University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)

Deputy Director of Nursing - Critical Care

The closing date is 13 August 2025

Job summary

Are you a dynamic critical care nurse ready to advance your career? Join UHBW as Deputy Director of Nursing (DDoN) for Critical Care and help shape the future of high-acuity care. Critical care at UHBW includes a 4-bed ICU at Weston General Hospital, a 32-bed general ICU at Bristol Royal Infirmary, and a 23-bed cardiac ICU at Bristol Heart Institute. As DDoN, you'll oversee all adult critical care units, driving service development, continuous improvement, and innovation. You'll use your clinical and leadership expertise to champion quality care across the Trust, network, region, and beyond. Working closely with the Director of Nursing, you'll be part of the divisional leadership team with line management and professional accountability for critical care matrons and acute pain lead nurses. You'll inspire excellence in patient care, lead diverse teams, and craft a clear, ambitious vision for the service. A deep understanding of critical care and its systems is essential for meaningful engagement with staff, patients, and families.

Main duties of the job

As a lead clinician, the post holder will work across Critical care UHBW (Bristol and Weston sites), to strengthen the input into improving clinical care and outcomes for critical care patients in a variety of clinical settings. The post holder will support the Director of Nursing, in ensuring that patients receive high quality, compassionate patient centred care within the resources available within critical care services. Working closely with the Clinical Director, Assistant General Manager and Deputy Divisional Director for Critical Care Services, the post holder will support and, where appropriate, lead service development. The post holder will lead cross divisional projects that enhance both patient and staff experience. They will provide clinical expertise and be a health educator, teacher and resource for multi-disciplinary teams. They will work across organisation and professional boundaries to bring about improvements in care and treatment outcomes. The post holder will line manage the Critical Care Matrons for General Intensive Care at Bristol, Intensive Care Unit Matron for Weston ICU, and Acute Pain Lead Nurses at Bristol and Weston, with professional leadership for the Cardiac Intensive Care Matron.

The post holder will act as the Director of Nursing in the absence of the Director of Nursing and will support in ensuring that patients receive high quality, compassionate patient centred care within the resources available.

About us

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is one of the largest acute Trusts in the country, bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff and over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites, serving a core population of more than 500,000 people across South West England. UHBW has been rated by the CQC as 'Good' overall and our staff are proud to deliver excellent care to the people of Bristol, Weston and beyond. As a forward- thinking multi-award winning Trust and a digital exemplar committed to improving patient care, our world-leading research and innovations are having a positive local and global impact. Our hospitals are spread across Bristol and Weston, join us and you can enjoy the very best of both worlds; city living within a stone's throw of the countryside or beside the seaside, both with easy access to all that the South West has to offer. UHBW is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application in order to ensure we're meeting our pledge.

Details

Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£64,455 to £74,896 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

387-S3688-CB

Job locations

Trustwide - Bristol Royal Infirmary

Upper Maudlin Street

Bristol (and Weston)

BS2 8HW


Job description

Job responsibilities

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

In addition to the leadership role in the specialist area, the clinical lead will support and work with the Divisional Management Team and Chief Nurse team, focusing on the corporate strategic professional agenda. This may involve working on corporate professional issues and will involve acting as a clinical expert and senior role model. Depending upon experience and interests, it is anticipated that the post holder will spend part of the week working directly with clinical teams in a critical care services patient facing role.

Job description

Job responsibilities

For a more detailed job description and main responsibilities, please refer to the job description document attached to this vacancy.

In addition to the leadership role in the specialist area, the clinical lead will support and work with the Divisional Management Team and Chief Nurse team, focusing on the corporate strategic professional agenda. This may involve working on corporate professional issues and will involve acting as a clinical expert and senior role model. Depending upon experience and interests, it is anticipated that the post holder will spend part of the week working directly with clinical teams in a critical care services patient facing role.

Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Extensive knowledge and experience of caring for critical care services patients in a variety of settings
  • Extensive leadership and clinical operational management experience within a complex service provider organisation
  • Experience of managing/supporting major change projects and of delivering clinical services operationally during periods of change
  • Demonstrable understanding of quality and risk management
  • Familiar with relevant clinical guidelines (e.g. NICE, National/international professional bodies)

Desirable

  • Experience of developing business cases

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Expert verbal and written communication skills - individual, departmental and multidisciplinary levels
  • Able to build rapport and clinical credibility with senior clinical and management teams
  • Excellent team, interpersonal, leadership and organisational skills
  • Able to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create conditions for successful partnership working
  • Demonstrable evidence of problem solving, strategic leadership and decision-making skills
  • Ability to work independently or as part of a team as required
  • Confident, assertive and self-aware
  • Able to inspire and motivate colleagues
  • Strong report writing and presentation skills

Qualifications and Training

Essential

  • Current professional registration
  • Health related higher degree (MSc/MA) or working towards
  • Evidence of advanced specialist education in relevant field

Desirable

  • Teaching qualification
  • Leadership qualification
Person Specification

Knowledge and Experience

Essential

  • Extensive knowledge and experience of caring for critical care services patients in a variety of settings
  • Extensive leadership and clinical operational management experience within a complex service provider organisation
  • Experience of managing/supporting major change projects and of delivering clinical services operationally during periods of change
  • Demonstrable understanding of quality and risk management
  • Familiar with relevant clinical guidelines (e.g. NICE, National/international professional bodies)

Desirable

  • Experience of developing business cases

Skills and Abilities

Essential

  • Expert verbal and written communication skills - individual, departmental and multidisciplinary levels
  • Able to build rapport and clinical credibility with senior clinical and management teams
  • Excellent team, interpersonal, leadership and organisational skills
  • Able to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create conditions for successful partnership working
  • Demonstrable evidence of problem solving, strategic leadership and decision-making skills
  • Ability to work independently or as part of a team as required
  • Confident, assertive and self-aware
  • Able to inspire and motivate colleagues
  • Strong report writing and presentation skills

Qualifications and Training

Essential

  • Current professional registration
  • Health related higher degree (MSc/MA) or working towards
  • Evidence of advanced specialist education in relevant field

Desirable

  • Teaching qualification
  • Leadership qualification

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)

Address

Trustwide - Bristol Royal Infirmary

Upper Maudlin Street

Bristol (and Weston)

BS2 8HW


Employer's website

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


Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)

Address

Trustwide - Bristol Royal Infirmary

Upper Maudlin Street

Bristol (and Weston)

BS2 8HW


Employer's website

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


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Director of Nursing for Surgery

Sarah Chalkley

sarah.chalkley@uhbw.nhs.uk

01173421785

Details

Date posted

30 July 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8b

Salary

£64,455 to £74,896 a year pa pro rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

387-S3688-CB

Job locations

Trustwide - Bristol Royal Infirmary

Upper Maudlin Street

Bristol (and Weston)

BS2 8HW


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW)'s privacy notice (opens in a new tab)