A unique opportunity to lead, influence and shape the future of integrated care in Dorset.
Whether you are ready to step into your first Chief Nursing Officer role or are an experienced executive leader seeking a new challenge, this is an exceptional opportunity to join a supportive, ambitious, and highly collaborative leadership team.
Dorset County Hospital is part of an innovative partnership with Dorset HealthCare and following the appointment of our Joint Chief Nursing Officer to a new executive leadership role across both organisations, we are seeking an outstanding Interim Chief Nursing Officer to join us at this exciting time.
As we continue to strengthen integration across acute, community and mental health services, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring we maintain our unwavering focus on delivering outstanding patient care, quality, safety, and workforce excellence. This is a rare opportunity to influence care delivery across organisational boundaries and contribute to the development of a truly integrated model of healthcare for the people of Dorset.
As a key member of the Executive Team and Board, you will help shape the next phase of our transformation journey. Working alongside talented clinical and operational leaders, you will provide strategic direction, inspire professional practice, and champion innovation that improves outcomes and experiences for patients, carers and staff.
As Interim Chief Nursing Officer, you will:
Be the professional leader for Nursing and Quality across the Trust.
Drive excellence in patient safety, clinical quality and patient experience.
Influence organisational strategy and system-wide transformation as a key member of the Executive Team and Board.
Lead significant programmes that improve clinical outcomes, experience and quality of care.
Ensure the voices of patients, carers, families and staff remain central to decision making.
Champion a culture of learning, innovation, inclusion and continuous improvement.
Inspire and support the next generation of clinical leaders across the organisation.
Working closely with the triumvirate of the Chief Operating Office and Chief Medical Officer
You will be an experienced, credible, and inspirational nursing leader with a strong track record of leading quality improvement, delivering sustainable change and working collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
You will bring strategic insight, emotional intelligence, and a deep commitment to compassionate leadership, together with the ability to influence at Board level and build strong relationships across the wider health and care system.
If you are ready to make a lasting impact, lead at the heart of an ambitious organisation and help shape the future of healthcare in Dorset, we would love to hear from you.
At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture, we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.
Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.
We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate’s individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.
All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.
We are looking for a visible, compassionate, and values-driven leader who is passionate about creating environments where people feel supported, empowered and able to thrive. You will provide strategic leadership for nursing, midwifery, allied health professionals, and quality, while helping to shape the future direction of our Trust and our wider system partnerships.
Like all NHS organisations, we face significant challenges and opportunities, including increasing demand, workforce pressures, advancing technology and system-wide transformation. We are seeking someone with the resilience, ambition, and creativity to navigate complexity while maintaining a relentless focus on quality, inclusion and patient-centred care.
Most importantly, you will share our commitment to delivering exceptional care and creating a culture where our people can be at their best every day.
Please see the attached candidate pack and any additional questions please request a meeting with Dawn Dawson, Deputy Chief Executive
