South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Chief Nurse - Director of Quality and Professions

The closing date is 19 November 2025

Job summary

Our purpose is to enable people to reach their potential and live well in their community.

To achieve this, we must deliver patient centred services and be a strong partner within our health and care systems. Compassionate, safe, and high-quality care is central to our story, and were looking for a Chief Nurse and Director of Quality and Professions who will continue to inspire this commitment across our organisation.

You'll join a values-driven and supportive Board at a pivotal moment for our Trust. Following our achievement of Teaching Trust status, were deepening our partnership with the University of Leeds to strengthen education, training, and professional development for all our people.

We're looking for an experienced, registered nurse and authentic leader who brings energy, integrity, and curiosity to drive improvement across physical, mental, and social care.

You must have an excellent track record of success at director or at a senior level together with experience of partnership working across complex systems. You'll provide professional leadership to our nursing and clinical professions, ensure strong governance, and shape the Trusts strategic direction as part of the executive team.

If you share our belief that people and partnership are the foundation of quality care, wed love to hear from you. For an informal conversation about this opportunity, please contact Chief Executive Mark Brooks or Trust Chair Marie Burnham.

Main duties of the job

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application.

All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients.

We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms. We strongly discourage this and will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form.

About us

We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative.

Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers.

We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities.

Being a foundation Trust means were accountable to our members, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust.

Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment.

We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible.

Details

Date posted

20 October 2025

Pay scheme

Very senior manager (VSM)

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9378-QA01414

Job locations

Fieldhead Hospital

Ouchthorpe Lane

Wakefield

WF1 3SP


Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

As a role model for the Trusts vision and values, the chief nurse / director of quality and professions is responsible for providing visible and professional leadership to the nursing, allied health professional and psychological professions workforce which enables the delivery of the compassionate, safe, high quality and service user/patient focused services. The post holder, in partnership with the chief medical officer, will be responsible for ensuring the Trust has effective clinical governance and clinical safety.

The role will work as part of an executive trio with the chief medical officer and the chief operating officer, to ensure that services are delivered in line with Trusts vision, mission and values, that clinical risks are effectively managed, staff wellbeing is supported and staff are effectively engaged.

As an executive/voting member of the Trust Board and Executive team, the postholder will be expected to support the development of an open, engaging and inclusive culture for service users and staff that encourages excellence in clinical practice, facilitates team working and multi-disciplinary delivery of care.

Key Result Areas

Strategic Responsibilities

The postholder will be responsible for providing professional advice to the Trust on matters relating to nursing, allied health professions and psychological professions services and will be the executive lead for:

Safeguarding of adults and children

Patient safety

Patient experience including complaints management

Infection prevention and control (including the role of director of infection prevention and control)

Quality improvement

Clinical governance and clinical safety

Nursing, allied health professional and psychological professions

Professional development and training for nursing, allied health professional and psychological professions staff

Relationship with Care Quality Commission (CQC) including registration, compliance with standards and organisation rating

Protecting the confidentiality of health and care information (Caldicott Guardian)

Serious incidents and management of external reviews

Professional leadership

To provide the Trust Board, chief executive and executive management team with professional advice and guidance on nursing, allied health professions and psychological professions matters.

To provide strong visible professional leadership to the nursing workforce, including the development of professional practice and clinical leadership.

To develop and implement a clear vision and strategic direction for nursing, allied health professions and psychological services in line with the Trusts strategic direction and new service models.

To ensure that there is appropriate clinical engagement and involvement in support of the modernisation of services and the delivery of safe and effective services.

To ensure and actively support strong professional leadership arrangements for all disciplines as part of a multidisciplinary and multi-agency approach. (In the case of the medical workforce, this will necessitate close working with the medical director).

To foster strong clinical and professional engagement and leadership for nurses, allied health professionals and psychological professions across the Trust.

Professional development, education and training

To lead the provision of professional development, education and training for nursing, allied health professional staff and psychological services.

