Job summary
This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of nursing, midwifery and allied health professional services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital as Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Nurse.
Reporting to the Chief Nurse, you will provide strategic and operational leadership across the hospital, ensuring the delivery of consistently high-quality, safe and compassionate care. Working as part of the hospital triumvirate alongside the Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, you will play a pivotal role in driving performance, quality improvement and workforce development at site level, while influencing practice across the wider Trust.
This role combines visible clinical leadership with executive-level influence. You will inspire and develop senior leaders, strengthen quality governance, and lead workforce and education strategy to support sustainable, patient-centred services aligned to national standards and Trust priorities.
Provide strategic, professional, and operational leadership for nursing, midwifery, and allied health professional (NMAHP) services across the hospital, ensuring the consistent delivery of high-quality, safe, and patient-centred care aligned with Trust objectives, national standards, and regulatory requirements.
Main duties of the job
Lead and advance clinical leadership across nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions by inspiring and developing teams, setting clear priorities, solving complex problems, and driving delivery against agreed action plans. Ensure excellence and consistency in care delivery across the hospital and positively influence professional practice across the wider Trust.
Work collaboratively as part of the hospital triumvirate with the Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Medical Officer to lead operational and quality improvement, achieve national performance standards, and deliver the site and clinical strategy. Role model effective triumvirate working through shared leadership, collective decision-making, and mutual accountability, ensuring alignment to agreed site-based objectives and priorities and presenting a consistent leadership approach across the hospital.
Acting as Deputy to the Chief Nurse, provide line management and professional leadership to the Associate Chief Nurse for Workforce and Education, ensuring the development and delivery of a comprehensive workforce and education strategy. Ensure all relevant national policy, guidance, and regulatory requirements are implemented cross site, monitored, and appropriately reported to the Trust Board.
Direct the Associate Chief Nurse for Workforce and Education to deliver the Trust Safe Staffing Policy, including ongoing review and development of workforce models.
About us
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
- Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
- Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
- Improving the experience of staff with disability
- Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
- Making equalities mainstream
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategic and Clinical Leadership
You will be a visible and credible clinical leader, setting clear direction and professional standards across all hospital services. Working closely with medical and operational colleagues, you will deliver improvements in performance, quality and patient outcomes, while ensuring nursing and midwifery strategies align with Trust objectives and national policy.
Quality Governance and Patient Safety As the senior NMAHP quality lead for the hospital, you will establish and maintain effective governance frameworks to monitor safety, quality and experience. You will lead PSIRF implementation, oversee incident learning, audits and assurance processes, and ensure transparent reporting and escalation to Trust committees and the Board.
Operational Performance and Flow You will provide strategic oversight of end-to-end patient pathways, supporting service redesign, improved flow and reduced length of stay. Through data-driven decision-making and collaborative leadership, you will help the hospital meet national access standards while maintaining high-quality care during periods of operational pressure.
Workforce and Education Leadership In your Trust-wide role, you will lead nursing, midwifery and AHP workforce and education strategy, ensuring safe staffing, sustainable workforce models and high-quality education provision. You will line-manage the Associate Chief Nurse for Workforce and Education and work closely with external education partners to support recruitment, retention and professional development.
Partnership Working and System Leadership You will foster strong relationships with community providers, adult social care, education institutions and system partners to promote integration, improve transitions of care and support better outcomes for patients and populations.
Culture, Compassion and Inclusion You will role-model inclusive, compassionate leadership, supporting staff wellbeing, leadership development and a positive culture where people feel valued, empowered and accountable for delivering excellent care.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Strategic and Clinical Leadership
You will be a visible and credible clinical leader, setting clear direction and professional standards across all hospital services. Working closely with medical and operational colleagues, you will deliver improvements in performance, quality and patient outcomes, while ensuring nursing and midwifery strategies align with Trust objectives and national policy.
Quality Governance and Patient Safety As the senior NMAHP quality lead for the hospital, you will establish and maintain effective governance frameworks to monitor safety, quality and experience. You will lead PSIRF implementation, oversee incident learning, audits and assurance processes, and ensure transparent reporting and escalation to Trust committees and the Board.
Operational Performance and Flow You will provide strategic oversight of end-to-end patient pathways, supporting service redesign, improved flow and reduced length of stay. Through data-driven decision-making and collaborative leadership, you will help the hospital meet national access standards while maintaining high-quality care during periods of operational pressure.
Workforce and Education Leadership In your Trust-wide role, you will lead nursing, midwifery and AHP workforce and education strategy, ensuring safe staffing, sustainable workforce models and high-quality education provision. You will line-manage the Associate Chief Nurse for Workforce and Education and work closely with external education partners to support recruitment, retention and professional development.
Partnership Working and System Leadership You will foster strong relationships with community providers, adult social care, education institutions and system partners to promote integration, improve transitions of care and support better outcomes for patients and populations.
Culture, Compassion and Inclusion You will role-model inclusive, compassionate leadership, supporting staff wellbeing, leadership development and a positive culture where people feel valued, empowered and accountable for delivering excellent care.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (with current NMC registration)
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
- Master's Degree in a relevant field
Desirable
- CIPD qualification or equivalent
- Education qualification
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- At least 5-year's experience in band 8 leadership roles
- Experience in leading safe staffing workforce programmes or NMAHP education delivery at a senior leadership level
- Wide experience in acute hospital roles in an NHS setting
Desirable
- Experience in a similar role
- Experience of working within a triumvirate leadership model
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate successful leadership of change and improvement
- Can demonstrate awareness of the key issues impacting on the workforce/education field
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Can demonstrate IT skills using Microsoft Office products
- Policy/guideline development and analysis
- Able to prioritise workload to meet competing demands
Desirable
- Proven ability to lead change, manage budgets, and influence across organisational boundaries
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Able to deploy communication skills across multiple disciplines involving complex and challenging messages
- Able to constructively introduce challenge
- Values diversity and equality
- Flexible and adaptable to change
- Manages own time and maintaining a healthy work/home balance
- Positive attitude to personal growth and development
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Nurse (with current NMC registration)
- Evidence of Continuous Professional Development
- Master's Degree in a relevant field
Desirable
- CIPD qualification or equivalent
- Education qualification
Experience and Knowledge
Essential
- At least 5-year's experience in band 8 leadership roles
- Experience in leading safe staffing workforce programmes or NMAHP education delivery at a senior leadership level
- Wide experience in acute hospital roles in an NHS setting
Desirable
- Experience in a similar role
- Experience of working within a triumvirate leadership model
Skills and Abilities
Essential
- Able to demonstrate successful leadership of change and improvement
- Can demonstrate awareness of the key issues impacting on the workforce/education field
- Meticulous attention to detail
- Can demonstrate IT skills using Microsoft Office products
- Policy/guideline development and analysis
- Able to prioritise workload to meet competing demands
Desirable
- Proven ability to lead change, manage budgets, and influence across organisational boundaries
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Able to deploy communication skills across multiple disciplines involving complex and challenging messages
- Able to constructively introduce challenge
- Values diversity and equality
- Flexible and adaptable to change
- Manages own time and maintaining a healthy work/home balance
- Positive attitude to personal growth and 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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
