Hospital Operations & CQC Registered Manager
North Bristol Private Hospital | Bristol | £45,000–£50,000 per year
Location: 150 Aztec West, Bristol, BS32 4UB
Hours: Full-time, 40 hours per week; primarily on site
Reports to: Medical Director / Owner
Regulatory status: CQC Registered Manager, subject to appointment and registration
This is a condensed JD for LinkedIN. A full version will be provided to shortlisted applicants.
About the opportunity
North Bristol Private Hospital is a small, independently owned surgical hospital with one operating theatre, consultation and treatment rooms, and three en-suite overnight rooms. We focus on personalised care, excellent outcomes and a high-quality patient experience rather than high patient volumes.
Rated Good overall and across all five domains in our first CQC assessment, we are entering a period of planned, sustainable growth. We are seeking a capable, hands-on manager who can protect our quality-led culture, keep the hospital inspection-ready and ensure our systems, people and processes remain robust as activity increases.
This is a practical leadership role with genuine independence and ownership. It suits someone comfortable moving between regulatory compliance, governance, people management, patient experience, facilities, finance and day-to-day operational problem-solving.
The role
You will lead the hospital’s day-to-day non-clinical operations and fulfil the statutory and operational responsibilities of the CQC Registered Manager. You will be visible, organised and accountable, taking ownership of issues through to verified resolution.
Key responsibilities
- Act as CQC Registered Manager, maintain fitness for registration and oversee compliance with the Statement of Purpose, registration conditions, regulated activities and Fundamental Standards.
- Maintain continuous regulatory and inspection readiness, ensuring evidence is current, accessible and reflected in everyday practice.
- Lead governance meetings, audits, risk controls, incidents, complaints, safeguarding, Duty of Candour and improvement plans through to completion.
- Run effective day-to-day hospital operations, including administration, patient-facing processes, facilities, supplies, contractors and support services.
- Coordinate operational requirements around surgical lists, clinics and patient pathways so that staffing interfaces, rooms, equipment and support services are ready.
- Lead and support staff, setting clear expectations and addressing conduct, capability, attendance or performance concerns promptly and fairly.
- Maintain robust recruitment, onboarding, training, competency, appraisal, personnel-record and safe-staffing systems.
- Coordinate consultant onboarding and practising privileges, ensuring no clinical activity starts before all approvals are complete.
- Oversee premises safety, health and safety, infection control, COSHH, fire, water safety, medical gases, equipment servicing, emergency planning and business continuity.
- Monitor patient experience and ensure complaints, concerns and service failures are investigated openly, resolved promptly and used to improve services.
- Monitor budgets, expenditure, contracts, activity, utilisation, cancellations, income, costs, margins and capacity, taking timely corrective action.
- Produce clear weekly and monthly reports and escalate significant risks, failures or barriers without delay.
- Participate in the one-week-in-four out-of-hours emergency-phone rota.
- You will work closely with the Medical Director, Theatre Manager, Business Development & Growth Manager, Medical Advisory Committee, consultants and the wider multidisciplinary team. The Theatre Manager reports operationally to this role while retaining professional responsibility for theatre and perioperative clinical delivery.
About you - Essential experience and knowledge
- Substantial management experience in a CQC-regulated healthcare service of relevant scope and complexity.
- Current or previous experience as a CQC Registered Manager, or senior regulated-service management experience demonstrating readiness to undertake the role.
- Strong working knowledge of CQC regulation, Fundamental Standards, governance, risk, incidents, complaints, safeguarding and quality assurance.
- Evidence of maintaining or improving regulatory compliance and continuous inspection readiness.
- Experience leading staff, managing performance and ensuring agreed actions are completed.
- Experience maintaining effective audits, action plans, policies, risk registers, workforce records and governance evidence.
- Experience managing operational and financial performance, resources, capacity and service improvement.
- Sound understanding of the boundaries between managerial, regulatory and clinical accountability.
- Your background could include nursing, dentistry, primary care, independent healthcare, hospital services or another relevant CQC-regulated setting. You do not need to come from an acute hospital.
Skills and behaviours
- Highly organised, practical and able to manage competing priorities.
- Strong personal ownership, sound judgement and reliable follow-through.
- Confident making proportionate decisions and escalating appropriately.
- Able to challenge unsafe practice, weak performance and missed deadlines constructively and consistently.
- Calm, credible and professional with staff, consultants, patients, regulators and external partners.
- Strong written communication, reporting and record-keeping skills.
- Comfortable working hands-on and independently in a small organisation.
- Committed to person-centred care, equality, safeguarding, confidentiality and a positive safety culture.
Desirable
- Experience in independent healthcare, private surgery, day-case, elective or cosmetic surgery.
- A relevant clinical, healthcare, leadership, business or governance qualification.
- Experience of practising privileges, consultant governance, healthcare facilities, emergency planning or business continuity.
- Knowledge of independent-sector commercial, insurer or commissioner arrangements.
What we offer
Salary of £45,000–£50,000 according to experience and expertise, plus a non-contractual hospital-performance bonus scheme. After 18 months’ continuous service, choose either private medical insurance or an increased employer pension contribution of 5% instead of the standard 3%, subject to scheme terms.
Working arrangements
This is a full-time role of 40 hours per week and is primarily based on site at North Bristol Private Hospital. Reasonable flexibility may be agreed where appropriate, but the Registered Manager must maintain sufficient presence and visibility to exercise effective oversight. On-call payment is included in the annual salary; time worked while on call will be recorded and the rota managed in accordance with applicable working-time and rest requirements.
Application process
The selection process is expected to include an initial telephone interview, an in-person interview with key personnel and a short presentation for shortlisted candidates.
Applicants will be assessed consistently against objective, role-related criteria. Reasonable adjustments will be made throughout recruitment where required.
Equality and safeguarding
North Bristol Private Hospital is committed to fair treatment and does not tolerate unlawful discrimination, harassment or victimisation. The successful candidate must support equality, dignity, confidentiality, safeguarding and fair people-management processes.
Interested?
Apply with your CV and a brief supporting statement explaining how your experience meets the essential requirements of the role.
