Director of Nursing and Quality – Hospital Setting

Job/Role Summary

As Executive Director of Nursing and Quality I am professionally accountable to the Trust Board for the following key areas; – Managing the nursing, midwifery and allied health professions service across the Trust – Managing the budget for nursing, midwifery and allied health professions plus associated administrative support – Deputy lead within the Trust for Clinical & Social Care Governance – Developing and implementing the quality agenda – Designated Director responsible for managing complaints – Remit for health promotion and disease prevention.

Specific qualifications and experience required

• Registered on NMC Live register
• Adult Nursing
• Post-registration qualifications to degree level
• Management qualifications at post-degree level
• Senior nursing and managerial experience in:
  • Managing change
  • Workforce planning
  • Interdisciplinary working
  • Proven leadership and managerial skills
  • Budget management
  • Strategic development
  • Corporate management.

Career Milestones

Throughout my career I have gained experience in clinical practice to the level of Ward Manager. I spent some time in education which enabled me to develop my knowledge and understanding of nursing and nursing practice. I then moved into management at the level of Assistant Director managing an Acute Hospital Site and subsequently moved to the level of Director of Nursing. Each of these work experiences has made a significant contribution to my personal and professional development in different ways. My clinical experience gave me a sound foundation on which to build, gaining experience in managing people, and a part of the service. The skills I developed as a teacher have been valuable throughout my career and have particularly helped me in my management roles since. The experience I gained at Assistant Director and Director level has helped me meet the challenges of the job, particularly in understanding how health and social care services function and how to work through others to deliver a quality service.

What attracted you to this job?

• An interest in acute care delivery together with previous experience at Director of Nursing level
• The desire to make a difference and improve the quality of care for patients in an acute hospital.

Enjoyable aspects of the job/role

• The challenges of the job within a supportive team .Serving the local community
• Providing a quality service

Important success factors

• Previous experience particularly at director level and support from colleagues both senior and junior .Successful initiatives that demonstrate an improved quality of care for patients .Development programmes – such as Ascendant 21c.

Advice for those considering the type of job/role?

You need to be knowledgeable of the health and social care services and to be knowledgeable about nursing and midwifery practice. You will need budget management skills to help manage the resources available to you. You will need to understand what is required to achieve success through the work of others and how to motivate a large workforce. You will need an understanding of the concept of performance management – setting objectives and processes to effectively measure performance. You will need to know and understand the key elements of change management.

Key skills that can be gained within this job/role?

Within the context of managing a nursing, midwifery and allied health professions workforce of 1600-1700 staff who deliver care and treatment to approximately 500 in-patients at any one time, the key skills I have gained in my current role include: .Knowledge of what motivates different people .To create an environment that people understand what is required of them e.g. the overall performance of the service .To remain focused and committed to your vision .How to manage a significant amount of information .Accept that it is not possible to retain every absolute detail .How to keep a number of initiatives going at any time.

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