Divisional Lead Nurse

The successful candidate will provide forward-thinking clinical and professional leadership to nursing staff at all levels within their service group, ensuring that nursing care is delivered to a high standard and that the nursing resource is managed effectively.

They will deputise and support the Divisional Associate Chief Nurse with the ongoing implementation of the quality strategy ensuring achievements of all its objectives and proactively modernising nursing roles in accordance with the needs of the patients.

Additionally, the post holder will support the delivery of the Divisional objectives and contribute to the delivery of the overall Trust strategic objectives and achieving key performance targets.

Main duties of the job

This post will provide an exciting opportunity to work with the Divisional Associate Chief Nurse, supporting them to provide senior management and responsibility for the professional leadership of nursing within the division.

We are looking for a confident, driven individual with an excellent track record of leadership. You will demonstrate experience of management within a healthcare setting and experience of developing and implementing quality assurance measures, leading service development and leading teams at a senior level. You must be able to demonstrate advanced engagement skills with the ability to influence and negotiate with team members at all levels.

The successful applicant will be expected to deputise for the ACN and take the lead at divisional meetings to represent the divisional team. There will be an expectation to retain part of your current role within your service to maintain management oversight of that service.

About us

Clinical Network services division is responsible for the service management of Protons, radiotherapy, Clinical oncology, SACT services, Haematology, Medical oncology, Outpatients, pharmacy and Physics. We have a large team of advanced and specialist nurses working within disease groups as well as 3 matrons working within our clinical areas of SACT services, outpatients and haematology.

The Division has a supportive and warm working culture where your contribution is valued. You will be joining an established senior team responsible for service management and improvement with the sole objective of improving patient care and experience. Our combined resources, strategies and talented workforce enable us to deliver a wider variety of high-quality services that are based on best practice and are continually improving.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Planning and Organisational

• Work in close association with the divisional leadership team (clinical and operational), clinicians and departments to enable staff to support service delivery across the Trust.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and review of the Divisional Strategy, development and innovation priorities and strategic goals, and sets out the structures and organisational plan to achieve these goals.
• Contributes to the development, implementation and review of the Trust's Corporate Objectives and Divisional Objectives.
• Support with the operational development, implementation and review of Trust systems and processes relating to service delivery including digital technology and IT systems.
• In collaboration with the Divisional Associate Chief Nurse, lead on workforce development & training for clinical staff within the Trust.
• Represent the Trust locally and nationally and participate in national forums and work streams.
• Contribute to the senior Trust meetings and, working with the Trust clinical staff and senior nurses, promote the strategic development of nursing within the Trust.
• Represent the Division and Trust at forums or consultative groups in relation to clinical delivery services.

• Lead the promotion of best practice by ensuring strong leadership and an effective change management strategy, designed to enhance care of patients involvement.
• Act in a consultant capacity providing specialist information and support across specialties within the division.
• Work clinically as a resource and role model and to cover absence as required, ensuring a reasonable balance between need, area of expertise and own service area.
• Attend and contribute to Trust Senior meetings and ensure corporate change is implemented where appropriate.
• Works across teams to analyse, produce, provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information including information on finances, performance data and HR data.
• Produces, analyses, and interprets key performance data in accordance with various internal and external performance management frameworks, and be able to produce meaningful reports for the Division.
• Can use a variety of clinical information systems including CWP, care flow etc.
• Ensures effective communications and engagement with other Divisions in the Trust.
• Supports in the divisional objectives relating to EDI, ensuring these programs of work are seen as a key part of divisional workplans and strategic objectives.

• Provide professional leadership for service delivery staff and direct line management for Team Leaders and other staff as required.
• Ensure that appropriate line management arrangements are in place for all staff and that nurses are professionally accountable to suitably experienced senior nursing staff within the Trust.
• Ensures that grievances and raising concern issues are treated appropriately and within Trust policies.
• Lead by example by ensuring your communication style reflects the values of the trust, utilising advanced communication skills, empowering, and motivating a positive culture within individuals and teams.
• Act as a role model for standards of behaviour and professionalism.
• Monitor adequate staffing levels within the Division, identifying skill mix requirements to reflect service developments and clinical need and consider innovative roles to support clinical service delivery.
• Develop a long-term strategy for nursing within the division to ensure the workforce is competent, flexible and responsive and continues to develop.
• Lead on workforce planning (short and long term) to identify potential problems/shortfalls in skills and knowledge, and to improve capacity and capability, retention, and career development of all staff.

• Within sphere of responsibility ensure self and line-report staff manage pay and non-pay resources efficiently and effectively, and in accordance with corporate standards, procedures, policies, and objectives. Include formulating and delivering remedial action plans where adverse variances arise.
• Work in partnership with Divisional Senior Management team, finance, HR and information analysts to lead the service line and specialties in a professional manner way and to ensure the safe and effective management and leadership of the specialty teams and resources.
• Complete and submit business cases as required and support the delivery teams in developing these.

