Head of Nursing & Professions and Quality: Sponsorship Available

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust

Job summary

Head of Nursing and Quality – Clinical Support Services (Pathology & Radiology)

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic nursing leader to join our team as Head of Nursing and Quality, supporting Pathology and Radiology services on site.

In this pivotal role, you will work closely with Operational Managers to balance the delivery of high-quality, safe patient care with strong performance, financial sustainability, and the expectations of patients and the public.

You will act as a senior professional advisor, providing expert guidance on all aspects of patient care, including safeguarding and the protection of vulnerable individuals. As a key member of the Clinical Support Triumvirate, you will lead on professional and practice development, ensuring services align with national, local, and organisational priorities, including service modernisation, clinical governance, and leadership.

You will play an integral role in driving consistent, safe, and high-quality care, working collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams to promote clinical excellence and best practice.

In addition, you will lead the development of patient pathways, policies, and processes across Pathology, Radiology, and Community Diagnostic Centres, ensuring services are delivered to agreed quality standards within available resources and support the Trust’s ambition to be a clinically led organisation.

Main duties of the job

The Head of Nursing will:

  • Ensure a high-quality patient experience is consistently delivered in the division.
  • Act as a strong patient advocate ensuring that a culture of continuous improvement and learning is supported in order to drive quality care delivery across the division.
  • Provide dynamic clinical leadership to all staff working within the Division of the MSE Group.
  • Work in partnership with Operational Managers and Clinical Directors to support all professional staff to work within their professional and CQC standards for care.
  • Provide professional support to the divisional clinical nurse specialist and other senior nurses.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse or Scientific Professional
  • Relevant degree or equivalent or portfolio of evidence
  • Qualification in management or leadership or equivalent
  • Significant experience at senior level in a clinical role which included an element of Quality Governance and Risk Management
  • Management experience within a complex clinical service context

Desirable

  • Project management qualification
  • Experience of working across regions or nationally on clinical governance / quality improvement initiatives

Knowledge & Experience

Essential

  • Effective clinical / operational management at Band 8 or equivalent
  • Use of research and audit tools
  • Resource management
  • Successful change management
  • Team leadership skills in diverse settings
  • Standard setting and outcome monitoring
  • Involvement in clinical ‘best practice’ initiatives
  • Relevant experience of involvement in meeting strategic organisational objectives
  • National Governance agenda and requirements
  • Corporate governance legislation and best practice
  • Quality improvement programmes and methodology
  • CQC outcomes / registration compliance framwork
  • National professional and political issues impacting on service delivery
  • Extensive, expert professional knowledge
  • Monitor’s Quality Governance Framwork
  • NHSLA standards
  • Resilience and determination balanced with pragmatism

Desirable

  • Understanding of principles of the matrix management model
  • Implementing programmes of care linked to organisational development / strategy
  • Publications in referenced journals

Communication Skills

Essential

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills demonstrating tact and diplomacy
  • Ability to influence, engage and inspire staff
  • Ability to use initiative appropriately
  • Ability to present highly complex and contentious information

Personal & People Development

Essential

  • High level influencing and negotiating skills
  • Ability to develop robust solutions to complex problems
  • Ability to develop efficient and lean processes to support systematic improvement
  • Able to use organisational structures to embed the clinical governance and quality framework
  • Able to prioritise work and meet challenging deadlines

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 (Opens in a new tab).

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 (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

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

Closing Date: 27 September 2026

To apply for this job please visit apps.trac.jobs.