Director of Nursing

NHS; Thatcham; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading mental health institution as the Director of Nursing. This pivotal role involves providing leadership across the nursing workforce and ensuring high-quality care. You will develop staff retention strategies, promote clinical excellence, and manage nursing budgets effectively. Become part of a dynamic team dedicated to creating a safe and innovative work culture.

Benefits

33 days annual leave plus your birthday off

Free meals and parking

Wellbeing support and activities

Career development and training opportunities

Pension contributions

Life assurance

Enhanced maternity package

Additional benefits including retail discounts and offers

Qualifications

• Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) with active NMC registration.
• Extensive senior leadership experience in mental health nursing.
• Proven ability to develop a future-ready nursing workforce.

Responsibilities

• Lead workforce planning and talent development for nursing teams.
• Develop strategies for staff retention and workforce sustainability.
• Promote clinical excellence through quality assurance initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Quality Improvement

Patient Safety

Governance

Workforce Wellbeing

Education

RMN qualification with active NMC registration

Job description

Are you an experienced Nurse Leader looking for the next step in your career? If so, join Thornford Park as the Director of Nursing. You will provide visible leadership and management across the nursing workforce, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based mental health care. As a key member of the senior management team, you will be instrumental in creating a psychologically safe work culture, where staff feel empowered to speak up, share concerns, and drive innovation.

Main duties of the job

As the Director of Nursing, you will be responsible for leading workforce planning and talent development, equipping nursing teams with advanced therapeutic competencies, developing staff retention strategies, integrating national nursing workforce strategies, championing clinical excellence through quality assurance and improvement, managing nursing budgets effectively, and developing nursing leadership.

About us

Elysium Healthcare, part of Ramsay Health Care, is a global network spanning 10 countries and employing over 86,000 people. We are committed to safer recruitment, inclusive hiring practices, and accessibility.

Job responsibilities

Join Thornford Park as the Director of Nursing, providing leadership across the nursing workforce to ensure high-quality mental health care. Be a key part of the senior management team, fostering a safe and innovative work environment.

• Lead workforce planning and talent development, ensuring staff have the skills and resilience for future demands.
• Equip nursing teams with advanced therapeutic skills and leadership capabilities, including digital competencies.
• Develop strategies for staff retention and workforce sustainability.
• Align with national nursing workforce strategies and service models.
• Utilize governance data for decision-making and quality improvements.
• Implement structured audit cycles, benchmarking, and analytics in nursing governance.
• Promote clinical excellence through quality assurance and improvement initiatives.
• Strengthen coproduction models involving patients in service improvements.
• Lead PDSA cycles to embed innovation and continuous improvement.
• Manage nursing budgets to optimize resource allocation.
• Develop future nursing leaders through mentorship and training.

Qualifications and experience

• Registered Mental Health Nurse (RMN) with active NMC registration.
• Extensive senior leadership experience in mental health nursing.
• Proven ability to develop a future-ready nursing workforce.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Expertise in quality improvement, patient safety, governance, and workforce wellbeing.

Where you'll be working

Thornford Park is a 141-bed independent hospital supporting medium and low secure forensic mental health services, including PICU services. You will work alongside a multidisciplinary team providing personalized assessment and treatment for diverse patient groups.

What you will get

• 33 days annual leave plus your birthday off.
• Free meals and parking.
• Wellbeing support and activities.
• Career development and training opportunities.
• Pension contributions.
• Life assurance.
• Enhanced maternity package.
• Additional benefits including retail discounts and offers.

About your next employer

You will work for an established, stable, and agile company with over 8,000 employees across a network of over 90 services in England and Wales, covering mental health, neurological, learning disabilities, autism, and educational services. We promote inclusive recruitment and safeguarding, with all staff required to understand their responsibilities for service user welfare. DBS checks are mandatory.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• RMN qualification with active NMC registration.
• Leadership experience in mental health nursing.
• Ability to develop a future-ready workforce.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.
• Expertise in quality improvement, patient safety, governance, and workforce wellbeing.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This role is subject to a DBS check, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1975 and related legislation.

Salary expectations will be discussed at interview.