Job summary
Lead Compassion. Drive Excellence. Shape the Future of Hospice Care.

Are you an experienced senior nursing leader with a passion for delivering exceptional palliative and end of life care?

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an inspirational and values-driven Group Deputy Director of Nursing & Quality to provide strategic, professional and operational leadership across Butterwick Hospice and Teesside Hospice. This newly created group role offers the chance to influence and develop services that make a real difference to patients, families and communities across the Northeast.

Main duties of the job
About the Role
Reporting directly to the Director of Nursing & Quality, you will:

• Provide professional and operational leadership across clinical services
• Lead clinical governance, patient safety, safeguarding, quality assurance and regulatory compliance
• Drive service improvement and transformation programmes across both hospices
• Develop and support high-performing multidisciplinary teams
• Lead workforce planning, recruitment, retention and professional development
• Monitor service quality, patient experience and organisational performance
• Build strong partnerships with NHS providers, commissioners, local authorities and community stakeholders
• Act as the CQC Deputy Registered Manager
• Deputise for the Director of Nursing & Quality when required and participate in the senior leadership on-call rota

About us
This is more than a leadership role. It is an opportunity to help shape the future of hospice care across two respected and ambitious organisations.

By joining our team, you will:

• Make a lasting impact on the lives of patients and families
• Lead services that are recognised for compassion, quality and innovation
• Work alongside committed, skilled and supportive colleagues
• Contribute to exciting service development and transformation programmes
• Play a key role in delivering excellence across our hospice communities

People are at our core. We offer a supportive environment with opportunities for professional growth and development and are always aiming for the highest standards and working environment. Our teams work positively together, collaborating to ensure our patients get the best care, and staff enjoy a fulfilling career knowing they make a real difference in people's lives.

Our values are Compassionate, Skilled, Accountable, Trustworthy and Principled - working here means being part of a community that focuses on empathy, respect and teamwork. We're there for everyone who needs us and are on a mission to change the way society and healthcare systems care for people.

Join us at Teesside Hospice Group and be part of a place where your skills and compassion can truly shine.

Job responsibilities
Leadership and performance management

• Provide senior leadership for hospice clinical services, ensuring consistent delivery of compassionate, safe, effective and evidence-based care.
• Lead the operational management and performance of clinical services including Adult and Childrens inpatient care, Wellbeing and Day Services, Outreach and complex clinics, therapies and bereavement support.
• Take responsibility for clinical governance systems including risk management, incident review, safeguarding, audit, policy development and continuous quality improvement.
• Ensure compliance with Care Quality Commission standards, professional codes of practice, medicines management, infection prevention and patient safety requirements.
• Provide advice to clinical teams and senior leaders on palliative and end of life care, governance and service delivery.
• Build effective working relationships with medical colleagues, multidisciplinary teams, community partners, commissioners, NHS organisations, local authorities and voluntary sector partners.
• Monitor, analyse and report on quality, activity, workforce and patient experience metrics, acting where performance improvement is required.
• Maintain and develop systems / processes to seek views on hospice services, leading hospice Patient and Public Engagement and experience programme using feedback tools to seek users views and actions required acted upon.
• Represent the organisation at internal and external forums.

Service Delivery. Change Management and Service Improvement

• Contribute to organisational strategy and business planning; providing strategic leadership across groupwide services
• Ensuring clinical workforce is fit for purpose and lead workforce planning, recruitment, retention, appraisal, supervision, capability management and professional development for clinical teams.
• Contribute to financial planning and the efficient use of resources.
• Responsible for the sustained delivery of budgets through ensuring clinical resources are used effectively.
• Lead and support service redesign, pathway development and quality improvement initiatives in response to patient need, national guidance and organisational priorities, including staffing so new and expanded responsibilities are developed where appropriate and skill mix changes implemented as required.
• Ensure robust systems in place for Safeguarding (including Vulnerable Adults and Children; Deprivation of Liberty; Mental capacity: Learning Disabilities.

Clinical and Professional Development

• Act as a senior professional role model, promoting hospice values, equality, diversity and inclusion, and a culture of continuous improvement and compassionate leadership.
• Work in collaboration with Group Board of Directors, Groupwide and service/Team leads.
• Ensure systems for staff support and development are embedded within hospice services (e.g. preceptorship, clinical supervision, mentorship and coaching)
• Responsible for own professional development and maintaining registration requirements by participating in learning activities.

This job description is intended to describe the main duties and responsibilities of the role and is not an exhaustive list. Duties may change over time in line with service need, organisational priorities and regulatory requirements

Person Specification
Experience
Essential

• Substantial senior clinical leadership experience in palliative care, hospice care, community services or related healthcare setting
• Significant experience of leading clinical governance, service improvement, quality assurance and regulatory compliance within a regulated service.
• Experience of managing multidisciplinary teams, complex service delivery and organisational change
• Strong understanding of palliative and end of life care standards, safeguarding, patient safety, risk management and quality improvement methodology.
• Experience in budget management, workforce planning and performance management.

Desirable

• Teaching, mentoring coaching or practice development experience
• Experience as a CQC Registered Manager or equivalent regulated service lead.
• Experience of strategic service planning business case development and partnership working across organisational boundaries

Skills & Abilities
Essential

• Ability to independently travel across area covered
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship management skills, including the ability to present complex or sensitive information to as wide range of stakeholders.
• Excellent IT Skills, specifically Microsoft Word, Excel
• Ability to lead strategically while maintaining operational oversight of multiple departments.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, with the ability to interpret complex datasets and translate into action.
• High level of emotional intelligence, resilience and professional ambiguity

Desirable

• High level of emotional intelligence, resilience and professional ambiguity

Qualifications
Essential

• Evidence of Degree level professional qualification in specialist area
• Evidence of Masters level study or equivalent level of experience in leadership, quality, patient safety or healthcare management
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Leadership and/or management development qualification
• Registered Nurse with current registration with NMC

Desirable

• Registered Nurse (Child) or Registered Nurse (Learning Disabilities)

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.
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).