Lead Wards and ICU Registered Veterinary Nurse

OB TITLE:  Lead Wards & ICU Registered Veterinary Nurse  

REPORTING TO:  Head of Nursing Services  

START DATE: Summer/ Autumn 2026  

SALARY: £36,500-42,000 DOE  

London Vet Specialists are seeking a Registered Veterinary Nurse to join our team as a Lead Wards & ICU RVN in our multi-disciplinary referral hospital in Hammersmith. It’s an exciting opportunity to provide leadership within our wards & ICU to shape our nursing and inpatient care as we continue to expand our team. The ideal candidate will have 2 years of experience in a referral hospital, with a further certificate in Emergency & Critical Care advantageous. 

Overview  

The Lead Wards & ICU RVN will be responsible for working collaboratively with the Head of Nursing Services (HoNS), Lead RVNs, Clinical Director and Clinicians across the hospital to ensure the efficient delivery of outstanding patient care, particularly within the wards & ICU.   
  

Your work will remain primarily clinical, to include wards nursing and care for inpatients across all disciplines, introducing and upholding clinical quality standards and developing our team. You will manage basic to advanced nursing standards, to include IV catheter, fluid therapy, CRI, feeding tube, central line, urinary catheter, wound drain and trach tube maintenance & care, nutritional management and critical care nursing, alongside physiotherapy, anaesthesia recovery, medical management and patient hygiene & comfort. As a focused role, we recognise and appreciate your area of special interest & expertise and so your work will be scheduled and prioritised within the wards & ICU departments; though may be required to help in another area within the capabilities of an RVN on occasion. The induction period will involve rotating through our services to shadow our team for understanding of hospital workflow and teamwide responsibilities. 

Your leadership responsibilities will include providing line management and training to team members, conducting performance reviews and inductions, SOP development and coordination for all relevant personnel working within your team and service. You will also be instrumental in the introduction, development and maintenance of clinical standards in line with our status as a RCVS-Accredited Small Animal Hospital, in conjunction with our clinical governance policies and the work of our Clinical Director. 

You will join the LVS Nursing Leadership Team of 6 referral experienced RVNs, who are responsible for the overall direction, development and leadership of our nursing team, including RVNs, SVNs, PCAs and theatre technicians. Our Nursing Leadership Team consists of: 

Ryan, Head of Nursing Services 

Amelia, Patient Flow Coordinator 

Inge, Lead Oncology RVN 

Shannon, Lead Theatre RVN 

Helen, Lead Twilight RVN 

Amy, Lead Learning & Development RVN 
  

Key Responsibilities  

• Provision of a high and sustainable quality of patient care by you and your team, primarily within the wards & ICU services.   

• Prioritise inpatient care and the implementation of nursing care plans.   

• Ensure the comfort and safety of patients undergoing investigations, hospitalisation and surgery.  

• Take responsibility for the management of infectious cases, including educating other members of the team about infectious diseases, zoonotic diseases and barrier nursing.  

• Provide leadership within the nursing team, and line management to those working within the wards, ICU & multi-disciplinary teams, to include recruitment, performance management, hosting meetings and rota coordination.  

• Liaise with our Lead Twilight RVN on management of our wards throughout a 24-hour period, to include SOP development, protocol implementation and policy updates.  

• Ensure accurate record keeping is undertaken, especially regarding anaesthetic and hospitalisation records in SmartFlow.  

• Ensure equipment is appropriately maintained and serviced.  

• Ensure effective communication is maintained within the wards & ICU teams.   

• Work with the Lead Nurses and HoNS to help develop a skills matrix for nursing development, particularly within wards & ICU.  

• Assist with stock management within your department and co-ordinate with the pharmacy & purchasing assistant.   

• Participate in team briefings and meetings to ensure effective and efficient communication.   

• Take part in team reflections of incidents and near misses, to continually improve our patient care and safety, including Halo reporting.   

• As a cat-friendly clinic, you will support the International Society of Feline Medicine (ISFM) cat-friendly standards across the hospital.   

• As a dog-friendly clinic, you will support the Dogs Trust and British Veterinary Behaviour Association (BVBA) dog-friendly standards across the hospital.   

• Take part in a range of team committees such as our Sustainability, Culture & Wellbeing or Dog/Cat-Friendly committees, to both explore areas of personal interest and help to shape our impact, culture and standards as a hospital.  

We Offer

• 5 weeks holiday + bank holidays + Birthday Leave

• Extensive Internal CPD

• Career progression opportunities

• Staff discount schemes

• Life Assurance

• Enhanced sickness pay

• Enhanced equal family leave

• E-car salary sacrifice scheme

• Employer contribution pension scheme

• Recruitment referral reward scheme

• Wellness program including:

• Employee assistance program

• Eyecare voucher scheme

• Free annual Flu jab

• Cycle to work scheme