Work closely with chief people officer on the development of the education and learning strategy and activities ensuring the needs and aspirations of nursing, allied health professional staff and psychological professions are represented.

To ensure that the Trusts approach to clinical effectiveness and evidence-based practice is supported by effective education and training programmes.

To foster a culture that values continuing professional development and strives for excellence in the delivery of patient care, ensuring the maintenance of professional standards of care and compliance with respective codes of practice.

Clinical governance and safety

To ensure, with the chief medical officer, that the Trust has effective clinical governance arrangements which support the delivery of the Trusts strategic direction and objectives and meets the organisations statutory obligations.

To ensure that there are effective and well embedded clinical governance and clinical safety arrangements at all levels of the Trust which supports the delivery of safe and effective care.

Jointly, with the chief medical officer, responsibility for all aspects of clinical quality which includes establishing the standards and processes for clinical practice required to deliver the quality agenda, develop high level clinical performance indicators and to ensure robust mechanisms are in place to regularly monitor performance and determine the audit requirements that are necessary to ensure standards are met.

To provide leadership to continually improve the patient/service user experience in accordance with the Trusts values through ensuring they are the centre of all we do.

To lead, establish and monitor systems that measure and improve clinical and environmental standards, particularly ensuring that the fundamental and essential aspects of care are of a high standard.

To lead on the management of patient safety incidents and external reviews on behalf of the Trust.

Work closely with the chief medical officer to implement best practice and disseminate learning from patient safety incidents, clinical risks and complaints which prevent re-occurrence of events and ensures lessons are learnt.

To act as the Trusts Caldicott Guardian.

Ensure the appropriate resources, people and systems are in place to protect and safeguard children and young people and vulnerable adults including developing robust, up to date policies and systems.

Quality

To ensure that the Trust Board has appropriate arrangements in place for the assurance of the quality of all services provided, including leading on the production of the annual quality account.

To ensure through the governance structure, issues regarding service quality improvement and monitoring are communicated to the Trust Board and partner agencies.

Oversight of clinical quality improvement assessments as required.

To work with the deputy chief executive/director of strategy and inclusion on the development and implementation of the Trusts quality strategy and clinical strategy, to ensure that there is strong clinical and service user engagement.

Assurance

To ensure that the Trust achieves and maintains required registration with the Care Quality Commission and other appropriate national/local accreditation.

Ensure effective systems are in place to comply with the requirements for regulation, including the essential standards of quality and safety (CQC).

To lead the Trusts ambition to achieve outstanding in the CQCs organisational ratings.

To ensure that robust action plans are developed, implemented, and monitored to achieve agreed compliance standards.

Infection prevention and control

As director of infection prevention and control, to provide visible leadership in the development of systems and processes for the prevention and management of healthcare acquired infection.

Ensure consistency of care across all clinical settings and that evidenced based practice is applied to reducing healthcare acquired infections.

Ensure that the Trust Board, executive and operational management teams, and clinical staff have access and are provided with the latest information, advice and guidance in the prevention and control of healthcare acquired infections.

Safeguarding

Act as the Trusts executive lead for the oversight and assurance of the safeguarding of adults and children.

Report any concerns regarding the safety or wellbeing of children, adult service users, members of their families etc, in accordance with Trust Policy.

Prevent and respond appropriately to abuse and understand own role in this by undertaking safeguarding training.

Ensure they carry out their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 years, as issued under Section 11 of The Children Act 2004, by being familiar with and adhering to Trust safeguarding policies and participating in relevant training.

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

As a role model for the Trusts vision and values, the chief nurse / director of quality and professions is responsible for providing visible and professional leadership to the nursing, allied health professional and psychological professions workforce which enables the delivery of the compassionate, safe, high quality and service user/patient focused services. The post holder, in partnership with the chief medical officer, will be responsible for ensuring the Trust has effective clinical governance and clinical safety.

