Head of Nursing & Professions and Quality

Job description

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

Head of Nursing and Quality - Clinical Support Services (Pathology & Radiology)

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic nursing leader to join our team as Head of Nursing and Quality, supporting Pathology and Radiology services on site.

In this pivotal role, you will work closely with Operational Managers to balance the delivery of high-quality, safe patient care with strong performance, financial sustainability, and the expectations of patients and the public.

You will act as a senior professional advisor, providing expert guidance on all aspects of patient care, including safeguarding and the protection of vulnerable individuals. As a key member of the Clinical Support Triumvirate, you will lead on professional and practice development, ensuring services align with national, local, and organisational priorities, including service modernisation, clinical governance, and leadership.

You will play an integral role in driving consistent, safe, and high-quality care, working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to promote clinical excellence and best practice.

In addition, you will lead the development of patient pathways, policies, and processes across Pathology, Radiology, and Community Diagnostic Centres, ensuring services are delivered to agreed quality standards within available resources and support the Trust's ambition to be a clinically led organisation.

Main duties of the job

The Head of Nursing will:

• Ensure a high-quality patient experience is consistently delivered in the division.
• Act as a strong patient advocate ensuring that a culture of continuous improvement and learning is supported in order to drive quality care delivery across the division.
• Provide dynamic clinical leadership to all staff working within the Division of the MSE Group.
• Work in partnership with Operational Managers and Clinical Directors to support all professional staff to work within their professional and CQC standards for care.
• Provide professional support to the divisional clinical nurse specialist and other senior nurses.

Working for our organisation

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For more information on this varied and rewarding role, please see the attached Job Description.

We look forward to your application!

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close the vacancy early should a high number of applications be received.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Nurse or Scientific Professional
• Relevant degree or equivalent or portfolio of evidence
• Qualification in management or leadership or equivalent
• Significant experience at senior level in a clinical role which included an element of Quality Governance and Risk Management
• Management experience within a complex clinical service context

Desirable criteria

• Project management qualification
• Experience of working across regions or nationally on clinical governance / quality improvement initiatives

Knowledge & Experience

Essential criteria

• Effective clinical / operational management at Band 8 or equivalent
• Use of research and audit tools
• Resource management
• Successful change management
• Team leadership skills in diverse settings
• Standard setting and outcome monitoring
• Involvement in clinical 'best practice' initiatives
• Relevant experience of involvement in meeting strategic organisational objectives
• National Governance agenda and requirements
• Corporate governance legislation and best practice
• Quality improvement programmes and methodology
• CQC outcomes / registration compliance framwork
• National professional and political issues impacting on service delivery
• Extensive, expert professional knowledge
• Monitor's Quality Governance Framwork
• NHSLA standards
• Resilience and determination balanced with pragmatism

Desirable criteria

• Understanding of principles of the matrix management model
• Implementing programmes of care linked to organisational development / strategy
• Publications in referenced journals

Communication Skills

Essential criteria

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills demonstrating tact and diplomacy
• Ability to influence, engage and inspire staff
• Ability to use initiative appropriately
• Ability to present highly complex and contentious information

Personal & People Development

Essential criteria

• High level influencing and negotiating skills
• Ability to develop robust solutions to complex problems
• Ability to develop efficient and lean processes to support systematic improvement
• Able to use organisational structures to embed the clinical governance and quality framework
• Able to prioritise work and meet challenging deadlines

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application.

Employer certification / accreditation badges