Chief Operating Officer – East London NHS Foundation Trust

An outstanding organisation. An exceptional opportunity.

East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT) is one of the country’s most respected NHS organisations, recognised nationally and internationally for its commitment to quality improvement, innovation, co-production and compassionate leadership.

Rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission on three consecutive occasions, ELFT provides mental health, community health, primary care and specialist services across East London, Bedfordshire and Luton, serving some of the most diverse communities in England.

We are now seeking an exceptional Chief Operating Officer to join our Executive Team.

This is a rare opportunity to help shape the future of one of the NHS’s most progressive provider organisations at a pivotal moment for healthcare.

Main duties of the job

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, the Chief Operating Officer will provide executive leadership across one of the most diverse operational portfolios in the NHS, leading services that support over 1.7 million people through community health, mental health, specialist and forensic services, inclusion health and primary care.

Working alongside an experienced Executive Team, you will lead operational performance, quality, transformation and continuous improvement whilst helping deliver our ambitious 2026-2031 strategy and the ambitions of the NHS 10-Year Health Plan.

You will play a leading role across both the North East London and Central East Integrated Care Systems, strengthening partnerships, improving population health and helping reshape services around the needs of local communities.

Ensuring the quality and safety of healthcare services, education, training and research delivered by the Trust and applying the principles and standards of clinical governance set out by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and other relevant NHS bodies.

Committing to working to, and encouraging within the Trust, the highest standards of probity, integrity and governance and contribute to ensuring that the Trust’s internal governance arrangements conform with best practice and statutory requirements

About us

ELFT provides a wide range of community and inpatient services for children, young people, adults of working age, older adults and forensic services across two Integrated Care Systems and six-placed based systems, serving diverse populations across the City of London and the London Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Luton, Bedford and Central Bedfordshire.For some specialised services we commission and provide across north central and east London and beyond.

At ELFT you’ll join an organisation that is genuinely different.

We are internationally recognised for our Quality Improvement methodology, place people participation and co-production at the heart of decision-making, and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues are supported to thrive.Our new Trust Strategy sets an ambitious direction built around improving experience of care, staff experience, population health and value. As Chief Operating Officer, you will play a central role in delivering that vision.

Our mission is to make a positive difference to people’s lives by improving the quality of life for all we serve. Our values are: We Care, We Respect, We are Inclusive – so we are looking for people who live and breathe these qualities when supporting service users and carers, and in their relationships with colleagues in the Trust and our partner organisations.

Please click here for candidate information pack.