Head of Nursing - Specialised Surgery CBU
The closing date is 18 June 2026
An exciting opportunity has arisen for the permanent post of Head of Nursing for the Specialised Surgery Clinical Business Unit (CBU).
The Specialised Surgery CBU consists of Trauma & Orthopaedics, Major Trauma, Acute Rehab, Neurosurgery, Spines and Cardiothoracic.
The Head of Nursing will lead on quality, safety and patient experience across the CBU, contributing to the Quality Improvement plan and to the wider Care Group and Corporate Nursing, Midwifery and AHP agenda.
The Head of Nursing will have responsibility for the nursing strategy for the CBU and will ensure effective implementation of national and local strategies and achievement of service objectives within available resources.
The Head of Nursing will provide strong leadership across the portfolio to ensure appropriate systems and processes are in place to deliver objectives and drive services forward.
They will communicate highly complex and sometimes contentious information to large groups in a manner that is understandable and likely to achieve engagement.
The CBU Head of Nursing will deputise for the Care Group Director of Nursing as necessary and may provide cross-cover for other CBU Heads of Nursing within the Care Group.
Main duties of the job
The Clinical Business Unit Head of Nursing, Head of Operations, and Medical Director work as a flat triumvirate and lead their CBU/portfolio of work. They ensure that national and local quality targets are achieved and that people, organisational development, quality, finance and performance are delivered in line with the CBU, Care Group and Trust objectives.
You will work closely with the Care Group Director of Nursing and the Head of Operations for the CBU. You will be accountable for ensuring patient flow is optimised and escalations are managed effectively. As a senior leader you will play a key role in Planned Care Group. Your leadership will be instrumental in resolving operational issues, redesigning and streamlining pathways across both sites for all specialities within the CBU and supporting staff across all departments.
About us
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust is one of the largest and most modern in the country. Based across two sites, Royal Stoke in Stoke-on-Trent and County Hospital in Stafford, we serve around three million people and are renowned for our facilities, teaching and research. We are the specialist centre for major trauma for the North Midlands and North Wales.
UHNM create and encourage a culture of inclusion, providing equal opportunities for career development that are fair and transparent. We are committed to being a diverse and inclusive employer and foster a culture in which all staff feel valued and respected. We ask all employees to commit to the values co-created with staff, patients and carers that unite us as a Trust.
Investing in and developing our staff directly impacts the quality of care we deliver. Our employees are as important as our patients and the population we serve.
Job responsibilities
Key Areas/Tasks
* Participate in Corporate, Care Group and Business Unit meetings and decision making as required
* Participate in the Trust's Tactical on-call rota
* Brief the Care Group Director of Nursing on professional issues across UHNM sites
* Ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times, releasing information only as required by law and official capacity in accordance with the Data Protection Act
* Act as a role model, maintaining high standards of professional behaviour and clinical skills
* Maintain high standards of clinical care for patients and a safe environment
* Communicate highly complex information to large groups with potential conflicting views, reconciling where necessary
* Provide, receive and act on sensitive or contentious information relating to highly specialist services/modernisation issues
* Demonstrate acquisition of leadership/management knowledge (equivalent to master's level) including financial, HR and activity management
* Strong working knowledge of acute service provision
* Adhere to applicable codes of conduct (NMC/HCPC)
* Undertake clinical activity to monitor quality of care and patient experience
* Monitor complaints and incidents relating to patient flow and operational management with appropriate action plans
* Lead change and embed a culture of continuous quality improvement
* Collaborate with the Deputy Chief Nurse-Operations/Quality to deliver high standards of safe care
* Competently use Trust electronic systems to analyse information and inform decisions
* Challenge practice to identify and share best practices Trust-wide
* Act as an expert resource on patient care, policies, service development and delivery
* Manage interruptions and conflicting priorities effectively
* Participate in Trust investigations and disciplinary hearings as required
* Support performance monitoring against local and national KPIs
* Encourage multi-disciplinary working to support patient pathways and timely care
* Handle distressing situations professionally and provide support as needed
* Use IT skills (word, Excel, Trust BI dashboards) to analyse data
* Ensure manual handling training compliance
* Support development of the clinical research agenda
* Develop communication methods to engage staff and reduce barriers to change
* Promote continuous improvement methodology within the team
* Utilise Improving Together tools to coach team and deliver exceptional care
Personal/Professional Development
* Maintain professional registration (NMC, HCPC) and qualifications, including working towards/holding a master's degree
* Engage in personal development planning and appraisal processes
* Demonstrate advanced leadership and management knowledge including financial, HR and activity management
* Minimum of 2 years in a recent senior nursing role in an acute setting
Note: This job description is not exhaustive and may change in line with service needs after consultation with the post holder.
Person Specification
Qualifications
* NMC/HCPC registration
* Evidence of Masters level study
* Leadership, Management or teaching qualification
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
* Experience of managing a diverse team using the full spectrum of HR practices
* Autonomous working and accountability for own actions
* Ability to analyse data and information
* Senior Nurse experience (minimum 3 years)
* Experience of delivering quality improvement projects
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and requires a disclosure check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust
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