Associate Director of Patient Engagement and Experience
Reporting to the Chief Nurse the Associate Director of Patient Engagement and Experience will ensure that the voices and lived experiences of patients, carers and communities shape Trust strategy, decisions, services and improvement. The post holder will provide corporate leadership and accountability for complaints, PALS, patient surveys and insight, involvement and co-design, carers, Chaplaincy, translation and interpreting, volunteers, and patient-experience improvement.
The post holder will lead delivery of the Patient Experience strategy and the experience and voice commitments of the national Quality Strategy for NHS-funded care in England. They will translate national and Trust strategy into measurable priorities, policy, standards and improvement programmes, creating systematic and inclusive routes for people to influence how care is planned, delivered and evaluated and ensuring that the Trust visibly responds to what it hears.
The post holder will operate with substantial autonomy within broad professional, organisational and national policies and delegated authority, interpreting these requirements and determining how agreed objectives are achieved.
Interview date: 16th November 2026.
The post holder is the responsible strategic lead for the development and implementation of the Trust strategy for improving patient and carer experience and engagement for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust.
An influential senior leader working within the corporate nursing team to provide strategic nursing leadership and expert specialist advice concerning all areas of patient engagement and patient experience. The post holder will lead on and facilitate the successful delivery of the strategic objectives set out in the Patient Engagement and Experience Strategy and provide support to the wider patient experience team in relation to the core functions.
The role requires a senior manager with strong leadership skills, current specialist knowledge and experience in the field of patient experience, engagement and co-production.
The post holder will provide leadership and management of the Trust’s Patient Engagement & Experience Team, Volunteer Services, Chaplaincy, and for patient/community focussed activities. They will act as a source of professional advice and expertise, developing and acting upon specialist knowledge on current trends in NHS complaints and PALS, patient experience, service user involvement, quality improvement, volunteering, and health inequalities, keeping abreast of relevant legislation, policy changes and national/regional impact.
UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.
UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.
AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.
For further details / informal visits contact: Name: Vivian Alividza Job title: Deputy Chief Nurse Email address: vivian.alividza5@nhs.net
