Head of Service – Community Nursing

The Head of Service for Community Nursing (CN) is a senior operational leader responsible for the strategic, operational, and performance management of CN services across NHFT.

The post holder will lead delivery of safe, high-quality, and responsive services that support quality workforce performance and governance across neighbourhood based community teams ensuring compliance with contractual , and financial workforce requirements.

Working closely with the Assistant Director, Director, and Head of Nursing & AHPs, the role provides visible leadership across multidisciplinary teams and system partners to deliver Community Nursing care pathways aligned to national and local priorities.

The post holder will also lead service transformation, service strategy workforce development, and pathway redesign to meet increasing demand and system pressures.

• Lead operational delivery of CN services, ensuring achievement of performance targets
• Hold accountability for financial performance, budget control, and delivery of cost improvement programmes
• Accountable for delivery of CN performance across the care delivery pathway
• Lead demand and capacity planning , caseload modelling and neighbourhood integration.
• Ensure delivery of high standards of clinical quality, patient safety, and risk management
• Lead workforce planning, ensuring safe staffing levels
• Develop and implement service strategies, business plans, and transformation programmes
• Lead service redesign and pathway development to improve patient flow, capacity, and outcomes
• Oversee escalation processes, surge responses , business continuity, winter resilience planning and mobilisation .
• Represent Community Nursing at system level and ensure strengthened working with GP’s , social care , voluntary sector , acute partners . Build relationships with primary care
• Ensure robust governance, escalation, and risk management processes are in place
• Lead on performance monitoring, reporting, and continuous improvement

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of duties and responsibilities of the post. The post holder may be required to undertake other duties as may reasonably be required commensurate with the grade and/or hours of work at the post holders initial place of work or at any other of the Trust’s establishments.

NHFT is an NHS Community and Mental Health Foundation Trust, providing physical, mental health and specialty services in hospital settings and in the community. We provide over 200 services across the county - as well as some specialist services in bordering and nearby counties. We work together with our partners to ensure that everyone who comes through our doors receives compassionate, person-centred care, regardless of their background or circumstances.

NHFT promotes a culture of learning, to improve the care and safety of our patients and colleagues. We have achieved our ‘outstanding’ rating by encouraging opportunity, innovation, development and growth across our workforce.

At NHFT we believe that work should be rewarded in every sense which is why we are proud to an accredited living wage employer.

We aim to support financial wellbeing and create an environment where are people feel valued and able to thrive.

For further information on the advertised role, please refer to the job description located under the Supporting Documents heading. The full person specification can be accessed under the ‘About You’ Section of the document.

• Significant senior management experience across complex healthcare services
• Proven experience of operational, financial, and performance management
• Experience of leading service transformation and change programmes
• Demonstrable experience managing and developing staff and multidisciplinary teams
• Experience of working with system partners across health and social care
• Experience of preparing and presenting reports to senior forums
• Experience in Urgent Community Response or community services
• Experience of system-level working (ICS/ICB)
• Postgraduate qualification in leadership or management