• Clinically input to the design, development, management, and delivery of several large, complex, and clinical projects and programmes.
• Prioritise a challenging workload of multiple programmes and projects, exercising sound judgment in an extremely complex environment.
• Analyse key problems and issues within clinical service areas to identify areas for improvement and deliver appropriate solutions which are efficient and effective. This includes the ability to undertake audits, process mapping, root cause analysis to gather, assimilate and interpret data (quantitative and qualitative).
• Proactively identify and manage risks and issues, escalating as required through standard Trust processes.
• Participates with service/speciality teams in the development of policy, processes, and business plans at Directorate/Service level.
• Represent and provide nursing expertise and advice to business and operational discussions, meetings, and forums.
• Responsible for recognising service requirements and ensuring these are communicated to the Directorate/Speciality teams and Divisional Head of Nursing & AHPs.
• Ensuring that all staff practice in accordance with statutory and corporate policies including those specific to patient safety.
• To be aware of, comment on and/or actively participate in changes on policies, procedures, or service developments.
• To embrace and support line management and the department in making service improvements effective within the workplace.

• Oversight of operational issues pertaining to service delivery at the Trust, leading and delivery on operational improvement projects as appropriate.
• Oversight of incidents and risks within departments and ensuring dissemination and learning from reported trends and events.
• Ensure that confidentiality for patients and staff is maintained in all areas and that staff adhere to the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and the Caldicott Principles.
• Ensure all relevant Governances and quality training in completed within teams in appropriate timeframes.
• Ensure regular use of quality management systems.
• Support with audits where appropriate and support with dissemination of learning.
• Maintain a range of communication resources to ensure all staff across the teams have access to up-to-date information about the governance and performance of the division.

• Act as a role model and professional resource and advise as an expert practitioner in all areas of practice, to improve safe patient care, patient experience and clinical practice.
• Work in close association with senior staff and team leaders to support consistent and effective line management to divisional staff.
• Provide professional practice supervision and coaching to staff, as required.
• Manage and advise about the appropriate appraisal process.
• In conjunction with the Divisional Associate Chief Nurse develop a long-term strategy for the management of the service delivery workforce across the Trust to ensure the workforce is competent, flexible and responsive and continues to develop.
• Identify and connect all staff to ensure that the individuals and teams can work efficiently and consistently and can benefit from peer support and sharing of good practice through, for example, regular meetings, journal clubs, and training.
• Facilitate and enable the recruitment process for new staff, and act strategically to enable retention of staff and ensure staff wellbeing. Ensure adherence to Trust policies and procedures.
• Monitor adequate staffing levels within the Clinical Division, identifying skill mix requirements to reflect service developments and clinical need and consider innovative roles to support service delivery for the future.
• Ensure all Human Resource Key performance indicators are within agreed tolerances.
• Ensure all teams deliver activity to agreed national targets and escalate any significant issues that cause delay to appropriate leads.
• Promote the development of appraisals, mentorship and clinical supervision within the delivery teams.
• Attend and contribute to Divisional Board meetings and other key meetings.
• Act as deputy for the Associate Chief nurse in their absence.

• Utilise specialist expertise and knowledge in the professional development and deployment of all clinical practitioners across the division to enable a sustained and flexible workforce to have the necessary capacity, capability and skill to underpin the delivery of high-quality outcomes.
• Foster strategic links with external stakeholders.
• Be responsible for ensuring that robust systems are in place to give assurance that clinical nursing staff have completed the relevant competencies to undertake their roles.
• Develop and deliver a sustainable culture and environment that promotes effective collaboration and the achievement of continuous improvement by maintaining commitment to the goals and aims of the quality strategy and quality objectives.
• Carry out regular learning and development needs analysis for staff and direct them to appropriate opportunities.
• Lead on workforce planning (short and long term) for the workforce to identify potential problems/shortfalls in skills and knowledge, and to improve capacity and capability, retention and career development of nursing delivery staff.

• First level registered nurse, with current NMC registration.
• Degree level qualification in healthcare related subject.
• Evidence of leadership development.
• Evidence of education to master's level or equivalent experience.
• Teaching & assessing qualification.

• Post graduate qualification in leadership and/or management.

• Demonstrable experience of senior management and leadership within a healthcare setting.
• Demonstrable experience of leading clinical innovation or leading change within clinical practice.
• Evidence of relevant involvement in meeting the Trust quality & Patient Safety objectives.
• Demonstrate the ability to maintain high standards of care and team management over a sustained period.
• Demonstrable experience in development of nursing as a professional in their practice.
• Evidence of making operational judgements involving highly complex facts/situations.
• Demonstrable experience in workforce planning, managing resources budgetary and financial management.

• Evidence of contributing to or leading on change at a national level.
• Experience of collaborative working within and outside organisational boundaries.
• Research experience.

• Evidence of strong leadership.