Zoe Gibson

As National Retention Lead I am responsible for leading a coordinated, all‑Wales approach to workforce retention, ensuring that evidence‑based interventions are developed, implemented, and scaled consistently across the system. Core roles and responsibilities in this post include:

• Provision of senior national leadership for the National Retention Programme and retention improvement and innovation, setting strategic direction and assuring delivery of a coordinated, system‑wide approach to workforce retention across NHS Wales.
• Leads and influences the design, implementation, and scale of evidence-based retention strategies, translating national workforce priorities into measurable improvement through partnership with the Welsh Government, Trade Unions, Senior Leaders across NHS Wales, Local Retention Leads and the wider NHS Wales workforce.
• Delivery of the All Wales Nurse Retention Plan
• Provision of strategic oversight of retention improvement across Wales
• Working collectively and in partnership with Retention leads and organsiations across NHS Wales to improve and spread and scale improvement through the development and delivery of data driven improvement approaches.
• Establishment, leadership and sustainment of a high‑impact National Community of Practice to drive consistency, shared learning, and collective accountability for retention outcomes.
• Champion compassionate, inclusive leadership, workforce experience and cultural development as core system lever, with particular focus upon enablement of workforce flexibility, wellbeing, career development and support, and late‑career and legacy support.
• Responsibility for national retention intelligence, performance metrics, and programme evaluation, providing assurance of impact, value, and sustainability and informing future workforce investment and policy decisions.

A senior nurse leadership role responsible for ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, and continually improving services within Velindre University Trust. Core aspects of the role included:

• Strategic Leadership: Leading the development and implementation of an effective Quality Management System
• Patient and Donor Safety, Incident and Concerns Management: Development, implementation and oversight of systems and processes for reporting, investigating and learning from patient safety incidents and concerns.
• Quality Management Systems: Development, implementation and oversight of QMS systems and processes to ensure services reliably meet the needs of the population served.
• Regulatory Compliance: Development and implementation of systems and reporting processes that ensure compliance with statutory responsibilites.
• Governance and Assurance: Provision of expert advice and assurance to the Trust Board and Executive Team to ensure quality and safety functions are in place and discharged effectively.
• Line management of the Trust Quality and Safety Team
• Development and Leadership of staff feedback systems, approaches and associated improvement interventions.

The Head of Nursing is an integral part of the Welsh Blood Service (WBS) Senior Leadership Team responsible for;

• Leadership and transformation of nursing roles across a national service to ensure the continued provision of high-quality donor care and blood, transfusion and transplantation services for the population of Wales.
• The accountable and responsible officer for the nursing profession across the WBS, who ensures all clinical, professional and regulatory Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards are met.
• Provision of strategic, visible, inclusive, and compassionate professional leadership for the entire nursing profession across the service.
• Leading the clinical quality and safety agenda across the breadth of the WBS including oversight and management of concerns and safety incidents and regulatory compliance with the Health and Social Care (Quality and Engagement) (Wales) regulations.
• Provision of specialist professional expertise for clinical service transformation / innovation, nursing workforce transformation, donor and patient safety, clinical quality and safety, donor experience, efficiency and performance.
• Implementation of the national and Trust nursing policy and strategy on behalf of the Executive Director of Nursing, AHP & Health Science.
• Provision of professional and clinical advice to the Divisional Director, Medical Director and the WBS Senior Leadership Team on issues relating to the nursing profession and the role portfolio.
• Work in partnership and collaboration with services across Wales, the Blood Health National Oversight Group, Welsh Government, and effective partnerships with the UK nations and International Blood Services, to influence and lead the quality and safety of blood, transfusion and transplantation services across Wales.

A national senior Nurse leadership role responsible for the provision of strategic leadership, expert guidance, and operational management and response to communicable disease control and environmental hazards across Wales.

• Strategic Leadership: Development and implementation of evidence-based policies and guidelines related to infection prevention, control, and health protection.
• Outbreak Management: Leads investigation, management and containment from a nursing perspective in partnership with wider health protection team and environmental health officers.
• Operational Management: Oversight and management of the all wales acute response service
• Provision of expert advice and support to external stakeholders including health and social care services and Welsh Government officials
• Surveillance: Conduct, analyse, and report on the surveillance of infections to identify risks and trends.
• Contribute to wider public health strategy: Collaborates with other agencies and professionals to deliver a cohesive public health strategy.

A specialist nursing role responsible for the provision and support of robust communicable disease control and environmental hazard surveillance, prevention and control.

Key responsibilities included:

• Management of statutory notifications of infectious diseases
• Outbreak management support and intervention
• Provision of specialist health protection and infection prevention and control advice and interventions to a range of stakeholders including members of the public, NHS organisations, Emergency Response services, Local Authority colleagues and Welsh Government.
• Development of a range of national communicable disease and infection control guidance documents

Oversight, management and leadership of the day-to-day operations of an acute respiratory ward.

Key roles and responsibilities included:

• Management and leadership of the team to ensure the provision of high-quality patient care
• Supervising, supporting, training, and development of the nursing team
• Implementing and monitoring care plans, addressing patient needs, and ensuring a safe and effective environment.
• Management of resources, scheduling staff, and ensuring smooth operational delivery.
• Participation in clinical care
• Provision of professional nursing leadership
• Participation in quality improvement initiatives
• Interdisciplinary working to deliver safe and effective care and services
• Concerns and incident management
• Financial and resource management

A senior nurse role responsible for the management, leadership and operational delivery of 8 medical wards, diagnostic services, cardiac catheterisation lab, acute medical admissions and endoscopy suite within a large district general hospital.

Key responsibilities included:

• Deputising for the head of Nursing
• Provision of visible and supportive leadership and management of ward and departmental managers and wider nursing teams across the service the nursing team
• Ensuring adherence to standards and promoting a positive work environment.
  4. Provision of mentorship and support to Nurses across the directorate to ensure competence, professional development and growtEnsuring high standards of patient care, monitoring and evaluating clinical practice, and identifying areas for improvement.
  6. Management of the nursing team, coordinating workloads, and ensuring safe staffing levels.
• Working with other healthcare professionals, including physicians and other specialists, to ensure a multidisciplinary approach to patient care.
• Ensuring that nursing practice aligns with hospital policies, procedures, and relevant healthcare regulations.
• Address and resolution of operational issues and challenges

Oversight, management and leadership of the day-to-day operations of an acute medical ward.

Key roles and responsibilities included:

• Management and leadership of the team to ensure the provision of high-quality patient care
• Supervising, supporting, training, and development of the nursing team
• Implementing and monitoring care plans, addressing patient needs, and ensuring a safe and effective environment.
• Management of resources, scheduling staff, and ensuring smooth operational delivery.
• Participation in clinical care
• Leading and motivating the team
• Ensuring a positive and supportive work environment for the staff
• Participation in quality improvement initiatives
• Interdisciplinary working to deliver safe and effective care and services

A nursing role responsible for the commissioning of a new build district general hospital from an infection control perspective and provision of infection control interventions.
Key roles included:

• Preventing and controlling infections through the provision of specialist advice
• Implementation of strategies to reduce the risk of HAIs, including hand hygiene protocols, cleaning procedures, and waste management.
• Development and delivery of IPC training to all staff groups
• Monitoring and auditing: of infection rates and outbreaks
• Assessment of the effectiveness of infection control measures
• Provision of guidance to healthcare professionals on various aspects of infection prevention and control, including the use of antimicrobial stewardship, appropriate use of invasive devices, and the implementation of transmission-based precautions.
• Infection prevention and control research, improvement and innovation.

Provision of patient care as a registered nurse working within a tertiary Infectious disease unit.