Head of Nursing

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 82,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare trust in London seeks experienced Heads of Nursing to lead nursing teams and enhance patient care. Successful candidates will have a strong nursing background, leadership qualifications, and significant operational experience in clinical environments. These roles focus on improving patient pathways and ensuring compassionate, evidence-based care. This is a fantastic opportunity to drive clinical improvement within a supportive and dynamic team environment.

Qualifications

• Registered trained nurse with a master's or equivalent clinical experience.
• Evidence of continuing personal development.
• Significant acute operational nursing experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead nursing teams across BCYP services and advocacy roles.
• Drive improvement in patient flow and workforce sustainability.
• Ensure compassionate, safe, person-centered care delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Nursing management

Patient advocacy

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Education

Registered trained nurse MSc

Management/leadership qualifications

Specialist knowledge at doctorate level

Job description

We are seeking exceptional, inspiring and experienced nursing leaders to join Royal Free London Group as Heads of Nursing. These pivotal roles sit within our Divisional Leadership Teams, shaping high-quality services and create environments where staff can truly thrive.

This is an exciting time to join the Trust as we implement a new clinical operational model that strengthens accountability, flow, and professional leadership across pathways of care.

At Royal Free London we have set out an ambitious plan to enable our staff to deliver world-leading healthcare for all our patients, meet growing demand and create a healthier future for local people and those further afield who come to our hospitals for specialist treatment.

Our clinical vision is transforming how we deliver world-class care, and the way people access our services. Our hospitals have different opportunities and challenges based on the patients they care for. We have developed local clinical priorities that reflect the needs and expectations of those different communities

About You

You will be a credible, visible and values-driven nursing leader, able to:

• Envision and implement future models of nursing care aligned to system priorities.
• Lead through influence, collaboration and clinical credibility.
• Foster high-performing, compassionate teams and inclusive, positive working cultures.
• Balance strategic leadership with operational grip and delivery.
• Champion equality, diversity and inclusion for patients & staff.

Main duties of the job

We have three exciting opportunities across two major divisions, all with their main base at the North Middlesex University Hospital:

BCYP Division - across hospital, community & CAMHS services

• BCYP Community & Therapies
• BCYP Hospital & CAMHS

Surgery & Associated Specialties Division

• Surgery & Associated Specialties

Each role offers the opportunity to lead complex services, influence strategy, & champion outstanding patient & staff experience.

Key Responsibilities

BCYP roles

• Lead nursing teams across BCYP services, including acute, community, therapies, & CAMHS (role dependent).
• Act as a senior advocate for patients & families, ensuring care is safe, compassionate, equitable, & developmentally appropriate.
• Shape & strengthen integrated pathways across hospital & community settings.

Surgical role

• Lead nursing teams across Critical Care, Theatres in surgical and associated specialties.
• Drive improvement, patient flow, & workforce sustainability across complex surgical pathways.

Across all roles

• Ensure delivery of safe, evidence-based, compassionate and person-centred care.
• Strengthen patient pathways, improve outcomes, & enhance experience for service users.
• Lead quality improvement, workforce development, & professional standards.
• Contribute to divisional and Trust-wide strategy as a senior nursing leader.
• Work collaboratively with partners including local authorities, primary care, Integrated Care Systems, NHS England and professional networks.

About us

North Mid is part of North Central London integrated care system - consisting of the NHS and Local authority organisations in Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield and Haringey. As with other ICS's, we are working increasingly closely with partners and indeed many of our financial and performance objectives are measured at this system level. Whilst all organisations remain as standalone, statutory bodies we have an ICS infrastructure for making shared decisions and agreeing shared approaches.

We are proud of our staff and want to ensure their training allows them to provide excellent clinical care. We are also a training unit for medical students from UCL and St George's University Grenada, and for nursing and midwifery students from Middlesex and City Universities.

Take a tour of our hospitalhere

Job responsibilities

A full list of duties and responsibilities will be found within the job description and requirements for the role can be found within the person specification.

Person Specification

Education & Professional Qualities

• Registered trained nurse MSc and/ or equivalent clinical experience that recognises highly developed and complex levels of knowledge
• Management/leadership qualifications or equivalent experience
• Specialist knowledge at doctorate level or equivalent experience in a related field
• Evidence of continuing personal development

Experience

• Significant acute operational nursing experience in a complex healthcare organisation
• Evidence of nursing leadership role in an acute setting
• Ability to analyse complex problems and to develop practical and workable solutions to address them
• Ability to manage and deliver to deadlines and within resources
• Experience in the supervision and management of staff and students
• Experience in complex employment related issues
• Experience of using acuity tools and triangulation of data to review and ensure safe skill mix
• Evidence of leading and managing change within a complex environment
• Experience of representing a service within a Trust setting
• Experience of managing a budget
• Experience of managing other staff groups
• Managing a cross site, complex function
• Experience of SLAs and contractual working
• Ability to self-evaluate and self-reflect
• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills suitable for a range of audiences, including chairing of meetings
• Ability to initiate and implement change and improvements
• Good analytical and organisational ability
• Ability to demonstrate and model strong leadership skills
• Awareness of developments in the NHS and service delivery
• Ability to influence and facilitate MDT working
• Able to communicate with patients and families in an empathetic manner regarding their treatment and procedures and communicate complex sensitive information
• Effective problem-solving skills
• Experience of implementing Evidence Based Practice
• Applies working knowledge of relevant health legislation

Personal Qualities & Attributes

• Ability to lead by example, promoting the highest standards of personal and professional conduct, integrity and probity
• High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach and attitude
• Committed to the continuous development of staff and self
• To be flexible, decisive, using sound judgement in decision making in a timely and confident manner

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.

£82,906 to £94,632 a yearPer Annum Including HCAS