Deputy Chief Nursing Officer – Inpatient Services

King's College · Dubai

Position Overview:

Reporting to the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO), the Deputy Chief Nursing Officer – Inpatient

Services (DCNO) provides professional and operational nursing leadership across inpatient

services, ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality, evidence-based, and patient-centered care.

The post holder works collaboratively with nursing, medical, allied health, and operational

teams to achieve the organisation’s strategic, clinical, operational and financial objectives.

As an integral member of the senior nursing team, the DCNO is responsible for ensuring and

improving the delivery of high quality, safe, evidenced based patient care through professional

leadership of nursing and clinical support staff.

The DCNO will provide expert professional advice and work with nursing, medical and allied

health colleagues to ensure the development and delivery of clinical and professional standards,

delivery of safe high-quality nursing whilst contributing to outstanding operational performance.

The DCNO will forge close working relationships with both internal and external colleagues

and partners.

Key Accountabilities:

Professional Leadership

Lead and promote evidence-based nursing and midwifery practice in accordance with the scope of practice and requirements of the Dubai Health Authority, UAE Nursing and Midwifery Council, and relevant professional standards.
Support and promote King’s College Hospital (KCH) mission, values, aims and strategic objectives.
Work collaboratively with the CNO, senior leadership and partner organisations, providing expert professional nursing advice and leadership to achieve organisational objectives.
Provide visible, compassionate professional leadership, mentorship and support to nursing and midwifery teams, promoting professional development, evidence-based practice and excellence in patient care.
Provide professional advice, support, and appropriate challenge to professional groups, promoting an open and transparent culture where concerns can be raised and addressed.
Contribute to the development and implementation of nursing policies, professional standards, and strategic initiatives across KCH.
Develop effective multidisciplinary relationships and promote collaboration across professional groups to improve patient care, pathways, and outcomes.
Deputize for the CNO and provide cross-cover for senior nursing leadership colleagues as required.

Inpatient Clinical Operations & Service Delivery

Provide operational and professional nursing leadership across all designated inpatient clinical areas, ensuring safe, effective, and efficient delivery of nursing services.
Maintain visible leadership across inpatient units through regular rounds, engaging with nursing teams, patients, and multidisciplinary colleagues to identify and address clinical and operational concerns.
Oversee inpatient activity, patient flow, bed utilisation, admissions, transfers, and discharges, working collaboratively with relevant departments to support effective capacity management.
Ensure appropriate nursing staffing levels, skill mix, and deployment based on patient acuity, dependency, occupancy, and operational requirements.
Monitor the operational performance of inpatient units and address issues relating to staffing, capacity, patient flow, quality, safety, and patient experience.

Workforce

Provide oversight of nursing workforce performance, staffing, recruitment, retention, and absence management across inpatient services.
Develop and implement workforce strategies to reduce vacancies, improve retention and staff experience, and support career development.
Ensure appropriate staffing levels, skill mix and workforce

Patient Experience & Service Excellence

Monitor patient experience across inpatient services and ensure concerns, feedback and recurring themes are addressed through appropriate improvement actions.
Promote a consistent culture of patient-centered care, dignity, effective communication, and service excellence.

Budget & Financial Management

Monitor and manage relevant cost centers in collaboration with the Finance Department, ensuring appropriate financial control and accountability.
Support strategic, annual budget and resource planning to ensure effective utilisation of nursing workforce, clinical and operational resources.
Monitor nursing workforce and operational expenditure, including overtime and additional staffing costs, ensuring efficient use of resources without compromising patient safety or quality of care.

Performance & Service Improvement

Monitor inpatient service KPIs, nursing performance indicators and performance dashboards, ensuring appropriate improvement actions are implemented where targets are not achieved.
Lead and support service improvement, transformation, and innovation initiatives to improve quality, efficiency, patient experience, and clinical outcomes.

JCIA-Aligned Safety, Quality, Governance and Professional Standards

Support sustainability and Global Health Impact (GHI) goals by practicing environmentally responsible care, reducing waste, following proper disposal and segregation processes, using resources efficiently, participating in related training, and reporting opportunities for improvement.

Education & Qualification, Experience, Training & Knowledge

Education & Qualification

UAE Medical Health Authority License (DHA)
Bachelor’s degree in nursing or Degree in Nursing (minimum two years course duration) And Registration as a Registered Nurse from Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand,
Master’s level qualification or relevant postgraduate studies are desirable.
Educational/teaching qualification is desirable, or willingness to undertake an appropriate educational qualification within an agreed timeframe.

Experience

Minimum 10 years of progressive nursing experience, including at least 5 years in a senior nursing leadership/management position with significant responsibility for inpatient clinical services.
Recent experience within a relevant service environment, including experience within the last two years.