Clinical Nurse Manager, Surgical Hub, University Hospital

Details of Service

Cork University Hospital (CUH) has approximately 800 beds and this will increase further to 1,000 beds on completion of the transfer of additional services to the CUH campus. CUH currently employs approximately 4,571 (WTE) staff of multiple professions and is the primary teaching hospital for the Faculty of Health and Science in University College Cork (UCC). UCC is the Academic partner of the South/South West Hospital Group. CUH has very strong relationships with each of the six schools within the Science Faculty of UCC and this is a key area for future development to maximise the opportunities for both the service and academia.

CUH is a recommended Major Trauma Centre for the Republic of Ireland due to the wide range of specialties delivered by the hospital – including Neurosciences, Cardiac Services, Orthopaedics, General Surgery, Renal, Internal Medicine, Vascular, Ophthalmology, Urology, Plastic Surgery, Maxillary-Facial, Paediatrics, Intensive Care, Oncology, Haematology, Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Neonatology and Emergency Medicine.

CUH is the tertiary referral centre for the HSE Southern area, and the supra regional area of Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford and Kilkenny. CUH therefore acts as a regional centre for secondary and tertiary care for the catchment population of approx. 550,000 served by the HSE Southern area and a supra-regional centre for a total a population of 1.2 million.

Six Health Regions have been established within the HSE, on the basis of the geographical boundaries agreed by the Government in July 2019 and they will be operational from 2024.

Each Health Region will be tasked with population specific planning resourcing and delivery of health and social care services for the needs of its unique population. This will result in improved accountability and governance in terms of finance and performance, while also bringing decision-making closer to the frontline.

Health Regions will enable and empower staff to provide services that are:

• Integrated, locally planned and delivered

• Easier to access and navigate

• Available closer to home

Health Regions are geographically-based units with clearly defined populations. They align community and hospital services within specific areas. The HSE will retain a strong but leaner central organisation, with more service provision developed at a local level.

The HSE South West health region will manage and deliver all public health and social care services in Cork and Kerry. HSE South West includes all hospital and community healthcare services in the region.

This includes:

• South / South West Hospital Group S/SWHG

• Cork Kerry Community Healthcare CKCH

• Midlands Louth Meath Community Health Organisation

• Community Healthcare Organisation Dublin North City and County

The Department of Population and Public Health is also now aligned with this health region

Services in the South West health region:

HSE Services working within this region include:

• Acute Hospitals

• Primary care services

• Community services

• Social care services

• Health and social care professionals

• Voluntary sector services

South / South West Hospital Group and Cork Kerry Community Healthcare will become part of HSE South West health region from 3rd March 2025.

Surgical Hub CUH

The Surgical Hub at Cork University Hospital (CUH) will be a dedicated facility designed to enhance day-case surgery and ambulatory capacity, addressing public waiting lists in advance of the development of regional elective hospitals. It will be located on the CUH campus, a Model 4 hospital, and will operate under the governance of CUH’s surgical/perioperative directorate.

The construction of the Surgical Hub is progressing at pace and is on target to have construction completed by Q1 2026, with operations commencing by Q3 2026. Initially, two theatres will be operational, with an additional two shell and core theatres expected to become operational at a later date.

As a regional resource, the Surgical Hub will provide access to patients across Cork and Kerry requiring day-case procedures. The facility aims to reduce elective surgery waiting times to less than twelve (12) weeks, aligning with the Sláintecare initiative. It will operate from 8am to 8pm, six days a week, for 50 weeks per annum. The maximum length of stay for patients will be 12 hours.

The Surgical Hub will be a standalone Day Surgery Unit accessible to surgeons from across the region. It will cater to patients who have been pre-selected and pre-assessed for planned elective procedures and can be discharged home on the same day. The hub will manage cases that are relatively low acuity and high-volume in nature, aiming to address waiting lists. It will provide services for patients with an ASA score of I (healthy patient) or II (mild systemic disease).

A key aspect of the Clinical Nurse Manager (CNM3) role will be managing the entire surgical hub, from preadmission assessment to discharge, ensuring seamless patient care and operational efficiency.

The primary purpose of the Surgical Hub will be to improve access to care with streamlined pathways and increase capacity to address waiting list pressures, aligned with best practice frameworks. The hub will be an integral part of the National Elective Care Programme, focusing on reforming existing systems and practices by applying LEAN principles and achieving operational excellence.

Governance from CUH will include oversight of nursing, surgical, anaesthesiology, administrative, portering, and housekeeping staff. Support services such as CSSD/Decontamination will be provided and managed by CUH, ensuring compliance with quality management system requirements.

Efficient scheduling strategies will be critical to theatre operations, with the goal of achieving 85% utilisation of day-case and minor operating theatres and 90% utilisation of outpatient consultation rooms. The Surgical Hub will support the achievement of backlog clearance and reduce waiting times, progressing towards the Sláintecare targets of less than 12 weeks wait for a day-case procedure.

Purpose of the Post

To provide professional / clinical leadership in the designated areas of responsibility. To oversee the management of resources including staffing and staff development. To facilitate communication across the healthcare teams.

The post holder will work within a strong clinical and management structure providing excellence in care, education and encouragement to maximise staff potential, development and success. The post holder will be expected to share the values that are important to the department – trust, excellency, being kind, responsible and respectful and behave in a way that ensures the best outcomes for patients.

The post holder is pivotal to the coordination and management of all nursing services within the Surgical Hub. The role provides professional and clinical leadership, overseeing staffing and resource management to ensure high-quality patient care and productivity. The post holder facilitates communication across healthcare teams and plays a key role in implementing efficient scheduling strategies to optimise resources and meet Slaintecare targets and agreed KPIs as set out in the National Clinical Care Programmes.

Informal Enquiries

We welcome enquiries about the role.

Contact Noreen O’Leary– Assistant Director of Nursing, Noreen.oleary@hse.ie 086 7872340- for further information about the role

Contact Ann-Marie O’Keeffe- People Resourcing, Annmarie.okeeffe2@hse.ie – for enquiries relating to the recruitment process