Deputy Nurse Director
The closing date is 06 May 2026.
The Deputy Nurse Director will support the Nurse Director within the Care group in delivering professional and operational leadership of Nursing and AHP services within the Care Group. This will include devising, implementing and reviewing strategies for the development of clinical practice, education, and management and quality issues.
The post holder will act as the deputy delegated lead for safety, quality and patient experience, responsible for development and application of systems, control processes and risk management arrangements that ensure full compliance with internal and external governance procedures and to benchmark against best practice requirements.
Responsible primarily for the operational management, leadership and professional delivery of nursing and midwifery services within the Care Group.
To lead on the implementation of transformational change and quality assurance within an area of responsibility.
Be the guardian of patient care safety and standards, be accessible to patients and service users, and be responsible for leading on infection prevention and control and care environment matters.
Be managerially and professionally accountable for a number of wards/departments, through the leadership and management of the Matrons, Sister/Charge Nurses and the specialist nurses and midwives.
Main duties of the job
To lead on the development and improvement of patient pathways as well as assume responsibility for leading on corporate nursing and professional specific topics.
To lead on patient flow matters, both within their spheres of responsibility and collectively as a professional group and in support of the Site Management Team.
The Deputy Nurse Director will establish and foster an effective working relationship with the Care Groups senior leadership team. They will lead on improvements and developments in service delivery and the achievement of organisational priorities. The Deputy Nurse Director, will specifically lead and advise on safe, high quality nursing care and will deputise for the Nurse Director as required.
The Deputy Nurse Director has the overall responsibility for the delivery of safe, high quality, cost effective and compassionate nursing care within their areas and will provide assurance to the Nurse Director regarding compliance against all appropriate professional, organisational and national compliance standards relating to the Group nursing and midwifery agenda.
Job responsibilities
Main duties and responsibilities of post holder
Patient Care / Clinical Services
* You will maintain your own clinical practice and ensure a visible presence across wards and departments, acting as a guardian of patient safety and care standards.
* You will ensure care is patient centred, evidence based and aligned with NMC The Code (2015, 2018).
* You will support the delivery of the Care Groups clinical governance and patient safety agenda, working with the triumvirate/quadrumvirate to monitor effectiveness and drive improvement.
* You will ensure systems are in place to monitor quality, patient experience, safeguarding compliance, safe staffing and clinical risk, taking action where standards fall short.
* You will act as a named investigator for incidents under PSIRF, ensuring learning, improvement and robust risk management.
* You will champion patient and public involvement, ensuring services actively seek and respond to feedback.
Knowledge, Training and Experience
* You will bring significant senior nursing experience, with specialist knowledge of professional leadership, clinical governance, risk, safety and service delivery.
* You will maintain up to date professional development and ensure your teams have access to appropriate education, supervision and training.
* You will contribute to workforce planning, new role development and the future nursing/midwifery education strategy.
* You will ensure the Care Group meets its responsibilities for preregistration student learning, mentorship, supervision and assessment.
Leadership / Management Responsibilities and Development
* You will provide compassionate, credible and visible leadership, modelling professional behaviours and Trust values.
* You will line‑manage Band 8a Matrons and oversee the leadership structures across your services.
* You will ensure effective performance management, rostering, absence management and workforce deployment to deliver safe staffing.
* You will lead defined projects and programmes of work, including service transformation, quality improvement and professional practice development.
* You will deputise for the Nurse Director as required and contribute to the wider senior nursing leadership agenda across the Group.
* You will identify clinical risks, lead investigations, ensure risk registers are maintained and oversee implementation of improvement actions.
Communications
* You will communicate complex and sensitive information to individuals and large groups, using negotiation and influencing skills to support change.
* You will ensure robust communication systems from ward to board and board to ward, enabling transparency, assurance and shared learning.
* You will produce high quality written reports, governance papers, business cases and briefings for Care Group and divisional meetings.
* You will engage with patients, families and staff with empathy and professionalism, particularly in challenging or emotional circumstances.
Service Development and Improvement
* You will lead service improvement projects, analysing highly complex data and making evidence based recommendations to the Care Group leadership.
* You will identify opportunities for policy, guideline and pathway development, ensuring alignment with national standards and organisational priorities.
* You will contribute to business planning, annual budget development, capital bids and service development proposals.
* You will ensure Quality Impact Assessments are completed for all service changes and cost improvement programmes.
Research, Audit and Innovation
* You will ensure clinical audits, patient surveys and quality reviews are undertaken, shared and acted upon.
* You will support postregistration research activity aligned to Trust priorities and promote a culture of continuous learning and innovation.
Freedom to Act
* You will work autonomously within professional, organisational and statutory frameworks, using expert judgement to make decisions on complex clinical, operational and professional issues.
* You will interpret highly complex information, analyse risk and provide authoritative nursing advice to the Care Group leadership.
* You are accountable for ensuring compliance with NMC standards, Trust policies, regulatory requirements and financial governance within your areas of responsibility.
Person Specification
Education / Qualification
* Registered Nurse and/or Registered Midwife
* Current registration with the NMC
* Master's degree in relevant subject such as leadership or equivalent experience
* Research training/experience
* Post‑graduate qualification within a leadership programme study or evidence of practical application of expertise at this level
Knowledge, Training and Experience
* Demonstrable evidence of specialist knowledge of the professional leadership and management of nurses
* Evidence of on‑going and relevant personal and professional development in the last 2 years.
Communication and Interpersonal Skills
* Shows desire and capability to develop in nursing care standards aligned to continuous personal and professional development.
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.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
We strongly value the different perspectives and ideas a diverse workforce brings to deliver better outcomes for our patients. We welcome applications irrespective of peoples age, disability, sex, gender identity and gender expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.
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