Associate Director of Nursing - Fundamentals of Care
| Posting date: | 16 February 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £76,965 - £88,682 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 18 March 2026 |
| Location: | Ethelbert Road, CT1 3NG |
| Company: | East Kent Hospitals NHS Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 7802624/344-2624COR |
Summary
A Vacancy at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust.
Reporting to the Deputy Chief Nurse the post holder is responsible for leading and delivering the Fundamentals of Care Programme.
The postholder will lead the harm free care programme and the Ward Accreditation Programme across the Trust working closely with key stakeholders.
The Associate Director of Nursing for Fundamentals of Care will be a member of the Nursing, Midwifery Executive Committee.
The post holder will work strategically with the Care Group Triumvirates across all sites to minimise harm, enhance patient experience, quality of care and ensure patient safety. In addition, they will ensure effective systems are in place to monitor and improve clinical and operational performance of nursing teams and individuals in order to drive up quality.
The postholder will have autonomy in the interpretation and implementation of the fundamentals of care programme will lead the development of specific projects on behalf of the wider EKHUFT organisation.
• Be a visible and credible leader, modelling and reinforcing the Trust values and behaviours at all times, and celebrating success and acting as a proud ambassador for Nursing and Midwifery for the Trust.
• Provide professional and strategic leadership and support to nurses, midwives and AHPs within the hospital and support operational delivery of high-quality care in line with the NMC and HCPC Codes of Practice and competencies.
• Provide professional leadership and clinical advice in relation to areas of delegated responsibility to the Hospital Triumvirate and supports Care Group Heads of Nursing and Matrons on a daily basis to deliver the fundamentals of care programme.
• Lead on CNMO delegated Trust wide Quality and Safety portfolio whilst overseeing and ensuring the overarching quality and safety agenda with regard to the fundamentals of care is delivered across all sites, working closely with the site Directors of Nursing.
• Lead the Ward Accreditation Programme across the Trust working closely with the Trust compliance team and the wider multi-professional workforce.
• Create a culture of openness and transparency where staff are able to raise concerns and know they will be listened to and where they will be able to get feedback
• Actively contribute to development of the Trust wide Nursing and AHP leadership strategic direction and taking a lead role in delegated projects as required by the Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer or Deputy Chief Nurse.
We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.
Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates for a Skilled Worker Visa for roles that are eligible at the time of application.
Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in ‘Documents to download’. If you have further queries please don’t hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
This advert closes on Monday 23 Feb 2026
Reporting to the Deputy Chief Nurse the post holder is responsible for leading and delivering the Fundamentals of Care Programme.
The postholder will lead the harm free care programme and the Ward Accreditation Programme across the Trust working closely with key stakeholders.
The Associate Director of Nursing for Fundamentals of Care will be a member of the Nursing, Midwifery Executive Committee.
The post holder will work strategically with the Care Group Triumvirates across all sites to minimise harm, enhance patient experience, quality of care and ensure patient safety. In addition, they will ensure effective systems are in place to monitor and improve clinical and operational performance of nursing teams and individuals in order to drive up quality.
The postholder will have autonomy in the interpretation and implementation of the fundamentals of care programme will lead the development of specific projects on behalf of the wider EKHUFT organisation.
• Be a visible and credible leader, modelling and reinforcing the Trust values and behaviours at all times, and celebrating success and acting as a proud ambassador for Nursing and Midwifery for the Trust.
• Provide professional and strategic leadership and support to nurses, midwives and AHPs within the hospital and support operational delivery of high-quality care in line with the NMC and HCPC Codes of Practice and competencies.
• Provide professional leadership and clinical advice in relation to areas of delegated responsibility to the Hospital Triumvirate and supports Care Group Heads of Nursing and Matrons on a daily basis to deliver the fundamentals of care programme.
• Lead on CNMO delegated Trust wide Quality and Safety portfolio whilst overseeing and ensuring the overarching quality and safety agenda with regard to the fundamentals of care is delivered across all sites, working closely with the site Directors of Nursing.
• Lead the Ward Accreditation Programme across the Trust working closely with the Trust compliance team and the wider multi-professional workforce.
• Create a culture of openness and transparency where staff are able to raise concerns and know they will be listened to and where they will be able to get feedback
• Actively contribute to development of the Trust wide Nursing and AHP leadership strategic direction and taking a lead role in delegated projects as required by the Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officer or Deputy Chief Nurse.
We are one of the largest hospital trusts in England, with five hospitals and community clinics serving a local population of around 800,000 people. Our vision is 'great healthcare from great people'. Everything we do is guided by our values: 'People feel cared for, safe, respected and confident that we are making a difference’. We have a new way of working at East Kent Hospitals, called 'We care'. It's about empowering frontline staff to lead improvements day-to-day. We're looking for compassionate people to be part of our improvement journey for the patients, families and carers we care for every day.
Please note that if you require a Certificate of Sponsorship to work in the UK you must declare this on your application form, even if you currently have a certificate of sponsorship or a work permit for another role and are already working in the country. Please note we are only able to sponsor candidates for a Skilled Worker Visa for roles that are eligible at the time of application.
Please scroll down to access the full Job Description and Person Specification located in ‘Documents to download’. If you have further queries please don’t hesitate to contact the line manager using the contact details below.
Applications for this role should be written by the applicant. If artificial intelligence (AI) programmes are used then the application may be rejected due to this document being an important part of the assessment process. This does not prevent applicants seeking appropriate support with applications should they need to for the purposes of any declared disability.
This advert closes on Monday 23 Feb 2026