The role will work as part of an executive trio with the chief medical officer and the chief operating officer, to ensure that services are delivered in line with Trusts vision, mission and values, that clinical risks are effectively managed, staff wellbeing is supported and staff are effectively engaged.

As an executive/voting member of the Trust Board and Executive team, the postholder will be expected to support the development of an open, engaging and inclusive culture for service users and staff that encourages excellence in clinical practice, facilitates team working and multi-disciplinary delivery of care.

Key Result Areas

Strategic Responsibilities

The postholder will be responsible for providing professional advice to the Trust on matters relating to nursing, allied health professions and psychological professions services and will be the executive lead for:

Safeguarding of adults and children

Patient safety

Patient experience including complaints management

Infection prevention and control (including the role of director of infection prevention and control)

Quality improvement

Clinical governance and clinical safety

Nursing, allied health professional and psychological professions

Professional development and training for nursing, allied health professional and psychological professions staff

Relationship with Care Quality Commission (CQC) including registration, compliance with standards and organisation rating

Protecting the confidentiality of health and care information (Caldicott Guardian)

Serious incidents and management of external reviews

Professional leadership

To provide the Trust Board, chief executive and executive management team with professional advice and guidance on nursing, allied health professions and psychological professions matters.

To provide strong visible professional leadership to the nursing workforce, including the development of professional practice and clinical leadership.

To develop and implement a clear vision and strategic direction for nursing, allied health professions and psychological services in line with the Trusts strategic direction and new service models.

To ensure that there is appropriate clinical engagement and involvement in support of the modernisation of services and the delivery of safe and effective services.

To ensure and actively support strong professional leadership arrangements for all disciplines as part of a multidisciplinary and multi-agency approach. (In the case of the medical workforce, this will necessitate close working with the medical director).

To foster strong clinical and professional engagement and leadership for nurses, allied health professionals and psychological professions across the Trust.

Professional development, education and training

To lead the provision of professional development, education and training for nursing, allied health professional staff and psychological services.

Work closely with chief people officer on the development of the education and learning strategy and activities ensuring the needs and aspirations of nursing, allied health professional staff and psychological professions are represented.

To ensure that the Trusts approach to clinical effectiveness and evidence-based practice is supported by effective education and training programmes.

To foster a culture that values continuing professional development and strives for excellence in the delivery of patient care, ensuring the maintenance of professional standards of care and compliance with respective codes of practice.

Clinical governance and safety

To ensure, with the chief medical officer, that the Trust has effective clinical governance arrangements which support the delivery of the Trusts strategic direction and objectives and meets the organisations statutory obligations.

To ensure that there are effective and well embedded clinical governance and clinical safety arrangements at all levels of the Trust which supports the delivery of safe and effective care.

Jointly, with the chief medical officer, responsibility for all aspects of clinical quality which includes establishing the standards and processes for clinical practice required to deliver the quality agenda, develop high level clinical performance indicators and to ensure robust mechanisms are in place to regularly monitor performance and determine the audit requirements that are necessary to ensure standards are met.

To provide leadership to continually improve the patient/service user experience in accordance with the Trusts values through ensuring they are the centre of all we do.

To lead, establish and monitor systems that measure and improve clinical and environmental standards, particularly ensuring that the fundamental and essential aspects of care are of a high standard.

To lead on the management of patient safety incidents and external reviews on behalf of the Trust.

Work closely with the chief medical officer to implement best practice and disseminate learning from patient safety incidents, clinical risks and complaints which prevent re-occurrence of events and ensures lessons are learnt.

To act as the Trusts Caldicott Guardian.

Ensure the appropriate resources, people and systems are in place to protect and safeguard children and young people and vulnerable adults including developing robust, up to date policies and systems.

Quality

To ensure that the Trust Board has appropriate arrangements in place for the assurance of the quality of all services provided, including leading on the production of the annual quality account.

To ensure through the governance structure, issues regarding service quality improvement and monitoring are communicated to the Trust Board and partner agencies.

Oversight of clinical quality improvement assessments as required.

