Introduction Highly competent nurses delivering person-centred care, approaches the global challenges of missed nursing care for the patient and high nurse turnover. This study describes the development and implementation of an organisational structure for academic leadership in nursing and person-centred fundamental care.Methods A descriptive case study design. Data were collected from project records and regulatory documents from the development and implementation of the organisation within a surgical department with nine units at a university hospital. The analysis was performed using content analysis.Results The implementation of the organisational structure is described in three phases: (I) Evidence mapping, (II) Design, and (III) Establishment. A nursing council and new positions for nursing leadership were developed and filled. PhD-nurses work to strengthen evidence-based patient care, clinically relevant research, and usage of research results. Specialist nurses perform person-centred nursing rounds for patients with advanced level care needs, mentor younger nurses, and collaborate with surgeons to plan and evaluate care across the department. A model for nursing care and research, guided by the Fundamentals of Care framework, is implemented to guide person-centred fundamental care and research. The development and implementation of the organisational structure were guided by i-PARIHS.Conclusion The organisational change incorporates key factors for successful implementation and is designed based on evidence to achieve excellent nursing care meeting the individual patient care needs. This approach is promising for long-term sustainability in the nursing workforce and delivery of excellent person-centred fundamental care for the patient. There is a need to scale up the movement of person-centred fundamental care to ensure that the patient’s care needs are met. This step-by-step description of the process of developing and implementing the organizational structure - a successful yet challenging endeavor - may support others in initiating similar projects.