Chief Nursing Officer

Job overview

We are seeking an exceptional individual to join us as Chief Nurse. This is a unique opportunity to join our Board and Executive Team and play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organisation.

The Chief Nurse will play a vital role in helping us deliver our vision. As a visible and compassionate leader, you will champion excellence in patient care, quality and safety, whilst supporting our ambition to tackle health inequalities, improve population health and ensure that every patient receives outstanding care and experience. You will also help create an environment where our colleagues can thrive, feel valued and be empowered to deliver their very best.

Reporting directly to the CEO and in partnership with the Medical Director, this executive role is responsible for shaping the quality and safety strategy; formulation and implementation of supporting plans; and developing our services in hospital and community settings to improve the overall standard of patient care, in terms of patient safety, clinical effectiveness, patient experience and equality.

The post-holder will, in conjunction with the Medical Director, provide executive clinical leadership and support the Trust to achieve its vision of providing "high quality care for every patient every day".

The post-holder will be responsible for leading on transforming nursing culture to support the development of high performing teams; providing professional leadership and standards for all nurses and midwives, and allied health professionals (AHPs); and alongside the Medical Director provide clinical leadership for all multidisciplinary teams.

As a director and senior leader, the post-holder will represent the Trust at various external settings including the Acute Provider Collaborative and the South East London Integrated Care System.

The post-holder will model and promote the vision and values of the Trust both internally and externally and ensure the delivery of high quality services and patient and staff experience.

1. Clinical leadership (nurses, midwives, allied health professionals and unregistered clinical workforce)

• Provide the strategic vision for the nursing and midwifery, allied health professionals and unregistered nursing workforce in accordance with the local and national standards, workforce priorities and Trust strategy.
• Accountable for the professional leadership of all nursing, midwifery and AHP staff employed by the Trust, ensuring that strategies, policies and practices are of the highest standard and that they are equipped to meet the challenges facing modern healthcare.
• Responsible for implementing continuing professional development for the workforce and establishing and maintaining clinical development programmes within the Trust and fostering educational partnerships with higher education institutes.
• Ensure that the Trust has a robust professional regulatory framework, and that robust arrangements are in place to train and educate and re-validate staff in the delivery of high quality, user centred care.
• Work with the Chief Executive and the Executive Management Team to develop, monitor and implement the Trust's strategy and enhance the Nursing and AHP Strategies to guide existing standards and future service and practice.
• Hold overall responsibility for the safe staffing levels of the non-medical clinical workforce in accordance with national standards.
• In collaboration with the Chief People Officer support the development of a workforce for the future, through new roles, innovative workforce models, career development frameworks and pathways, apprenticeships, and leadership development.
• Provide leadership for the Trust to ensure that patients with mental health needs receive the right care.

2. Clinical transformation

• Executive lead for a number of critical transformation programmes, and joint lead with the Medical Director for the Trust's clinical transformation board.

3. Partnership

• Leadership role working with partners in the southeast London integrated care system to address health inequalities amongst our local communities.
• Leadership and influencing role in the development of the SE London Acute Provider Collaborative, working closely with our partners at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
• Leadership role in the Trust's formal partnerships with our mental health providers, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust.

4. Infection Prevention and Control

• Executive lead accountable for Infection Prevention and Control and Director of Infection Prevention and Control.
• Demonstrate clinical leadership that places healthcare associated infection as a top priority, as part of placing patient safety at the centre of trust practices and plans.
• Ensure consistency of care across all clinical settings and that evidence-based practice is applied to reduce healthcare associated infections and appropriately address non-compliance with Trust policies designed to protect patients.
• Collaborate with medical, clinical and other directorates including estates and facilities in particular to ensure a joined-up approach to healthcare associated infection improvement, particular assuring compliance with environmental, and equipment and cleaning standards, improving the environment for patients and staff where possible and appropriate within the resources and priorities agreed.
• Monitor and assure sustained improvement on healthcare associated infection.
• Ensure the Trust meets standards required by external regulation and that the Trust is ready to address new requirements as they emerge.

5. Safeguarding Children and Adults

• Executive lead for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults working closely with named and designated safeguarding professionals.
• As the Trust's representative, engage in multi-agency Safeguarding Boards' (adults' and children's) activities as an active partner.
• Ensure a proactive approach, anticipating and resolving safeguarding concerns as part of a multi-agency approach as required.

6. Site management

• Provide leadership to the site management teams and the Site Directors of Nursing for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Lewisham Hospital sites and ensuring that we can safely manage clinical risk across the two sites.
• In partnership with the Director of Performance / Chief Operating Officer and the divisional clinical teams, ensure that the Trust provides timely and effective treatment, in line with constitutional and quality standards.
• Lead on the review of systems to develop and implement safe, efficient and modern site management practice.
• Executive lead for our vaccination programmes to support the effective management of two vaccination centres for staff and our local communities.
• Provide leadership to support a new approach to engaging with patients, ensuring patient involvement and co-design to improve the experience of our patients.

9. Other

• Opportunities to flex key areas of responsibility.
• Create a compassionate and inclusive culture in the Trust, free from harassment and bullying, and with a progressive attitude to work life issues, respecting the dignity and diversity of all staff.
• Support the Trust's overall governance arrangements as a member of Trust Board committees as agreed with the Chief Executive and Chair.
• Participate on the director on-call rota as required.
• As a Trust Senior Manager to carry out investigations of staff management issues in other areas of the Trust as requested.
• As a Trust Senior Manager chair meetings / panels under Trust policies as required.
• As a Trust Senior Manager carry out investigations into incidents and management issues as requested.

Person specification

Qualifications and Training

• Registered nurse or midwife
• Educated to Masters degree or equivalent experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Experience

• Experience of working within (and/or with) the NHS in a senior leadership role
• Experience of delivering performance improvement across various settings
• Effective performance management of people and services to ensure delivery of key quality and access targets
• Experience of values-based leadership and delivering culture change programmes across a large and complex organisation
• Experience of leading successful clinical transformation programmes
• Experience of clinical governance issues, quality improvement and minimising risk for an organisation
• Experience of leading, implementing and evaluating complex change
• Development of business cases for major projects or service changes
• Experience of successfully leading multi-professional teams

Knowledge and Skills

• Clear understanding of current issues relating to professional nursing practice and national healthcare policy and strategic direction
• Clear understanding of risk and governance
• Knowledge of revalidation
• Understanding of the Equalities Agenda and its implications for the workforce and the community
• Action oriented and able to adapt to changing circumstances
• Thinks and solves problems creatively and from a position of inquiry
• Shares leadership with and is respected by clinical and non-clinical staff
• Provides authentic and clear communication and direction even in times of uncertainty/ambiguity
• Engages effectively across boundaries, breaking down silos, while operating in partnership with stakeholders towards a shared vision
• Has effective strategies for dealing with and managing own limitations

Personal Qualities

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Able to lead and engage staff across the organisation from a variety of backgrounds
• Has the drive and energy to make things happen; frequently goes "above and beyond" the call of duty
• Resilience, drive and perseverance
• Able to provide sustained challenge to senior colleagues (including senior clinicians) in relation to performance
• Flexibility

We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.

As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.

Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.

Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.