To work with the deputy chief executive/director of strategy and inclusion on the development and implementation of the Trusts quality strategy and clinical strategy, to ensure that there is strong clinical and service user engagement.

Assurance

To ensure that the Trust achieves and maintains required registration with the Care Quality Commission and other appropriate national/local accreditation.

Ensure effective systems are in place to comply with the requirements for regulation, including the essential standards of quality and safety (CQC).

To lead the Trusts ambition to achieve outstanding in the CQCs organisational ratings.

To ensure that robust action plans are developed, implemented, and monitored to achieve agreed compliance standards.

Infection prevention and control

As director of infection prevention and control, to provide visible leadership in the development of systems and processes for the prevention and management of healthcare acquired infection.

Ensure consistency of care across all clinical settings and that evidenced based practice is applied to reducing healthcare acquired infections.

Ensure that the Trust Board, executive and operational management teams, and clinical staff have access and are provided with the latest information, advice and guidance in the prevention and control of healthcare acquired infections.

Safeguarding

Act as the Trusts executive lead for the oversight and assurance of the safeguarding of adults and children.

Report any concerns regarding the safety or wellbeing of children, adult service users, members of their families etc, in accordance with Trust Policy.

Prevent and respond appropriately to abuse and understand own role in this by undertaking safeguarding training.

Ensure they carry out their duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 years, as issued under Section 11 of The Children Act 2004, by being familiar with and adhering to Trust safeguarding policies and participating in relevant training.

For full details of the role please see the supporting documents attached.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse.
  • Bachelors Degree, or can demonstrate equivalent level of knowledge and skills through experience.
  • Masters degree, or can demonstrate equivalent level of knowledge and skills gained through experience.

Desirable

  • Masters degree in relevant subject.
  • Dual nurse registration.

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive senior management experience in the NHS or similar complex environment including working with Boards.
  • Extensive experience and successful track record in the leadership and management of clinical and/or nursing services.
  • Evidence of and commitment to the promotion of service user and carer led initiatives.
  • High level experience of compliance and quality governance systems and how they apply to NHS organisations.
  • Extensive experience in partnership working across complex integrated health and care systems.
  • Partnership working with other NHS services to deliver and provide services to improve patient services.
  • High level experience of working with healthcare education training providers.
  • Experience of working with regulatory bodies, e.g., CQC, OFSTED.

Training

Essential

  • Up to date Professional Registration.
  • Evidence of relevant continuous personal and professional development.
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse.
  • Bachelors Degree, or can demonstrate equivalent level of knowledge and skills through experience.
  • Masters degree, or can demonstrate equivalent level of knowledge and skills gained through experience.

Desirable

  • Masters degree in relevant subject.
  • Dual nurse registration.

Experience

Essential

  • Extensive senior management experience in the NHS or similar complex environment including working with Boards.
  • Extensive experience and successful track record in the leadership and management of clinical and/or nursing services.
  • Evidence of and commitment to the promotion of service user and carer led initiatives.
  • High level experience of compliance and quality governance systems and how they apply to NHS organisations.
  • Extensive experience in partnership working across complex integrated health and care systems.
  • Partnership working with other NHS services to deliver and provide services to improve patient services.
  • High level experience of working with healthcare education training providers.
  • Experience of working with regulatory bodies, e.g., CQC, OFSTED.

Training

Essential

  • Up to date Professional Registration.
  • Evidence of relevant 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.

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).

Employer details

Employer name

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Fieldhead Hospital

Ouchthorpe Lane

Wakefield

WF1 3SP


Employer's website

https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust

Address

Fieldhead Hospital

Ouchthorpe Lane

Wakefield

WF1 3SP


Employer's website

https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Details

Date posted

20 October 2025

Pay scheme

Very senior manager (VSM)

Salary

Depending on experience

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

C9378-QA01414

Job locations

Fieldhead Hospital

Ouchthorpe Lane

Wakefield

WF1 3SP


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)