Deputy Director of Nursing

Shape the future of hospice care in West Essex

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced and inspirational senior nurse leader to join our hospice at a pivotal point in our organisational journey.

Having successfully concluded a period of organisational restructuring and cost improvement, the hospice is on a strong financial footing and focused on developing sustainable, high-quality services that meet the evolving needs of our community.

Working alongside the Director of Patient Care and Quality, you will help shape and deliver our clinical strategy, ensuring services remain responsive, innovative and focused on achieving outstanding outcomes for patients and families.

As Deputy Director of Nursing, you will provide visible professional nursing leadership across the organisation, championing high standards of care, patient safety and clinical excellence.

You will lead the development of nursing practice, workforce capability and professional standards, promoting evidence-based care and fostering a culture of continuous learning, accountability and improvement.

You will play a key role in clinical governance, workforce planning and service development, ensuring nursing care is delivered in line with professional standards, regulatory requirements and best practice.

Working closely with clinical leaders, you will support the ongoing enhancement of specialist palliative and end of life care across all services.

Main duties of the job

The Deputy Director of Nursing is a highly visible senior nurse leader who combines strategic leadership, expert clinical practice, professional nursing leadership and operational oversight to ensure the delivery of outstanding palliative and end of life care.

As one of the most senior nurses within the organisation, the post holder will champion excellence in nursing practice, professional standards, education, workforce development and patient experience across all hospice services.

The Deputy Director of Nursing will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of hospice care through the development of innovative models of practice, workforce transformation, clinical education and quality improvement initiatives.

The post holder will be an experienced palliative and end of life care practitioner, holding independent prescribing qualifications and maintaining a level of direct clinical practice to ensure credibility, visibility and connection with patients, families and staff.

Working in partnership with the Director of Patient Care and Quality, the Deputy Director of Nursing will provide strategic and operational leadership across clinical services whilst acting as a professional role model, mentor and ambassador for nursing excellence both within the organisation and across the wider health and social care system.

About us

St Clare Hospice is a charity providing specialist palliative care to improve the lives of people affected by a life-limiting illness in West Essex and the borders of eastern Hertfordshire.

Our care helps patients, their families, and carers, to make the most of every moment together, no matter how long they have left to live.

We support them both at home and in the Hospice.

• Job responsibilities
• Clinical Leadership and Professional Role Modelling

Act as the clinical and professional nursing lead for the organisation, championing excellence in hospice and palliative nursing care.

Provide direct line management, professional supervision, and performance oversight of Senior Clinical Nurse Specialists, ensuring high standards of specialistnursing practice, service delivery, and professional development.

Hold full line management accountability for the Community Hospice Services team, including Community CNSs and associated roles, with responsibility for workforce management, performance, capability, and professional conduct.

Ensure effective leadership, governance, and integration of the Community Hospice Services, including clarity of roles, accountability, and multidisciplinary working across organisational and system boundaries.

Provide highly visible leadership across inpatient, community, and specialist services.

Model compassionate, evidence-based, person-centred care in all clinical interactions.

Act as a professional role model aligned with the NMC Code, hospice values, and national best practice. Deliver hands on nursing care commensurate with seniority.

Advanced Clinical Practice and Expert Professional Leadership

Maintain advanced clinical expertise in palliative and end of life care.

Undertake direct clinical activity appropriate to role seniority, including assessment, planning and management of patients with complex palliative care needs.

Practice as an Independent Non-Medical Prescriber.

Act as a source of expert clinical advice for nursing, medical and multidisciplinarycolleagues.

Lead the development of advanced clinical practice pathways across hospice Services.

Support and supervise nurse prescribers and advanced practitioners.

Contribute to complex case review, ethical decision making and servicedevelopment.

Promote evidence-based practice and implementation of emerging best practicewithin specialist palliative care.

Clinical Standards, Quality, and Governance

Hold organisation wide professional responsibility for nursing clinical standards, quality, and professional practice.

Leads the development, implementation, and assurance of nursing standards acrossthe organisation.

Ensure care is safe, effective, responsive, caring, and well-led in line with CQCframeworks and statutory requirements.

Oversee the development, implementation, and review of clinical policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Lead professional input into clinical governance, including audit, learning fromincidents, safeguarding, complaints, and patient and family feedback.

Provide expert advice to the Executive Team and Board on clinical risk, qualityassurance, and professional assurance.

Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer (CDAO) Responsibilities

Act as the organisations Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer (CDAO) inaccordance with legislative and regulatory requirements.

Provide strategic and operational oversight of controlled drugs governance across allhospice services.

Ensure robust systems are in place for the safe prescribing, storage, administration, documentation, disposal, and monitoring of controlled drugs.

Chair or provide senior oversight of controlled drugs governance arrangements, including incident review, trend analysis, and learning.

Ensure concerns relating to controlled drugs are promptly investigated, escalated, and addressed, including liaison with relevant external bodies where required.

Provide assurance to the Senior Leadership Team and Board regarding compliancewith controlled drugs legislation and associated risks.

Education, Research and Workforce Development

Provide strategic leadership for clinical education across the hospice.

Develop a future-focused nursing workforce capable of meeting evolving patient andsystem needs.

Lead the development of clinical competency frameworks, career pathways andsuccession planning initiatives.

Create opportunities for clinical placements, apprenticeships and leadershipdevelopment.

Support nurses undertaking specialist qualifications and independent prescribingprogrammes.

Act as Practice Assessor and mentor for advanced practice trainees and nurseprescribers.

Foster a culture of enquiry, innovation and continuous learning.

Promote engagement in audit, quality improvement, research and evidence-basedpractice.

Develop strong partnerships with Higher Education Institutions and professionalbodies.

