About this role
Job summary
The Clinical Director is a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to the Chief Executive, with accountability for the strategic leadership, integration, and optimal performance of the hospices clinical strategy, governance, and service delivery.
The Clinical Director will ensure the provision of outstanding palliative and end-of-life care, aligned with the hospices mission, values, and regulatory frameworks. Oversee a multidisciplinary team, including the Heads of all patient facing services, Associate Director of services for children and young people, Head of Quality Assurance & Safety, and Medical Lead (Consultant doctor), ensuring safe, effective, and innovative services. The role also has regulatory responsibility as the CQC Registered Manager, ensuring compliance with all required standards.
The Clinical Director will act as a key ambassador for Hospice in the Weald, building strong relationships with Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), NHS partners, regulators, and external stakeholders to influence local policy and improve palliative and end-of-life care.
Main duties of the job
Provide strategic and operational leadership across all clinical services, ensuring safe, compassionate, high-quality care. They will hold executive responsibility for clinical governance, patient safety, safeguarding, infection control, medicines management, and regulatory compliance, including acting as CQC Registered Manager and overseeing Caldicott Guardian responsibilities. Champion person-centred, evidence-based care, equality, diversity and inclusion, and continuous improvement through audit, research, innovation, and feedback.
Lead service transformation and clinical strategy, ensuring services remain sustainable, responsive, and integrated with NHS and community partners. Including oversight of clinical risk, quality assurance, workforce development, professional standards, statutory compliance, and effective financial and resource management.
As an Executive Team member, you will foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, learning, and wellbeing across multidisciplinary teams, supporting recruitment, retention, succession planning, and volunteer integration. Providing expert advice to the Board, strengthen partnerships with healthcare organisations and commissioners, and support robust communication, performance management, education, mentorship, and data-driven service improvement aligned with organisational values and priorities.
About us
Hospice in the Weald was founded in 1980 as a small home-care service in West Kent, born out of local community effort to support people with life-limiting illnesses.
Today, more than 40 years on, Hospice in the Weald continues to provide compassionate, personalised care to patients and their loved ones, celebrating life and offering dignity at the end of life for thousands in the local community.
Job description Job responsibilities
Deliverables andOutcomes
Be competent in recognising those patients that would benefit from hospice services at an earlier stage Living Well, Psychological support, clinical and advance care planning support (ReSPECT).
The post holder will be competent in the recognition of incremental change in a persons illness trajectory. Liaise and build relationships with relevant colleagues and clinical experts outside of Hospice in the Weald. Work as part of a team to meet joint strategic aims and objectives always thinking about how we can extend our reach to those who need it. Competent in palliative care symptom control.
Attendance at frailty MDTs/board rounds, using this forum to highlight the need for early identification of those approaching the last year of life.
Engage in and promote the use of all assessment methods available, using the right method for the patient at the right time.
Communicate effectively with patients and their loved ones. Provide high-quality information to patients and those important to them regarding their disease, treatment and services available as appropriate.
Undertake holistic assessments focussing on what matters most to the patient and those important to them.
Ensure End of Life Care is planned, delivered, documented, and reviewed to the highest standard. Refer any symptom control issues to the hospital palliative care team for management.Ensure seamless referral processes to local palliative care services.
Management and Leadership
Liaise closely with your HitW line manager and MTW line manager. Meet both jointly for support. Be cognizant of the Hospice in the Wealds Three-Year Strategy and work towards our aims and objectives and those for frailty ands palliative care in the trust.
Be a resource for both the hospital palliative care team and the Outreach HitW
Assist in the development of policies, procedures, and guidelines to continuously improve ways of working. Support, empower and act as a role to model volunteers and more junior members of the workforce.
Participate in education programs to educate the workforce regarding Hospice services.
Communications and Teamwork
Support the multi-disciplinary team to enable them to provide high quality care, giving advice on pain and symptom control, advanced care planning, social and psychological care, communication, and use of resources.
Provide a high standard of sensitive communication with patients and those important to them, which maintains an individuals privacy and dignity. Maintain confidentiality at all times.
Audit and Research
In consultation with managers, ensure all work is evidence based.
Develop, in conjunction with line management, mechanisms for auditing care within the service and implement changing practice as a result.
Participate in or support, where appropriate, nursing and/or collaborative clinical research in palliative care
Training and Development
Actively plan and participate in the provision of supervision/reflective practice to colleagues to support engaging development opportunities.
Undertake Hospice and hospital mandatory training and participate in wider training and development opportunities.
Act as a role model and an expert professional to colleagues and to be an ambassador to neighbouring health and social care partners, providing informal education and support to staff in their provision of palliative care.
Undertake external training to enhance the CNS/ CPS role as appropriate.
Keep up to date with revalidation and professional registration requirements
General
Maintain professionalism through adherence to recognized Codes (e.g. NMC, HPC, HCPC) and work within the boundaries of Hospice in the Weald policies. Strive for excellence always.
Maintain professional development though the Hospice Annual Review process to continuously update and improve knowledge and competencies.
Engage in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the area you are working and achieve the required level of competence.
Any other duties that may be reasonably
THIS JOB DESCRIPTION IS NOT EXHAUSTIVE AND IS SUBJECT TO REVIEW IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE POST HOLDER AND ACCORDING TO FUTURE CHANGES/DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SERVICE.
Person Specification
Experience Essential
Ability to motivate and inspire others to achieve in a fast paced and challenging environment. Takes the initiative and responds flexibly to change. Delegates tasks appropriately. Ability to develop rapport with a wide range of people and to act with credibility, tact and diplomacy. High level of computer literacy skills including the use of mobile technology. Proven track record of contemporaneous clinical practice. Experience in Palliative and End of Life Care and Bereavement Support in a community setting Prepared and delivered education programmes to other healthcare professionals. Ability to interpret situations from different angles and identify opportunities for improvement. Forward thinking and proactive in decision making and in assessing risks and its mitigation. Applies personal organisation strategies to prioritise and effectively manage workload within a team environment.
Qualifications Essential
Registered Nurse (Level 1) or Registered Paramedic (HCPC) with 3 years post registration experience. Evidence of ongoing Professional Development. Relevant BSc. Principles of End of Life Care masters module.
Personal Attributes Essential
Passionate about providing individualised care Dedicated to making a difference and changing peoples lives Compassionate High levels of enterprise, innovation and dedication. Maintains a calm disposition and positive outlook. Proactive team player Ability to work well within and adapt to a changing environment. Willingness to travel to varying work locations. Sense of humour. Forward thinking.
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.
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 Hospice in the Weald
Address Maidstone Road
Pembury
Tunbridge Wells
Kent
TN2 4TA
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)