Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education

NHS; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 88,000 - 102,000

Job description

Job summary

Associate Chief Nurse - Workforce and Education

Department: Corporate Nursing

Band 8D £88,168 - £101,677 Per annum

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working

Are you an exceptional registered nurse looking for a fantastic opportunity? Would you like to join MKUH's Nursing, Midwifery and Professions team as Associate Chief Nurse for Workforce and Education? This new role will be a pivotal part of our Senior Nursing Leadership team and will ensure #TeamMKUH has a safe, effective and evidence-based approach to nursing and midwifery practice.

Your existing clinical, leadership and operational experience is imperative to ensure expert knowledge and professional judgement is applied to, and underpins, our approach to safe staffing, workforce planning and clinical education.

If you're passionate about workforce and education, and those seeking development, with an aspiration to progress to a Deputy Chief Nurse role, this is the role for you.

'We care We communicate We collaborate We contribute'

Interview 8th May 2025

Main duties of the job

You will work closely and in collaboration with the Chief Nurse, Senior Nursing Team, Senior People Team and Education Leads taking the strategic lead for the Nursing and Midwifery workforce strategies and plans leading and supporting on themes within the Nursing and Midwifery Strategy and Quality Improvement initiatives to promote innovation and achieve operational excellence.

In collaboration with key stakeholders in the Trust, Integrated Care System (ICS) and the wider clinical professions community, you will work to ensure workforce and education planning supports safe staffing and service redesign to align with our Clinical Strategy. You will also work across the ICS creating sustainable and innovative workforce models, influencing the strategic direction locally and beyond.

Through strategic professional leadership and modelling, you will support nursing and other staff to transform services, improve patient care, forward the delivery of the Trust's objectives and foster the creation of an open, diverse and inclusive culture that is seen to listen to and reflect the values and diversity of #TeamMKUH.

You will demonstrably support, and act on behalf of, the Chief Nurse in the delivery of the corporate and professional agenda, join the operational tactical on-call rota as the out-of-hours on call manager supporting the operational management of the Trust and report to the strategic on-call (executive on-call).

About us

'At MKUH, nurses and midwives stand out as the most dedicated staff cohort, garnering a commendable rating of 7.45/10 for their engagement.' (NHS Staff Survey 2023).

You can expect a warm welcome at Milton Keynes University Hospital, our staff are friendly and welcoming. We listen to each other and work together to embed our Trusts values and behaviours. At MKUH we appreciate our staff and reward them with an outstanding benefits package including:

• Free on-site parking
• Free refreshments
• Great flexible working opportunities
• Discounted gym membership
• Lease car scheme
• Generous annual leave and pension scheme
• On site nursery (chargeable)
• Extensive staff health and well-being programme

Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, in partnership with the University of Buckingham, is a University Teaching Hospital; we conduct research and teaching on site to improve the care of our patients. The hospital is undergoing significant investment, and we are proud to be rated good by the CQC. Visit our website to catch up on our latest news.

Date posted: 28 March 2025

Pay scheme: Agenda for change

Band: Band 8d

Salary: £88,168 to £101,677 a year Per annum

Contract: Permanent

Working pattern: Full-time

Reference number: TEMP_500

Job locations: Directorate of Patient Care (Dept), Milton Keynes, MK6 5LD

Job description Job responsibilities

Workforce Development

Be the strategic lead, responsible for the on-going development and delivery of the Trust Nursing Workforce Strategy, working in collaboration with the People team on joint delivery and ownership of objectives. Champion new roles, develop new ways of working and implement skill mix changes to secure sustainable service delivery.

Work directly with the Chief Nurse and the wider senior nursing team to ensure the nursing resource is utilised efficiently and effectively to meet the clinical and non-clinical priorities.

Education and Development

Work closely with key leads from Human Resources to ensure good communication and joint working wherever possible. Be the strategic lead for the commissioning, development and governance of Nursing and Allied Health Professional education and training programmes. Promote a culture of continuous improvement, learning, coaching, supporting and enhancing individual learning.

Leadership and Management

Represent the Chief Nurse within the ICS and national meetings / conferences, as appropriate and required. Represent nursing and articulate the nursing view in relevant situations.

Professional

Maintain awareness of current professional and clinical practice issues to ensure National policy is accurately reflected in practice. Case manage high-level disciplinary or grievance investigations and serious incidents. Be the Trust point of contact for both NMC and HCPC referrals. Ensure are well informed and up to date in matters in relation to the NMC Code of Practice and maintain their own personal professional portfolio.

Research and Effectiveness

Develop approaches for the utilisation of best practice and research evidence, which supports nursing and improves patient experience. Ensure relevant nursing policies, protocols and procedures are up to date and based on the best available evidence.

Please refer to the Job Description for further details

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

MKUH is committed to equal opportunities and improving the working lives of our staff and as such we offer a range of flexible working practices.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

MKUH uses identification scanning technology to confirm the authenticity of documents; all prospective employees of MKUH will have their original documents verified using this technology.

By applying for this role, you accept if successful, that information from your application will be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system. Your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which aims at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers.

Upon commencing employment with the Trust, all employees (except Medical & Dental Staff on national terms and conditions) are subject to a probationary period lasting a period of six months with an option to extend for a further six months to a total of 12 months.

Person Specification Qualifications and knowledge

Essential

• Active registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Educated to a minimum of MSc. level with evidence of post MSc. training to doctorate level or equivalent experience.
• Management or leadership qualification or demonstratable experience of working within leadership roles
• Evidence of an in-depth knowledge of the Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT)

Desirable

• SNCT Scholar
• Project management qualification or training
• Professional Nurse Advocate or equivalent

Experience

Essential

• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills, able to interpret and compare highly complex facts, situations and strategies, developing a range of options
• Strong management and leadership skills with a proven record of introducing organisation wide change
• Experience of working in a senior role in a similar healthcare environment, within commissioner or provider organisation
• Experience of developing business cases/business planning
• Well-developed senior experience in workforce and education
• Experience of leading a team and delivering excellence through others
• Advanced engagement skills, able to influence and negotiate with colleagues on all levels (Internally and externally)
• Proven staff management experience with the ability to motivate, lead and challenge
• Experience of budget management

Skills

Essential

• Strategic thinker with ability to work as part of a team and able to work on own initiative
• Excellent presentational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to manage complex clinical and operational situations that involve staff from all levels within an organisation
• Tenacity to pursue goals energetically and succeed despite resistance
• Developed interpersonal and influencing skills
• Strong professional leadership qualities, assertive and self-confident individual
• Evidence of published research
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure while delivering high quality outcomes within agreed timescales
• Personally resilient and able to manage complexity and work in an ambiguous or changing environment
• Ability to concentrate for long periods of time when in meetings or analysing infection control issues/trends
• Ability to deal with frequent interruptions due to emerging service issues
• Standard keyboard skills and Microsoft Office experience

Specific requirements

Essential

• Able to perform the duties of the post with reasonable aids and adaptations
• Management of COSHH and Health and safety of Patients, Staff and Visitors in the clinical environment

Communication

Essential

• Able to communicate complex issues
• Highly developed communication skills, including advanced report writing skills, presentations and verbal communication.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to influence others.

Personal and people development

Essential

• Effective personal organisation skills.
• The ability to fulfil a senior management on call obligation.
• Preparedness to participate in 360 degree appraisal and effective / supportive / empowering performance review.

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.

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website.

Employer details

Employer name: Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Address: Directorate of Patient Care (Dept), Milton Keynes, MK6 5LD

Employer's website

https://www.mkuh.nhs.uk/working-at-mkuh