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NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Deputy Chief Nurse

The closing date is 21 April 2026

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Job summary

Strengthening Nursing Leadership for the Future At North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) we believe that outstanding care begins with compassionate leadership. Serving diverse communities across North East London and Essex, NELFT provides a wide range of mental health, community health and learning disability services. We are proud to be rated Good by the Care Quality Commission, reflecting our commitment to safe, high-quality care and continuous improvement. Our organisation is built on a strong foundation of relational care, coproduction and inclusive leadership. We work closely with patients, carers and communities to shape services that respond to real needs and deliver meaningful outcomes. As we look to the future, we are strengthening our nursing leadership model to ensure that the voice of nursing continues to shape care across the organisation and within the systems we serve.

Main duties of the job

Following a significant consultation with our nursing workforce and clinical leaders, we are introducing a refreshed Deputy Chief Nurse structure, designed to strengthen professional leadership, support clinical excellence and ensure that nursing leadership is visible and influential at every level of the organisation. NELFT are committed to driving organisational culture change towards more relational models of care and ways of working. Key to the success of this will be a whole organisation approach to instilling an ethos that enables us to put relationships first across clinical and corporate services. We have a number of key initiatives across the organisation that are currently working towards this and the successful candidate will play a key part in supporting the co-production, ongoing development and delivery of that approach. We are now seeking exceptional senior nursing leaders to join our executive nursing leadership team in the following roles:

About us

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust provides mental health and community services for over 4.9 million people living in the London Boroughs of Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and across Essex. We work to ensure our patients, their friends and family, feel confident that their health needs are well met. With an excellent reputation for research and development, our skilled health professionals are at the cutting edge of evidence-based innovation, opening up the possibilities for better ways of working and delivery of care.

Details

Date posted

09 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£112,782 to £129,783 a year Plus 15% HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

NLD-000261

Job locations

Goodmayes Hospital

Ilford

Essex

IG3 8XJ


Job description

Job responsibilities

Deputy Chief Nurse, Quality Governance & Assurance – Mental Health and Learning Disabilities & Autism

Deputy Chief Nurse, Quality Governance & Assurance – Integrated Community and Physical Health

 

Our Nursing Leadership Ambition

At NELFT we believe that strong clinical leadership is essential to delivering safe, compassionate and high-quality care.

Our nursing leadership model is grounded in:

• Relational leadership

• Psychological safety and compassionate cultures

• Coproduction with patients, carers and communities

• Continuous improvement and clinical excellence

These Deputy Chief Nurse roles are central to our ambition to strengthen leadership at place while maintaining a strong professional voice across the Trust.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking inspiring, credible and values-driven senior nursing leaders who:

• are passionate about improving care for patients and communities

• demonstrate compassionate and inclusive leadership

• have strong professional credibility and clinical insight

• can build trusted relationships across professions and systems

• are committed to developing and supporting the nursing workforce

You will bring strategic leadership, operational credibility and a deep commitment to delivering safe and compassionate care.

Join Us

These roles offer the opportunity to:

• influence care at scale across a large and diverse organisation

• shape the future of nursing leadership at NELFT

• work alongside a committed executive team and exceptional clinical leaders

• contribute to improving care for the communities we serve

If you are an experienced nursing leader who shares our ambition to deliver outstanding care and build compassionate cultures, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Together we will continue building an organisation where staff feel they belong and patients receive the highest standards of care.

 

Job description

Job responsibilities

Deputy Chief Nurse, Quality Governance & Assurance – Mental Health and Learning Disabilities & Autism

Deputy Chief Nurse, Quality Governance & Assurance – Integrated Community and Physical Health

 

Our Nursing Leadership Ambition

At NELFT we believe that strong clinical leadership is essential to delivering safe, compassionate and high-quality care.

Our nursing leadership model is grounded in:

• Relational leadership

• Psychological safety and compassionate cultures

• Coproduction with patients, carers and communities

• Continuous improvement and clinical excellence

These Deputy Chief Nurse roles are central to our ambition to strengthen leadership at place while maintaining a strong professional voice across the Trust.

Who We Are Looking For

We are seeking inspiring, credible and values-driven senior nursing leaders who:

• are passionate about improving care for patients and communities

• demonstrate compassionate and inclusive leadership

• have strong professional credibility and clinical insight

• can build trusted relationships across professions and systems

• are committed to developing and supporting the nursing workforce

You will bring strategic leadership, operational credibility and a deep commitment to delivering safe and compassionate care.

Join Us

These roles offer the opportunity to:

• influence care at scale across a large and diverse organisation

• shape the future of nursing leadership at NELFT

• work alongside a committed executive team and exceptional clinical leaders

• contribute to improving care for the communities we serve

If you are an experienced nursing leader who shares our ambition to deliver outstanding care and build compassionate cultures, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Together we will continue building an organisation where staff feel they belong and patients receive the highest standards of care.

 

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse
  • Masters Degree in a relevant subject or
  • equivalent experience
  • Recognised management training
  • Trained in QI

Experience

Essential

  • Experience at a senior management /director level, including managing change and introducing new ways of working for nurses and practitioners
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • Registered Nurse
  • Masters Degree in a relevant subject or
  • equivalent experience
  • Recognised management training
  • Trained in QI

Experience

Essential

  • Experience at a senior management /director level, including managing change and introducing new ways of working for nurses and practitioners

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address

Goodmayes Hospital

Ilford

Essex

IG3 8XJ


Employer's website

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

NELFT North East London Foundation Trust

Address

Goodmayes Hospital

Ilford

Essex

IG3 8XJ


Employer's website

https://www.nelft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Executive Chief Nursing Officer

Wellington Makala

recruitment@nelft.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

09 April 2026

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 9

Salary

£112,782 to £129,783 a year Plus 15% HCAs

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

NLD-000261

Job locations

Goodmayes Hospital

Ilford

Essex

IG3 8XJ


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