Derwentside Hospice Care Foundation

Head of Clinical Services

The closing date is 31 October 2025

Job summary

Thank you for expressing your interest in the role of Head of Clinical Services at Derwentside Hospice Care Foundation, or as it is more fondly known, Willow Burn Hospice.

At Willow Burn, we are proud to serve the people of Derwentside through our range of holistic day care, in-patient services and family support and bereavement counselling. We aim to relieve physical and emotional distress and control symptoms whilst providing care, comfort and compassion at the end of life.

Our Trustees, staff and volunteers are all committed to making Willow Burns work highly effective in responding to the needs and wants of our communities.

At the heart of our work are our clinical services. Our current Head of Clinical Services is taking up another position within the charity and were looking for someone to take the service forward in 2026 and beyond.

Main duties of the job

The Head of Clinical Services will be responsible for:

Being a member of the Senior Management Team and provide clinical leadership and clear lines of accountability for all teams caring for patients, carers and families at Willow Burn Hospice.

Ensuring a high standard of quality care is provided to patients, carers and families by providing advice, direction, management and responsibility for all clinical and support teams and ensuring effective governance.

Being the regulated CQC Registered Manager.

Being the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer.

Being the designated Safeguarding Lead.

Actively ensuring that the voice and needs of patients, carers and families are at the heart of all our service delivery and improvement/development activity.

Having a number of direct reports All clinical staff in collaboration with Designated Deputy. This currently covers Helen McArdle in patient wing, Sir Tom Cowie Day Services and Family support.

About us

Willow Burn Hospice opened in 1989 as a result of the work of two remarkable women, Irene Mortimer and Valerie Davison, who identified a gap in provision in the largely rural area of Derwentside. With the support of the Secretary of State for Health and funding from Macmillan, Irene and Valerie set up Derwentside Hospice Care Foundation. At that time the charity was a Day Hospice Service for North Durham. Over the years the charity has become fondly known as Willow Burn Hospice.

The service expanded in 1991 to include in-patient services and we opened the Sir Tom Cowie Health and Wellbeing Centre as a new home for our day services provision. In 2014, following very generous support from Helen McArdle CBE, we proudly opened a brand new six-bed hospice, which is widely recognised for the high quality of its design, built to reflect the comfort of being at home.

Date posted

09 October 2025

Pay scheme

Other

Salary

£52,000 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

B0635-25-0003

Job locations

Willow Burn Hospice

Howden Bank

Lanchester

Durham

DH7 0QS

Job description

Job responsibilities

Job Description & Person Specification

Job Title: Head of Clinical Services

Department: Clinical Services

Responsible to: Chief Executive

Salary: £52,000

Hours: 37.5 hrs per week

Location: Willow Burn Hospice, Lanchester, County Durham

Key Responsibilities

The Head of Clinical Services will be responsible for:

Being a member of the Senior Management Team and provide clinical leadership and clear lines of accountability for all teams caring for patients, carers and families at Willow Burn Hospice.

Being the regulated CQC Registered Manager.

Being the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer.

Being the designated Safeguarding Lead.

Actively ensuring that the voice and needs of patients, carers and families are at the heart of all our service delivery and improvement/development activity.

Having a number of direct reports All clinical staff in collaboration with Designated Deputy. This currently covers Helen McArdle in patient wing, Sir Tom Cowie Day Services and Family support.

Specific Tasks & Duties:

Work with the Board, Chief Executive and other Senior Managers to develop strategy, business plans and policies for the hospice

that support the provision of the highest quality and standards of

care for patients, carers and families.

Plan, deliver and develop clinical services and roles ensuring an alignment with national and local strategies and a fit with the Willow Burn Hospices strategic direction.

Collaborate with other service providers, statutory and voluntary bodies to develop a coordinated and holistic approach which ensures person centred and seamless care provision.

Support and further develop a culture of continuous improvement which is supported by research, education and training, effective evaluation, service user feedback and evidence based outcomes/impacts to help ensure and maintain clinical excellence.

Develop and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of external bodies including ICBs, Trusts, GPs, community bodies and other local hospices. Represent the hospice at related meetings.

Take the lead in the organisations CQC compliance and clinical governance ensuring the hospice is compliant with relevant regulations and standards and has effective systems and processes in place (i.e. audits, risk management, etc.) to ensure services that are delivered are safe, caring, responsive, effective and well led.

Ensure services are fit for purpose in terms of digital technology eg SystmOne patient records are accurate and timely.

Take responsibility for the production of quarterly commissioning reports, monthly service reports, service analysis data and other documents as required. Ensure targets, objectives and other KPIs are monitored and achieved and we meet our obligations in relation to commissioning arrangements.

Ensure the clinical workforce have the required skills and experience to deliver care that is safe, caring, responsive and effective. Ensure professional development and support strategies and plans are in place to support the achievement of the hospices strategic goals and objectives and the individual patients and external partners needs.

Act as a resource for professional advice across the organisation whilst promoting access to other sources of advice locally and nationally.

Be responsible for the appointment, management, support, motivation, appraisal and development of direct reports. Lead and manage staff in an empowering, positive and consultative style to ensure they fully contribute to the developments and achievements of the hospice.

Work with the Board, Chief Executive and Senior Management Team in assessing business risk and continuity, setting annual budgets and monitoring and managing these throughout the year.

Maintain high professional standards and keep abreast of relevant professional issues and developments.

Ensure compliance with corporate policies and procedures, including but not limited to health and safety, information governance, safeguarding and infection control.

Oversee the Work Duty Rota, the production and delivery of which is the responsibility of the Deputy Head of Clinical Services.

Undertake any other duties as requested by the Chief Executive commensurate with the grade of this post.

Other

Undertake any other duties as appropriate within the postholders competence and general level of responsibility of the post, as required by the Chief Executive.

The job description reflects the immediate requirements and objectives of the post. It is not an exhaustive list of duties but gives a general indication of the level of work undertaking, which may vary in detail in the light of changing demands and priorities. Substantive changes will be carried out in consultation with the post holder