Chief Nursing Officer
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- Employer:
- Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
- Location:
- Somerset
- Salary:
- Closing date:
- 9am Monday 12th May 2025
- Job Ref:
- GSe120529
Associated documents
Description
Thriving colleagues, integrated care, healthier people.
About Us
At Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, our mission is to enhance the health and wellbeing of everyone in Somerset by delivering outstanding, integrated care. We are committed to supporting our colleagues by fostering a culture of kindness, respect, and collaboration, empowering them to make a difference every day.
We are proud to be the first NHS Trust on the English mainland to provide a combination of community, mental health, and acute hospital services. Our acute services are delivered from Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton and Yeovil Hospital in Yeovil, alongside community services from 13 hospitals across the county. In addition, we provide a range of mental health and learning disability services, and work in partnership with a quarter of Somerset’s GP practices.
Within our Trust, we are privileged to work with over 12,500 colleagues who deliver or support our patient services. Together, we have made significant progress in transforming care following two major mergers creating the Trust as it is today.
We are proud to have achieved a recent CQC rating of “Good” overall, with “Outstanding” for “Caring” and “Good” for “Well-Led.” We are proud that they highlighted our positive culture, compassionate care, and staff commitment to respecting patients’ privacy and dignity.
The Opportunity
We are now looking to appoint an exceptional Chief Nurse to join our talented leadership team. This is an outstanding opportunity to shape the future of nursing and integrated care within Somerset, making a real and lasting difference to the lives of the circa 600,000 residents.
As Chief Nurse, you will provide professional leadership to nursing, midwifery, and allied health professional services across the Trust. Working closely with the Chief Executive and the Executive team, you will champion clinical excellence, patient safety, and a culture of continuous improvement. You will also play a pivotal role in shaping and influencing integrated care pathways, fostering innovation, and developing strong partnerships with stakeholders at local, regional, and national levels.
We are looking for a dynamic and visionary leader who has proven experience of strategic leadership and management within a complex healthcare setting. You will have a strong track record of professional nursing leadership and governance, and demonstrate the ability to build relationships, inspire trust, and champion collaborative working. You will be passionate about quality improvement, and dedicated to delivering person-centred care that meets the diverse needs of our population. You will also have experience on or close to Board level.
We are committed to equal opportunity for all. We know that the best Boards are those that reflect the communities they serve, and therefore we would particularly welcome applications from those who are under-represented at Board level in the NHS.
Join Us
If you are passionate about making a real difference and want to be part of an organisation that values kindness, innovation, and collaboration, we would love to hear from you. Together, we are creating healthier futures for everyone across Somerset.
For more information, please visit: https://somersetft-appointments.co.uk/
For a confidential discussion, please contact:
Laura Cubillo-Aparicio, Researcher
E: Laura.Cubillo-Aparicio@gatenbysanderson.com
T: +44 (0) 75867 06878 | 020 7426 3985
Julia St Clare, Senior Consultant and Research Lead
E: julia.stclare@gatenbysanderson.com
T: +44 (0) 7807 631 564
Melanie Shearer, Partner
E: melanie.shearer@gatenbysanderson.com
T: +44 (0) 7785 616 548
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How to Apply
- Please submit an up to date copy of your CV, along with a Supporting Statement that addresses the criteria set out in the person specification, using examples to demonstrate how you meet the essential requirements.
- A completed fit and proper person form – the template can be downloaded from the same place as the job description.
- Detail any employment or education gaps.
- You should provide the names, positions, organisations, and contact details for your referees, which must be your line managers and include your current and most recent employer. The referees should cover at least two roles as the minimum. Please note, should you be appointed, you will be required to provide references covering your last 6 years of employment as per the new NHS Fit and Proper Person regulations. Where there have been gaps in employment, this six year period will be extended accordingly. Referees will only be contacted for those proceeding to the final stage - we will always gain your permission before we contact referees.
- Let us know any difficulty you may have with the indicative timetable.
- Check that your contact details are correct before you submit.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automated email to confirm that you have applied. If you do not receive this email, please make contact with GatenbySanderson.