NHS role

Head of Service / Director of Nursing or AHP

Executive-level leader accountable for a whole service or professional group — strategy, workforce, finance and performance across an organisation.

Salary
£66,582–£77,368
NHS demand
Growing
Next step

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CareRoute Career Score™
Solid
relative to other NHS roles

Strong on AI resistance and work–life balance; held back by entry.

Salary growth67

Can reach ~£77,000 via progression within the role.

Job security48

Workforce scale not separately tracked; trend not tracked.

AI resistance95

Highly resistant to automation — hands-on clinical work.

Work–life balance73

Reasonable work–life balance; regular hours.

Entry access31

Demanding entry — moderate study load, high competition.

Flexibility38

0 onward routes; good flexible-working scope.

Career Score™ is CareRoute's own indicative rating from public NHS-style data — not an official NHS ranking. A composite of six factors; same inputs always give the same score.

Salary
£66,582–£77,368
Next step
Established role
Avg progression
Varies
NHS demand
Growing
Study required
Moderate
Flexibility
Limited
Why we scored it 60: Strong on AI resistance and work–life balance; held back by entry.

What you'd do

  • Set strategy for a service / profession
  • Lead workforce and finance at scale
  • Assure quality and performance
  • Represent the service at board level

Is this you?

You enjoy helping people and working as part of a team
You want hands-on NHS experience
You're drawn to leadership, education & research
You value secure, structured public-sector work

Skills & requirements

Skills you'll use in this role
Strategic leadershipFinancial oversightInfluenceSystem thinking
Latest intelligence

Guides & updates

We're writing in-depth leadership, education & research guides — pay, entry routes and progression. In the meantime, explore the roles and career map above.

FAQ

Questions, answered straight

Band 8b–9 on the 2026/27 Agenda for Change scale — indicative figures; verify against official NHS sources.
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