Aspirant Deputy Director of Nursing Talent Scheme

Nursing, midwifery, and health visiting constitute the largest professional group within the NHS, however there is a lack of tangible opportunities for them to gain experience of strategic influence at nation level.

To ensure NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSEI) can achieve these goals we need a strong cadre of nurse leaders to lead the change, support system development and bring their professional colleagues along in these commitments.

Director nursing roles within the NHS are becoming harder to fill with the role becoming increasingly challenging and complex, and the gap between director and deputy increasing. Where talented individuals have aspiration to progress, there isn't the support available to equip them with the skills necessary to progress to a board level role and often the route to gaining one is unclear.

To address the shortage of "ready now" appointable candidates to Deputy Director of Nursing (DDoN) roles across England, the talent scheme for aspirant (DDoN) will ensure the future pipeline to DoN roles is secured.