Associate Director of Nursing – Intellectual Disability & Autism United Kingdom

Introduction

Are you a senior nursing leader with a passion for improving the lives of people with learning disabilities and autism? Do you want the opportunity to influence care at a national level, shape best practice and drive meaningful change across specialist services? Join Elysium Healthcare as Associate Director of Nursing – Intellectual Disability & Autism and play a pivotal role in championing outstanding nursing care across our services.

This is a unique strategic leadership opportunity where you will act as the organisation’s subject matter expert for Intellectual Disability and Autism services, providing specialist clinical leadership, advice and assurance on nursing quality, safety and workforce capability. Working closely with the Operations Director, Clinical Director and Chief Nurse, you will help shape the future of care by promoting Positive Behaviour Support, least restrictive practice, autism-informed care and sensory-informed nursing interventions across Elysium Healthcare.

In this influential role, you will support services to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care that aligns with national standards, the Transforming Care agenda and reasonable adjustment frameworks. You will provide expert guidance on nursing practice, quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, ensuring services are equipped to meet the evolving needs of service users while maintaining the highest standards of care.

You will lead specialist input into change and improvement programmes, supporting the implementation of innovative approaches that strengthen safety, quality and outcomes. Through effective collaboration and advanced communication skills, you will engage stakeholders across the organisation, helping to embed a positive safety culture and drive continuous improvement in nursing practice.

As a senior nursing leader, you will contribute to governance and assurance processes, provide expert advice to senior leaders, and ensure nursing services remain compliant with NMC standards, organisational policies and regulatory expectations. You will use data, insight and professional expertise to support strategic decision-making and provide confidence that services are delivering safe, effective and person-centred care.

• Leadership & Strategy
  • Act as the lead subject matter expert for Intellectual Disability & Autism nursing practice within the service line.
  • Provide strategic specialist clinical input and advisory direction to support the development of service line nursing practice, aligned with organisational goals and Nursing Directorate priorities.
  • Promote compassionate, recovery‑focused, person‑centred nursing care.
  • Offer specialist clinical guidance to Nursing and Operational Leads to promote consistency in practice standards across all services.
• Clinical Governance & Quality
  • Provide specialist input into governance processes to support safe, effective and high-quality care delivery.
  • Advise and support services in embedding learning from incidents, complaints and audits into practice.
  • Support services to maintain regulatory compliance and NMC standards.
  • Promote and support the application of evidence‑based practice and improvement science across the service line.
• Workforce Development & Professional Leadership
  • Provide professional leadership influence and specialist guidance to high standards of practice and conduct.
  • Provide specialist advice to support nursing workforce planning to ensure safe skill mix and capability.
  • Support high‑quality supervision, appraisal and professional development.
  • Promote advanced and specialist nursing roles relevant to the service line.
• Service Development, Pathways & Projects
  • Lead as a subject matter expert into the development of clinical pathways, supporting consistent adoption across services within Intellectual Disability & Autism service line.
  • Ensure nursing interventions are evidence based, measurable and aligned to best practice.
  • Oversee clinical documentation, standards and nursing procedural frameworks.
• Clinical Consultancy & Support
  • Provide senior nursing expertise for high risk, complex or challenging clinical cases.
  • Offer professional input into…