Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professionals (AHPs)

Job description

The Director of Nursing and Allied Health Professionals is a senior leadership role within the Service Group, working as part of the triumvirate leadership team alongside the Service Group Director and Associate Medical Director. The post holder will provide professional leadership, strategic direction and assurance for nursing and allied health professional practice, ensuring that services deliver safe, effective, inclusive and high-quality care for patients, families and communities.

The post holder will be responsible for setting and maintaining professional standards across the Service Group, supporting clinical teams to deliver excellent patient outcomes and ensuring that nursing and AHP services are aligned with organisational, regulatory and national priorities. They will hold delegated professional accountability to the Chief Nurse and Midwife, providing assurance on quality, safety, governance, workforce and professional practice.

A key part of the role will be to provide visible, compassionate and inclusive leadership. The post holder will work with senior nursing, midwifery and AHP colleagues to create a positive professional culture, promote learning, strengthen accountability and ensure that colleagues are supported to work at the top of their scope of practice. They will also support workforce planning, role development, recruitment, retention, succession planning and education across nursing and AHP teams.

The Director of Nursing and AHPs will share responsibility with the Service Group leadership team for the delivery of operational performance, quality, patient safety, governance, transformation, workforce and financial objectives. They will use data, intelligence and evidence to identify areas for improvement, reduce variation, address inequalities and support informed decision-making. This will include reviewing patient safety events, complaints, claims, audit findings, patient experience feedback and workforce data to identify themes, learning and improvement priorities.

The role will lead and support the development of robust clinical governance arrangements across the Service Group. This includes oversight of patient safety, quality assurance, risk management, safeguarding, infection prevention and control, patient and carer experience, compliance with regulatory standards and readiness for external inspection. The post holder will ensure that learning from incidents, complaints and reviews is embedded into practice and that patients, families, carers and colleagues are appropriately involved in improvement work.

The post holder will contribute to strategic service planning, transformation and redesign, ensuring services are responsive to current and future needs and aligned with the Trust's ambitions and wider system priorities. They will support the implementation of national standards, guidance and evidence-based practice, and will promote innovation, research, service evaluation and quality improvement across nursing and AHP professions.

The Director of Nursing and AHPs will work closely with the Chief Nurse and Midwife, Deputy Chief Nurses, Director of AHPs, senior clinical leaders and corporate teams to deliver professional priorities. They will also build strong relationships across service groups, partner organisations, external networks, regulators, staff-side representatives, education providers and community stakeholders. The post holder will represent the Service Group and the Trust in internal, system, regional and national forums as required.

The role will require the post holder to manage complex, sensitive and sometimes highly emotive situations with professionalism, sound judgement and resilience. This may include supporting responses to serious incidents, patient safety concerns, complaints, professional conduct matters, workforce risks, service pressures and complex operational challenges. The post holder will be expected to communicate clearly and confidently with a wide range of audiences, including patients, carers, colleagues, professional groups, partner organisations and senior leaders.

The post holder will provide line management and professional support to senior registered colleagues across services and professions. They will ensure that clear systems are in place for supervision, appraisal, statutory and mandatory training, specialist training, leadership development and professional governance. They will also support advanced practice, education and research agendas, ensuring safe and effective professional practice across the Service Group.

The Director of Nursing and AHPs will support the effective use of resources, including workforce, continuing professional development budgets and quality improvement resources. They will work with operational and clinical leaders to ensure that resources are used safely, equitably and efficiently, and that financial and productivity decisions take account of quality, safety, workforce and patient experience impacts.

This is a demanding and rewarding role requiring a senior professional leader with substantial experience in nursing, midwifery or allied health professional leadership. The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate credibility, compassion, integrity, professional curiosity and the ability to lead through complexity. They will need to influence at senior level, build effective relationships, support teams through change and maintain a strong focus on improving outcomes for patients, communities and colleagues.

The post holder will be expected to work across organisational and professional boundaries, contribute to Trust-wide nursing and AHP priorities, and participate in relevant on-call arrangements. They will model the Trust values of kindness, respect and teamwork, and will play a key role in developing a culture that supports high standards, continuous improvement, inclusion, accountability and learning.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Nurse or Midwife with current registration with NMC or Registered AHP with current registration with HCPC
• Evidence of ongoing professional and managerial development, which meets NMC/HCPC requirements
• Master's Degree in a relevant health-related subject and evidence of further advanced study, doctoral level learning, or equivalent level of professional development
• Management or leadership qualification, for example NHS Leadership Academy or MBA, or equivalent postgraduate study in a relevant subject

Desirable

• Coaching qualification or willingness to work towards one

Experience

Essential

• Extensive experience at a senior level in a relevant acute, community or mental health environment
• Significant senior experience of managing teams, including professional development and conduct issues
• Experience of leading a range of nursing and/or AHP colleagues
• Experience of leading professionals outside own professional group
• Experience of effective financial management, including budget management and cost improvement of service-wide budgets
• Experience of managing robust governance and performance management systems
• Experience in working with patients and their families/carers to improve patient experience

Desirable

• No desirable experience criteria specified

Additional Criteria

Essential

• Willingness to use technology to improve standards of care and support to our patients
• Ability to demonstrate and uphold the Trust values of kindness, respect and teamwork
• Ability to travel across Trust sites as required for the role
• Willingness to participate in relevant on-call arrangements

Desirable

• No desirable additional criteria specified

About the employer

At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, we're committed to supporting our employees with a range of benefits designed to enhance your professional and personal life. We offer: