Job overview
To Apply: Please email CV and Covering Letter to [email protected]
Interviews to be held: September 2026
The Non-Executive Director (Clinical) is a key member of the Trust Board at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, providing strategic leadership, independent oversight, and objective challenge to support the delivery of high-quality, safe, and effective care.
As a voting member of the Board, the post holder shares corporate responsibility for ensuring the Trust operates efficiently, economically, and in line with statutory and regulatory requirements.
Bringing senior clinical expertise and an understanding of patient and community needs, the role focuses on shaping long-term strategy and strengthening governance, while offering an external, impartial perspective that is removed from the day-to-day operational management of the organisation.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work collaboratively with fellow Board members to provide leadership and ensure the Trust’s strategic direction is ambitious, patient-centred, and aligned to organisational priorities.
Core responsibilities include:
- Maintaining Board-level focus on quality
- Patient safety, and experience
- Contributing to the development and delivery of strategy
- Monitoring organisational and Executive performance to ensure robust accountability and high standards of reporting.
The role involves supporting the development of a transparent, inclusive, and values-led Board culture, participating in Board committees (and chairing the Trust’s Quality Committee), and ensuring effective clinical governance, quality improvement, and risk management processes are in place.
The Clinical NED will also champion continuous improvement, equality, and inclusion, while upholding the Nolan Principles of Public Life and the Trust’s values.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Non-Executive Director will engage with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders, including the Trust Chair, Executive Directors, Governors, system partners, and community organisations, often addressing complex, sensitive, and confidential matters.
The role requires the ability to analyse complex information, provide constructive challenge, and contribute to balanced decision-making at Board level. The post holder will attend and actively contribute to Board and committee meetings, support governance assurance, and may participate in additional activities such as consultant appointment panels or strategic working groups.
A strong understanding of NHS systems, quality governance, and improvement methodologies is essential, alongside the ability to influence at senior level and promote patient and public involvement.
The role carries a commitment of approximately four days per month and is offered on a three-year term, with a focus on ongoing development, adherence to information governance standards, and maintaining the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality, and professional conduct.
Person specification
Experience
Essential
- Past senior clinical experience sufficient to be able to be a productive member of Board and the patient and quality committee
- Able to establish credibility and command respect from clinicians, stakeholders, partners, and especially patients, healthcare professionals and service providers
- Understanding of the NHS quality and safety regimes and the requirements these place on the FT
- Demonstrable understanding of the local arrangements for listening and responding to the voices of patients, carers and patient organisations. You should also have an understanding of effective involvement and engagement techniques and its application in practice
- Have a desire to ensure the Trust is successfully involving patients, carers and the public in the work of a public sector organisation
Desirable
- Understanding of how to build corporate accountability and social processes
Leadership
Essential
- Capability to understand and analyse complex issues, drawing on the breadth of data that needs to inform Board deliberations and decision-making, and the wisdom to ensure that it is used ethically to balance competing priorities and make difficult decisions.
Desirable
- A general understanding of health and an appreciation of the broad social, political and economic trends influencing it.
Qualifications
Essential
- Having held a registered medical professional designation
- Developed a good level of professional expertise and knowledge within the area of quality improvement
Personal Attributes
Essential
- The ability to influence and persuade others articulating a balanced, not personal, view and to engage in constructive debate without being adversarial or losing respect and goodwill to accept collective responsibility and maintain confidentiality on issues raised
- Be able to command respect and trust of colleagues;
- The ability to demonstrate how your skills and abilities can actively contribute to the work of the Trust Board and how this will enable you to participate effectively as a team member.
- Be able and willing to spend time preparing for meetings and have demonstrable experience of reading and analyzing complex papers and weighing evidence
- Demonstration of adherence to the Nolan Principles of conduct in public life (appendix 1)
- Live within the local community OR be able to demonstrate how you are otherwise able to bring that perspective to the Trust Board
- Be able to demonstrate that you share and champion the values of the Board
Working with Others
Essential
- Strong capabilities to act as an ambassador on behalf of the Trust;
Desirable
- Experience of working in a multi-disciplinary environment.
- Ability to engage with and influence with a range of stakeholders including public, carers, voluntary organisations, Health professionals, the local authority and ICB lay members
Governance and Assurance
Essential
- Knowledge of quality governance, including risk management.
- A general understanding of good governance and of the difference between governance and management.
- The confidence to question information and explanations supplied by others, who may be experts in their field
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Applying for this NHS job
This advert is for Non Executive Director - Clinical with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust in Worthing, South East, England. It is listed as a Manager and corporate role. The advertised salary is £13,000 £13,000 for approximately 1 day a month. The contract type is Fixed term: 3 years (Non - Exec Director. 3 years contract, 4 days a month.). The application deadline is 30 Jul 2026.
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