover to maintain team continuity, balanced with additional time off between shifts and occasional weekend work on a rota basis—the practice is open to flexible discussions with the right candidate.

You’ll work in a purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility opened in 2019, managing separate dog and cat wards plus a dedicated ECC centre with a large ICU. The hospital houses a 1.5T Siemens MRI, 128-slice GE CT scanner, doppler ultrasound, endoscopy, arthroscopy suites, and specialist operating theatres. Day-to-day, you’ll collaborate closely with clinicians across orthopaedics, neurology, internal medicine, and soft tissue surgery, supporting both referral cases and emergency first-opinion patients from Swift Emergencies.

You’ll be part of a supportive nursing structure: you’ll work alongside fellow RVN Team Leaders in Medicine & Surgery, with a Senior Wards Nurse assisting with workflow and daily leadership. This role offers genuine team leadership in a hospital environment that invests in its people and creates space for you to develop others.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and mentor a dedicated team of RVNs and ACAs across the Wards and OOH teams
• Oversee workflow and ensure all procedures are completed promptly and in line with company SOPs
• Provide clinical nursing care including post-operative management (soft tissue and orthopaedics), complex medical cases (oncology), ECC/intensive care, and placement/maintenance of central catheters, PICC lines, and arterial lines
• Support team development and training, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement
• Proactively manage staffing levels to meet service demand across day, night, and OOH rotas
• Collaborate with clinicians from all disciplines to deliver individualised patient care
• Lead by example, inspiring the best from your team while maintaining compassionate, professional relationships across the hospital

Requirements

• Registered Veterinary Nurse (RVN) with established ECC and leadership experience
• Preferably experience in a hospital or OOH environment
• Strong organisational and problem-solving skills to manage complex workloads efficiently
• Compassionate, approachable leadership style with excellent verbal and written communication
• Commitment to delivering the highest standard of patient and client care aligned with IVC Evidensia values
• Strong interest in inpatient care and ECC; further qualifications in this setting advantageous
• Ability to work some OOH shifts and occasional weekends on a rota basis

Benefits

• Salary: Up to £40,000 depending on experience
• Leave: 6.6 weeks annual leave plus additional leave for your birthday, with increasing holiday allowance based on length of service
• Relocation: Relocation allowance available
• Wellbeing: Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption/shared parental and surrogacy pay; Private Medical Insurance; Cycle to Work scheme; discounted gym membership; non-accidental injury case support
• Professional Development: £550 CPD allowance with 3 days paid pro rata; support for Certificate, Diploma, and VTS; access to the IVC Evidensia Academy; Vetlexicon online encyclopaedia; research funding available; Infection Prevention & Control and Quality Improvement Programmes
• Professional Memberships: VDS cover and RCVS fees covered
• Additional Benefits: Pawsome Benefits (reward gateway with discounts and cashback at 100s of retailers); Pension (5% employee/3% employer); discounted staff pet care

About the Practice

Swift Referrals is a multidisciplinary referral hospital established in 2019 and part of IVC Evidensia. Located in Wetherby, West Yorkshire, it’s a purpose-built facility designed to industry-leading standards, housing advanced diagnostic and surgical capabilities under one roof. The practice specialises in orthopaedics, neurology, internal medicine, and soft tissue surgery, with dedicated teams collaborating to deliver complex, outcome-driven veterinary care.

The hospital comprises separate dog and cat wards, a dedicated ECC and OOH centre with a large ICU, and specialist treatment and aftercare rooms. The wider team includes experienced clinicians across multiple disciplines, supported by a nursing structure designed to encourage professional development and continuous improvement. IVC Evidensia’s investment in people, premises, and processes means you’ll work in a supportive environment that values your expertise and wellbeing.