A chief nursing officer to bring one standard of care to 14 hospitals

The brief

The group runs 14 independent hospitals across England, with around 2,600 nursing staff. It had grown quickly through acquisition, and each site still worked to its own policies. Two had received critical inspection reports in the previous year, and nurse turnover across the group was running at 24%.

The board wanted a chief nursing officer who could set one standard of care across every site, work alongside the medical director as an equal and be visible on wards rather than in head office. Candidates had to hold current registration, and the group was open to people from the public sector, provided they understood the commercial realities of independent care.

The search

Sofia mapped 118 directors of nursing, deputy chief nurses and chief nursing officers across public and independent providers. We approached 44 and held conversations with 26, many of whom were candid about the inspection reports and wanted to know how seriously the board meant to act on them. We shared the reports in full with anyone who asked.

Three went to the shortlist. Each was referenced by a former chief executive, a ward manager who had reported to them and a peer from another organisation, and each spent a day at one of the two struggling hospitals before the final interview. The search came close to failing when the preferred candidate’s current trust asked for the full six-month notice period. We worked with both organisations to agree a phased handover, with the candidate spending two days a week at the group from month three, so the role was not left empty for half a year.

The outcome

The chief nursing officer introduced a single framework for nursing standards across all 14 sites within six months and created a deputy director of nursing post at each hospital. Both of the hospitals with critical reports have since been reinspected and rated good. Nine months after the appointment, nurse turnover has fallen from 24% to 15%, and the group has opened two further sites, each with a director of nursing chosen through the same process.