Go back Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Director of Nursing/Deputy Chief Nurse
The closing date is 06 April 2026
We are seeking an outstanding Director of Nursing/Deputy Chief Nurse to join our leadership team, working closely with the Executive Chief Nurse, Philip Bolton, to shape and deliver our nursing and quality agenda.
This is a high-profile leadership role with responsibility for supporting the delivery of consistently high-quality, compassionate care and providing strategic advice to the Trust Board on quality, safety, and patient experience.
Working in partnership with the Executive Team and divisional leaders, you will play a key role in driving performance and continuous improvement across the organisation.
We offer a rewarding and influential opportunity within a modern, well-resourced Trust, based in a state-of-the-art environment and supported by highly committed, compassionate colleagues.
With patients at the heart of everything we do, this role provides the chance to make a meaningful impact at scale -- influencing strategic direction, strengthening our culture of learning, and ensuring we continue to improve how we listen to, learn from, and care for our community.
Main duties of the job
As a highly experienced and credible senior nurse, the post holder will deputise for the Chief Nurse across the full range of executive duties, with particular focus in offering specialist advice and support to the divisional teams and other directors. The post holder will be responsible for leading the implementation of national and Trust nursing and midwifery policies to ensure the delivery of safe high quality care.
* To work with the Chief Nurse to support the development, implementation and maintenance of trust wide professional nursing/midwifery policy and practice to deliver a high standard of patient care and experience at SFHFT.
* To provide professional leadership and direct line management to the Divisional Nursing teams (6 Heads of Nursing)
* To provide professional leadership and direct line management to the Lead Cancer Nurse, End of life lead nurse and Trusts Head of research.
* To provide corporate leadership to the Safeguarding teams as designated by the Chief Nurse. (including falls, Dementia Learning Disabilities)
* To ensure nursing and midwifery have excellent standards in relation to the patient experience; ensuring patients are safe, have the highest quality of care and are treated with dignity and respect.
* To support the Chief Nurse in the delivery of the Trust's Quality, Patient Experience, Nursing and other relevant strategies
About us
We are an award-winning NHS Foundation Trust working alongside health and social care colleagues across the county to provide acute and community healthcare services to more than 420,000 people across Mansfield, Ashfield, Newark and Sherwood, and parts of Derbyshire and Lincolnshire.
We put the patient at the heart of everything that we do and it is our aim to make sure that every patient is treated as we would want a member of our own family to be treated. At the same time, we expect our staff to be caring, kind and courteous to each other and to look out for each other. We believe that we are truly a clinically-led organisation.
We are proud that our Trust colleagues have voted us the best acute Trust to work for in the East Midlands for seven years running in the National NHS Staff Survey, while the Care Quality Commission has rated our Trust as 'outstanding' for care and our King's Mill Hospital as the only 'outstanding' NHS-run hospital in the East Midlands.
Not all of our roles are eligible for visa sponsorship. To find out which roles are eligible, please refer to the shortage occupation list found here:
Skilled Worker visa: eligible healthcare and education jobs - GOV.UK
Home Office guidance has changed as of 9th April. Anyone that requires switching visa type may not be eligible for sponsorship even if the role is on the shortage occupation list.
Job responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail, please refer to the attached job description and person specification.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Registered Nurse
* First Degree (Health related subject) or equivalent experience and learning
* Evidence of continuing professional development
* Master's Degree level working or equivalent
Experience
* Significant managerial experience at a senior level in the NHS including 3 years at 8c or above
* Evidence of leading organisational change
* Proven track record in leadership and change management
* Experience of Leading Safeguarding team at senior level
* Gold on call experience
* Previous experience at Board level in an NHS Foundation Trust
* Deputy Chief Nurse/Deputy exec level working
* Experience of working with the Care Quality Commission and the National Health Service Litigation Authority
* Complaints Management
Knowledge Requirements
* In-depth knowledge of current issues in nursing and midwifery
* Aware of developments in nursing policy and practice at national level
* Able to describe how the above fit into current key issues in the NHS
* Understanding of the complex dynamics of a multi-professional environment
* Involvement in initiatives at national and/or regional level
* Experience in education and professional development
* Familiar with National Service Frameworks and current clinical national strategies e.g. stroke, dementia, and end-of-life care
* Conversant with the mandatory requirements for adult and children's safeguarding and the Mental Health and Mental Capacity Acts
Further Training
* Evidence of completion of mandatory statutory and mandatory training
* Evidence of leadership and management development at senior level
* Safeguarding training to an appropriate level for executive responsibility- adults and children
* Executive or system leadership development programme (NHS Leadership Academy or equivalent)
* Training in quality improvement methodologies (e.g. QI, Patient Safety, Human Factors
* Coaching or mentoring qualification or experience
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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