Culture, Values, and Staff Experience

Foster a culture of psychological safety, kindness, accountability, and professionalpride.

Support staff wellbeing while maintaining clear professional expectations andstandards of practice.

Actively contribute to the organisations approach to values-based leadership andcompassionate workplaces.

Address poor performance or practice decisively and consistently, using supportive, fair, and proportionate approaches.

Operational Oversight and Deputising Responsibility

Deputise for the Director of Patient Care and Quality, providing leadership anddecision-making authority in their absence.

Provide operational oversight of clinical services, ensuring safe staffing, effectivepatient flow, and continuity of care across all hospice settings.

Support the Director of Patient Care and Quality in the delivery of operationalobjectives, service performance, and quality improvement plans.

Contribute to operational rota oversight, escalation management, and risk mitigationas required.

Work closely with service managers and clinical leads to address operationalchallenges while maintaining clinical standards and patient experience.

Lead or support operational responses to serious incidents, safeguarding concerns, and regulatory inspections as required.

Escalate to the Director of Patient Care and Quality only where risks cannot bemitigated operationally, have strategic impact, or require executive decision-making.

Strategic and Organisational Leadership

Ensure nursing services respond proactively to national policy, population need andemerging models of palliative care delivery.

Contribute at Senior Leadership Team and Board level to organisational strategy, service development, and transformation.

Ensure nursing and professional perspectives inform all major organisationaldecisions.

Lead the development of the hospice nursing strategy and contribute to the strategicdevelopment of palliative and end of life care services across the wider health andcare system.

Represent the organisation as a senior nursing leader with commissioners, Integrated Care Boards, system partners, regulators, universities and professionalnetworks.

Act as a public and professional ambassador for hospice and palliative care nursing.

Scope and Accountability

Overall professional leadership and accountability for all registered nurses within theorganisation.

Delegated responsibility for nursing education, professional standards, qualityassurance, and clinical leadership.

Management accountability for the Community Hospice Services team, including Community Clinical Nurse Specialists, with responsibility for staffing, appraisal, capability management, and service delivery within community settings.

Direct line management accountability for Clinical Nurse Specialists, withprofessional leadership responsibility for all registered nurses across theorganisation.

Delegated operational responsibility when deputising for the Director of Patient Care.

Work collaboratively with medical, allied health professional, and operational leadersto deliver safe and effective services.

Provide professional and operational assurance on nursing standards, quality, andsafety to the Director of Patient Care and Quality.

Statutory accountability as the organisations Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer(CDAO), with responsibility for providing assurance on the governance, safety, andregulatory compliance of controlled drugs management.

Person Specification

• Values and Behaviours
• The post holder will consistently demonstrate behaviours aligned to
• hospice values, including compassion, integrity, respect, excellence and
• Personal Attributes
• A visible, compassionate and highly credible clinical leader.
• Passionate advocate for excellence in palliative and end of life care.
• Commitment to professional standards, continuous improvement and
• Resilient and confident when leading through complexity, ambiguity
• and change.
• Able to challenge constructively and hold professional standards with
• integrity.
• Demonstrates emotional intelligence, self-awareness and reflective
• practice.
• Builds trust and credibility with patients, families, staff and external
• partners.
• Acts as an ambassador for the hospice and the nursing profession.
• Recognised by peers as a credible expert practitioner in palliative
• and end of life care, with the ability to influence practice, education
• and service development at organisational level.

Experience

• Significant senior nursing leadership experience within a specialist
• palliative care or hospice service.
• Expert knowledge of palliative and end of life care, underpinned by
• extensive clinical experience managing patients with complex
• palliative and end of life care needs
• within specialist palliative care settings.
• Experience of autonomous clinical decision-making and advanced
• clinical assessment.
• Experience as an independent prescriber managing complex
• Proven track record of leading service improvement, transformation
• and change programmes.
• Experience of leading multidisciplinary teams and influencing
• practice across organisational boundaries.
• Experience of leading clinical governance, quality improvement, audit
• and patient safety initiatives.
• Experience of developing nursing workforce capability, succession
• planning and talent management.
• Experience of managing professional performance, capability and
• complex workforce issues.
• Experience of representing an organisation at regional or national
• level.
• Experience of developing advanced clinical practice pathways.
• Experience of research, publication, conference presentations or
• contributing to national guidance.
• Experience of supporting nurses undertaking independent
• prescribing programmes.
• Experience of CQC inspection preparation and regulatory
• Knowledge and Skills
• Comprehensive understanding of professional nursing leadership
• and accountability.
• Excellent understanding of the NMC Code and professional
• standards.
• Strong understanding of clinical governance, risk management,
• safeguarding and patient safety.
• Sound knowledge of healthcare policy and the strategic direction of
• palliative and end of life care services.
• Ability to translate national policy and evidence into local practice.
• Ability to inspire, influence and lead at senior organisational and
• system level.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation and relationship-building
• skills.
• Ability to analyse complex information and make sound professional
• judgements.
• Strong coaching, mentoring and leadership development skills.
• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery and
• direct clinical credibility.
• Knowledge of advanced clinical practice frameworks.
• Understanding of research methodologies and implementation
• Knowledge of workforce redesign and contemporary models of care
• delivery.

Qualifications

• Registered Nurse (Adult) with current NMC registration.
• Independent and Supplementary Nurse Prescriber qualification with evidence of active prescribing practice.
• Master's level education in Advanced Clinical Practice, Leadership, Education, Palliative Care or a related discipline, or equivalent senior-level professional experience.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development and commitment to maintaining clinical expertise.
• Teaching, mentorship, coaching or educational qualification.
• Management or 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.

• £60,913 to £73,847 a yearinclusive of High Cost Area Allowance (depending on experience)
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