Go back Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Divisional Deputy Director of Nursing - Women's & Children's
The closing date is 28 July 2025
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic, experienced, motivated and dynamic leader to join our newly developed Women's' and Children's Division at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital NHS Trust as we strive to further enhance the outstanding 5-star patient care already provided.
The Women's and Children's Division is looking to strengthen our senior team by appointing a Divisional Deputy Director of Nursing who will be a compassionate, forward-thinking nurse that will provide professional and inspirational leadership across the service.
Please note, this recruitment process will include an assessment centre and interview. Interview date: w/c 18th August 2025
Previous applicants need not apply.
Main duties of the job
The postholder will be a key member of the senior leadership team and will work closely with all members of the clinical team, women, children and their families and key stakeholders. They will support service modernisation; workforce planning and play a vital role in the response and delivery of key national drivers and recommendations.
They will hold line management accountability and operationally lead the nursing teams in delivering care across Neonatal and Paediatric services and will support the Divisional Director of Midwifery, Divisional Medical Director and the Associate Director of Operations in achieving operational and strategic objectives whilst ensuring an effective and safe service.
The successful candidate will take a lead role within the Division for governance structures and processes ensuring that appropriate risk management is undertaken including incident review management, shared learning takes and assurance of quality are provided to the Division and Trust Board.
The Divisional Deputy Director of Nursing will provide leadership to improve services, ensure local and national targets are achieved through the delivery of the best quality patient care and experience within set financial controls and resources.
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements
* Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
* Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
* National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job responsibilities
KEY DUTIES
Lead the development of nursing practice providing expert advice and clinical leadership.
Support the Director of Midwifery in setting standards and guidelines.
Provide representation at a local and regional level and a play a key role in the integration of service provision across MWL services. This will ensure that the best possible patient experience is delivered through high quality, person centred clinical practice and service delivery, interfacing with staff to implement change.
Provide visible and up to date professional leadership.
Ensure robust systems of clinical and professional governance, practice and professional development are in place and develop accountability and assurance frameworks to secure high quality and sustainable services to patients.
Develop new and innovative models of practice.
Lead and manage complaints and legal responses.
Lead the planning and development of neonatal and paediatric services to ensure that they are best provided to meet the developing needs of the service and the population.
Significantly contribute to the divisions clinical governance agenda ensuring concerns are raised via appropriate escalation processes.
Ensure the highest standards of performance are established and that key performance indicators are achieved.
Benchmark against local, national, and international best practice to develop and deliver evidenced base practice.
Develop wide-ranging relationships with the Executive team, clinical and non-clinical staff both internal and external to the Division.
CLINICAL & PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Maintain Professional Registration and practice through CPD.
Adhere to NMC Code: professional standards of practice and behaviour for nurses, midwives and nursing associates.
Maintain personal standards of conduct and behaviour consistent with Trust and NMC guidance.
Provide expert advice on evidence-based practice in neonates and paediatrics.
Influence care to be the highest standard whilst exercising professional and personal autonomy.
Ensure learning from risk management and clinical governance, serious incidents, patient complaints, or clinical risks are reflected in changes to clinical practice.
Facilitate planning and development of services to ensure that they are best provided to meet the developing needs of the service and the population.
Champion user involvement in shaping the service through active membership of the Maternity, Neonatal Voice Partnership.
Participation in the facilitation of local resolution meetings, supporting staff through the process.
Ensure that there is a robust workforce plan for the neonatal, paediatric and gynaecology service which include plans for proactive recruitment, retention of staff and succession planning.
Ensure all staff meet and maintain their mandatory and professional training requirements.
Act as an exemplary professional role model.
To provide a visible clinical profile with regular quality ward rounds
To support a culture of continuous quality improvement, formally evaluating standards of care and leading in the implementation of changes and developments in the light of such findings.
To work closely with the Assistant Director of Governance and the Divisions Senior Management team to develop and operationalize an integrated strategy for governance, with a specific focus on all aspects of clinical and non-clinical risk management.
To ensure the Division responds to appropriate NICE Guidelines, NCEPODS etc; the submission of evidence and documentation to external bodies such as CQC is prepared and to chair meetings as appropriate.
To work closely with the divisional managers and clinical leads, taking a lead in the investigation and resolution of complaints and serious incidents.
To ensure a clear meeting structure exists for nursing and governance within the Division to promote proactive communication.
