About this role
Job summary
The Deputy Regional Chief Nurse, Director of Statutory Functions, Programmes and Improvement is a senior nursing leader responsible for providing strategic clinical leadership, professional oversight and assurance across the region. Reporting to the Regional Chief Nurse, the postholder will lead key statutory functions and programmes, including safeguarding, infection prevention and control, mental health, learning disability and autism, Continuing Healthcare, patient experience and quality improvement.
Main duties of the job
Working collaboratively with Integrated Care Boards, provider organisations, national teams and system partners, the postholder will support the delivery of NHS England priorities, promote high standards of quality and safety, and drive improvement across health and care services. They will provide expert advice on nursing, midwifery, clinical governance and risk, ensuring effective quality oversight and the implementation of national policy and improvement programmes.
The role requires strong system leadership, partnership working and the ability to influence at executive level to improve outcomes, reduce variation and support the delivery of safe, effective and compassionate care. The postholder will deputise for the Regional Chief Nurse as required and contribute to the strategic leadership of the region, helping to deliver the ambitions of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan and the Model Region Blueprint.
About us
NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.
Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.
In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.
If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.
Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.
Staff recruited from outside the NHS will usually be appointed at the bottom of the pay band.
We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.
Job description Job responsibilities
You can find further details about the role, including key responsibilities and accountabilities, alongside the organisational structure and person specification in the attached Job Description and other supporting documents.
Secondments Applicants from within the NHS will be offered on a secondment basis only, agreement should be obtained from their employer prior to submitting the application.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Current registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
Experience & Knowledge Essential
Up to date experience as an Executive Chief Nurse at Board level within a provider NHS trust/ foundation trust, or ICB. Knowledge of the regulatory framework on Nursing and Midwifery, experience of managing complex professional regulatory issues
Skills, Abilities & Attributes Essential
Demonstrably committed to and focused on quality, promotes high standards to consistently improve patient outcomes
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details Employer name NHS England
Address NHSE Office in the South East region
NHSE Office in the South East
SE1 8UG
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.england.nhs.uk/about/working-for/ (Opens in a new tab)