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ESHT; Central Ontario; On-site; CAD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff development

NHS pension

Temporary Workforce Service

Onsite nurseries

Staff restaurants

Accommodation

Employee assistance programme

Onsite parking

Job summary

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust seeks an experienced Head of Nursing for the Women’s and Children’s division to provide strategic leadership across paediatrics and gynaecology. You will lead on professional practice, quality, governance and safeguarding, ensuring safe, compassionate care for children, young people and their families.

The role reports to the senior leadership team, translating national priorities into local delivery and ensuring integrated pathways across maternity, neonatal and

Qualifications

• Provides strategic leadership for paediatrics and gynaecology nursing, focusing on children, young people and families.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for nursing workforce and professional practice across paediatrics, neonates and gynaecology.
• Lead on quality assurance, patient safety and experience, driving continuous learning and improvement.
• Ensure safeguarding responsibilities for children and vulnerable groups are met.
• Collaborate with midwifery, medical, AHP and corporate teams for integrated pathways across maternity, neonatal and paediatric care.
• Support delivery of performance indicators including waiting times, flow, harm reduction and outcomes.

Job description

Head of Nursing Women and Children's division | East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust

We are seeking an experienced, forward-thinking, and values-driven Head of Nursing for Paediatrics and Gynaecology to provide visible, compassionate and strategic leadership across a diverse portfolio of women’s and children’s services. You will be a Registered Nurse/ AHP with substantial senior leadership experience across services which include paediatrics and women’s health, with a demonstrative commitment to improving outcomes and experiences for children, young people and their families. You will lead on the delivery of professional, clinical and quality standards across acute and community services, ensuring safe, effective and compassionate care is consistently delivered.

This senior role holds professional accountability for nursing practice across paediatric, neonatal and gynaecology services, ensuring the delivery of safe, effective, responsive and well-led care in line with CQC Fundamental Standards, the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, and national clinical guidance.

Working as part of the senior leadership team and the relevant care groups, you will ensure strong clinical leadership, professional standards and governance are embedded across all services, supporting the delivery of high-quality, equitable care for children, young people, women and their families.

You will play a pivotal role in translating national priorities into local delivery, including:

• Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) recommendations for paediatrics, neonates and gynaecology.
• National Patient Safety Alerts and Learning from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE).
• NICE guidance and best practice standards.
• Royal College standards (RCPCH, RCN, RCOG) and relevant safeguarding frameworks.

The postholder will:

• Provide leadership for nursing workforce and professional practice, ensuring safe staffing, skill mix and workforce sustainability across paediatrics, neonates and gynaecology.
• Lead on quality assurance, patient safety and experience, driving a culture of continuous learning, transparency, and improvement.
• Ensure robust systems are in place to meet statutory safeguarding responsibilities for children and vulnerable groups.
• Work in partnership with midwifery, medical, AHP and corporate teams to ensure integrated pathways across maternity, neonatal and paediatric care.
• Support delivery of key performance indicators including waiting times, flow, harm reduction, and patient outcomes.

The role requires a highly visible leader who can operate with credibility across complex systems, balancing strategic priorities with operational delivery, and driving improvement across interfaces between children’s, neonatal, and women’s health services.

• staff development
• enrolment in the NHS pension scheme
• auto-enrolment to our Temporary Workforce Service
• access to onsite nurseries
• staff restaurants and accommodation

• In addition to an internal Occupational Health department, all staff also have access to free psychological support through our confidential Employee Assistance Programme.
• Onsite parking is available from only £50 a year.

Statement on the Use of AI

We value the individuality that each candidate brings to the application process. While we understand that AI tools are widely available, we strongly discourage applicants from using AI-generated content when applying for jobs with us. We believe that your application should reflect your true skills, experiences, and motivations, which are best conveyed through your own words and unique perspective.

Using AI for your application may not accurately represent your knowledge, skills, and experience and may result in a disconnect between your qualifications and our assessment of your application.

We encourage applicants to take the time to thoughtfully complete their applications; by doing so, you allow us to better understand your true potential and ensure a fair and transparent evaluation of your application. Over reliance on AI-generated content may diminish your chance of success.

Please refer to the job description attached.

If you have any questions about this position please do not hesitate to contact us.

This advert closes on Thursday 24 Sep 2026

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.

Company: ESHT Salary: £66,582 - £77,368 per annum, pro rata Hours: Full-time Location: Hastings, TN37 7RD Job type: Permanent Posting date: 10 Sept 2026 Closing date: 10 Oct 2026