To take a lead role for the division in ensuring that systems are in place to monitor and improve compliance and continuous improvement with infection control,
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
Maintain effective systems to ensure accurate records of all incidents claims and complaints and ensure that information is triangulated to ensure lessons are learnt and cascaded.
Ensure there are systems and processes in place for responding to national guidance and recommendations from internal and external service reviews.
Ensure the policies are reviewed regularly and are up to date, reflecting best practice and national regulations.
Provide internal and external reports and returns, including the annual report, relevant information and reports for Governance meetings, Patient Experience Council, Risk Management Council, Workforce Council, Quality Committee and Trust Board.
Ensure standards of record keeping and documentation are monitored and systems for
storage of notes is in place in accordance with Caldicott Guardian and Trust policy.
LEADERSHIP
To adhere to and uphold their clinical Professional Code of Conduct at all times.
To provide clear and consistent professional leadership to all clinical and nursing staff within the division, advising, supporting, and influencing leadership and development.
To be visible, accessible, and approachable to staff, patients and the public so that open and honest communication channels are created, and effective assessments of care delivery can be undertaken.
The post holder will lead on nursing care delivery for the Division, bringing together all component parts to ensure improved patient experience, safety and clinical outcomes, target compliance and financial balance.
To provide a key interface between the Corporate Nursing and Quality Team and the Divisions reporting on issues of care and delivery, staff development, staff performance and sickness.
To work flexibly across the Division deputising for the Divisional Director of Midwifery as required and to lead projects on behalf of the Division as appropriate.
To maintain an overview of patient and public involvement work within the division and ensure the continued development of this and opportunities for service development, leading as required.
In conjunction with the Divisional Director of Midwifery ensure the continued development of clinical practice taking into account research and development within the framework of the clinical strategy.
To advise the Divisional Director of Midwifery and Divisional management team on professional standards and service developments.
To ensure the Division communicates effectively with all other departments in the Trust in a professional and productive manner at all times, providing a responsive service to the Trust.
To ensure that the Division is fully aware of the Trust Safeguarding Procedures and that strategies and plans are in place across the Division to accurately identify children and vulnerable adults with safeguarding issues.
Contribute to the strategic direction of the Division aligned with the Trusts values, objectives and principles and responding to the national policy agenda.
To work co-operatively with the senior divisional leadership team to enable the achievement of change and the improvement in performance, initiating and leading projects as required.
In conjunction with the Divisional Director of Midwifery carry out regular skill mix reviews to ensure clinical workforce planning.
To actively support the recruitment, selection, and induction of nursing staff within the Division.
To be responsible for having processes in place which facilitate staff individual performance review and a personal development plan to ensure standards and NMC Revalidation are achieved.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* Registered Paediatric children's nurse
* Educated to degree level with relevant post graduate professional qualifications or equivalent CPD
* Masters level or equivalent level of study, including study in progress or willingness to undertake
* Recognised management or leadership training and/or equivalent experience
Knowledge & Experience
* Management experience at band 8a level in an acute environment
* Proven ability to achieve targets and objectives within a pressured environment
* Proven ability of managerial, educational and professional development
* Evidence of managing complex resource issues
* Demonstrable experience of effective change management resulting in improved outcomes
* Experience of managing conflict
* Evidence of working effectively with clinicians & the MDT
* Evidence of implementation of a range of quality and clinical governance initiatives to develop practice
* Demonstrable knowledge of risk management processes and clinical governance
* Experience of patient involvement and improving patient experience
* Experience of complaints management and resolution
* Demonstrable knowledge of issues within nursing, the quality agenda and the current NHS agenda
* Experience of leading senior clinical teams and holding colleagues to account.
* Evidence of effective utilisation of large budgets.
Skills
* Ability to analyse complex information and use judgement to make difficult decisions
* Excellent verbal and written communication skills
* Skilled at working with groups of patients and users
* Proven ability to work across organisational boundaries
* Experience of gathering and analysing complex information
* Ability to use standard computer packages, including Datix, Microsoft office and able to use tools such as Excel to manipulate data for the purpose of reporting
* Demonstrable ability to compile reports from complex information and deliver presentations
* Evidence of leadership skills
* Strategic planning skills
* Understanding of research, audit and evidence based clinical practice
* Expert negotiation, influencing and conflict management skills.
Other
* Ability to work in a fast paced, complex environment.
* Able to travel across hospital sites as the service requires.
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.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
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