About this role
Job summary
The Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) will play a pivotal role as part of the Divisional triumvirate leadership team (alongside the Associate Chief Operating Officer and Associate Chief Medical Officer), with shared accountability for delivering high-quality, safe, and effective services.
The ACNO will provide visible, professional leadership to the nursing workforce, championing a culture of excellence, continuous improvement, and patient-centred care. They will lead on nursing strategy, workforce development, and professional standards, ensuring the delivery of compassionate, evidence-based care aligned to national and local priorities.
They will take a lead role in driving quality, safety, and governance, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and embedding a strong culture of learning from incidents, feedback, and patient experience. They will work collaboratively with clinical and operational leaders to deliver performance and financial objectives, improve service efficiency, and support innovation and transformation across surgical pathways.
As a senior leader, the ACNO will be responsible for developing and empowering nursing and clinical support staff, fostering an inclusive and supportive working environment, and ensuring the division has a skilled, resilient, and sustainable workforce. They will also provide expert advice on professional nursing matters to the wider organisation and contribute to Trust-wide strategic priorities.
Main duties of the job
The Associate Chief Nursing Officer (ACNO) will provide senior leadership within the Surgical Division, working as part of the Divisional triumvirate to deliver high-quality, safe and patient-centred care.
The post holder will lead and develop the nursing and clinical support workforce, ensuring professional standards, workforce sustainability and a positive, inclusive culture. They will act as a visible and credible leader, providing expert advice on nursing practice and supporting delivery of divisional and Trust priorities.
The ACNO will lead on quality, safety and governance, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, driving improvements in patient outcomes, and embedding learning from incidents, complaints and patient feedback. They will maintain a strong focus on patient experience and continuous service improvement.
Working collaboratively with clinical and operational colleagues, the post holder will contribute to strategic planning, service transformation and performance delivery across surgical services.
The role includes responsibility for workforce planning, staff development, and effective use of resources, ensuring safe staffing and financial sustainability. The ACNO will hold senior nursing staff to account for performance and delivery, and participate in the senior manager on-call rota.
About us About us
Wye Valley NHS Trust is a member of an NHS Foundation Group with South Warwickshire University NHS FT, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute NHS Hospitals Trust.
Located on the border with Wales in the shadow of the Black Mountains, we provide acute and community services across Herefordshire and into parts of Powys and run Hereford County Hospital and the community hospitals in Bromyard, Leominster and Ross-on-Wye.
We are a progressive and forward looking trust with ambitious plans to improve quality and integrate patient pathways through close collaborative working with our partners to deliver the quality of care wed want for our family and friends.
More than 3,000 people work for the Trust they tell us its a great place to work, blending the busyness of a DGH with the benefits of working in a beautiful rural and unspoilt county like Herefordshire.
We can offer a great work-life balance and have a fine tradition of working with staff to help them achieve their full potential.
Russell Hardy, Trust Chairman: "The strength of the Trust is its amazing staff; a great place to work, a great place to develop your career and a great place to reach your potential."
Our values -Care, Accountability, Respect and Excellence - are at the heart of all we do. We believe in providing the right care in the right place at the right time.
Job description Job responsibilities
To view role requirements and role responsibilities in full, please view the Job description and person specification attached to this vacancy in the supporting documents.
Person Specification
Essential Essential
Registered nurse with current NMC registration, Educated to masters level or equivalent level of experience of working at a senior level in specialist area. Significant demonstrable experience as effective senior leader/operational manager in a complex clinical environment Translation of current national strategy into practice with a good understanding of the changing NHS environment Proven track record of successful leadership, managing redesign and change Well-developed clinical understanding. Able to advise on and implement improvements to the quality and efficiency of care for patients in organisation. Comprehensive understanding of the patient safety agenda, including appropriate governance and oversight of service delivery and service changes Acts with integrity; values respects and promotes equality and diversity; service excellence; patient centred approach; teamwork and mutual respect
Desirable
Leadership qualification or recognised senior leadership course
Desirable Desirable
Advanced keyboard skills QSIR or other equivalent qualification
essential Essential
Ability to think and plan tactically and creatively and to prioritise work programmes in the face of competing demands
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
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 Wye Valley NHS Trust
Address Wye Valley NHS Trust - Hereford County Hospital
Stonebow Road
Hereford
HR1 2BN
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.wyevalley.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)