Head of Service for Adult Community Health Services

Community Services will play a central role in the delivery of the Neighbourhood Health agenda and the NHS 10 Year Plan. Now is a pivotal time for the evolution of Community Services nationally and locally. We are excited to welcome into our team a forward thinking, credible and dynamic operational leader who can drive forward the delivery of an ambitious programme of development whilst providing visible, stable, compassionate leadership on a day to day basis to our multi-professional teams. You will oversee a broad range of clinical services delivering both urgent and proactive care across domiciliary, outpatient and inpatient settings across Guildford and Waverley including three Community Hospital sites.

This is an important leadership opening, and the successful candidate will need to have significant senior management experience within the NHS or a complex healthcare setting and a deep understanding of Community Services so that they can work autonomously to support geographically dispersed teams, acting as the key point of operational escalation. We are looking for someone who is highly organised, proactive and able to maintain strong operational grip across complex, dispersed services. The opportunity for service redesign and innovation is significant in this role, given the current policy context, so if you are excited about shaping new models of care this may be the role for you.

Job description

Core to the role is oversight on a day to day basis of the operations of all services delivered from a range of locations including Community Hospital sites and in peoples own homes.

The post holder will be expected to pay close attention to the following: operational performance to ensure services are delivered in line with KPIs and applicable targets, such as waiting times (this includes overseeing data capture, data quality, reporting and providing assurance); the role is accountable for the performance of the services within their remit against the nationally and locally specified standards. The Head of Service will lead on the preparation and delivery of the annual Service Operating Plan. quality improvement including driving application of digital opportunities; patient experience including collecting feedback and addressing complaints; staff experience including competent oversight of workforce planning, recruitment, rostering, appraisals as well as initiatives to improve welfare; governance and robust management of risk; and financial management to ensure sustainability and value for money through productive and efficient service models and use of resources.

The Head of Service will deputise for the Associate Director of Operations as required.

Management

Ensure efficient day to day processes in place to support outstanding operational management across all services within the portfolio.Lead service transformation and drive improvement and best practice across all servicesEnsure all services are sufficiently resourced to enable the achievement of all required clinical and operational performance standards.Manage and develop changing services in liaison with clinicians, managers and staff. Develop services in accordance with national strategy and targets, commissioning and Trust strategy.Lead and manage Division wide projects.Facilitate business planning process for all services, comprising activity, capacity, workforce planning and finance. This includes supporting service developments and preparing business cases, position papers, projections and other reports as required.Work with Clinical Multidisciplinary Teams in the monitoring and achievement of national and locally agreed standards such as wait timesSupport the Clinical Multidisciplinary Teams in leading the strategic and business planning for the services to ensure modern cost efficient services.Participate in the Trusts On Call Managers rota.Consistently model effective leadership through personal behaviour.Work closely with finance to ensure all contracts/SLAs entered into by the Trust are profitable/demonstrate a return on our investment.Lead Quality Improvement projects including working in partnership with organisations outside the Trust as well as colleagues from other Divisions within the Trust.

Finance

Ensure safe, effective, efficient services are delivered within the resources available.Develop, manage and monitor budgets to meet the Divisions strategic and operational business plans including delivery of cost improvement targets.Ensure effective establishment control, cost control and budget management including the overall management of attendance.Ensure budgets remain within financial balance, taking remedial action where budget forecasts predict a variance from financial plans.Manage the collection and use of information in accordance with local and national strategies and plans.Work to identify Cost Improvement Programme initiatives, and ensure successful CIP delivery, in accordance with Trust financial targets.Achieve agreed savings targets in any financial year in collaboration with the directorate accountant and general manager.Develop business cases for any service developments ensuring these fit with the Trust strategy and appropriate activity, financial and workforce plans have been incorporated both within and across Divisions.Actively participate in strategic planning and review process.Work with clinical and management teams to ensure an understanding of the budget and the implications of different decisions.Manage stock and ordering by working with procurement to realise the best price for goods and services.To be responsible for efficient and effective management of the Team resources, always ensuring appropriate skill and grade mixes and deployment of staff.

Lead Division Service Transformation projects to deliver quality improvement through efficiency and productivity.

Quality ManagementAssist the Divisional Triumvirate team in ensuring that appropriate Clinical Governance measures are in place to ensure safe, effective and efficient services that are equally accessible to all patients.Ensure that operational systems and processes (across all areas of the portfolio of services within the role including inpatient, outpatient and domicillary areas) are safe, effective and enable the provision of outstanding care, every time.Lead on the response to incidents (raised via Datix, the Trusts incident reporting system), ensuring timely and effective responses and investigations are undertaken.Investigate and monitor non clinical critical / adverse incidents and trigger events, develop agreed action plans and reports, fostering a no blame culture.Support the Chief of Service, Associate Director of Operations, Clinical Director and Divisional Head of Nursing in the delivery of clinical, operation and financial governance processes and drive for best practice within all specialties across the portfolio.Support the clinical and non-clinical staff in the delivery of clinical, operational and financial governance processes and drive for best practice within specialties.Take responsibility for investigation and resolution of complaints and produce appropriate responses in line with the Trust standards, including meeting with complainants and facilitating discussion with those involved in the complaint.Ensure patients are treated in surroundings that are safe secure, healthy and supportive of good care using equipment that is effective and well maintained and complies with cross infection policy.Ensure that the Divisional risk register is maintained accurately and comprehensively with all appropriate risks recorded and scored as required.Produce regular reports on the implementation of Risk Management and Health and Safety within non clinical areas. Ensure auditable processes are in place to indicate that lessons are learned, raised to the appropriate level in the Trust and feedback is given to staff.Facilitate regular audit and evaluation of all aspects of the service, support research and act upon recommendations made through audit/research ensuring the involvement of staff and patients.Support the development and use of management and clinical information systems. To ensure all data is accurate and regular monitoring is in placeSupport the Divisional Triumvirate team in developing effective audit systems and programmesDirect the development, implementation and monitoring of compliance with departmental and partnership policy, ensuring that best practice is disseminated.

Human Resources

Provide line management oversight of identified staff for this role: the Service Delivery Managers and EMIS Clinical Lead. Provide direct operational management of the Community Co-Ordination Centre (CCC).Support, lead, motivate and develop all staff across the Division on a day to day basis.Develop and implement effective multifunctional teams working across a range of disciplines.To direct and enable new ways of working, which cut across traditional professional and cultural boundaries; in particular supporting the integration of clinical pathways across acute and community services.Support the Chief of Service in the management of consultant medical staff including effective job planning.To take a leading role in managing, investigating and chairing employee relations cases.Establish new ways of working in conjunction with clinicians, other healthcare professionals, support and HR staff. This includes skill mix reviews, new role development and other workforce strategies.Manage workforce planning and staff development and ensure objectives, personal development plans, appraisal and mandatory and essential training is conducted for all staff. Develop training plans.Responsible for organising and implementing the on call management and manager of the day rota for the Community Division.

Communication

Develop and maintain effective communication and decision making systems within the Trust and with external agencies, maintaining confidentiality and preserving the Trust's reputation.Chair meetings to discuss issues and allow staff to participate in the running of the department and ensure two way communications through the SBUs.To provide specialist advice and consultation to Team Managers and senior colleagues.Attend meetings to represent the SBUs and Division at Trust level and participate in discussion about service, resource and Trust issues including deputising for the Associate Director of Operations.Communicate service related information to senior managers and clinicians, preparing and presenting reports up to Executive level.Represent the Trust at local health economy or regional meetings as required.Use Trust email, telephone and meetings to update on Trust news, policies and changes and to communicate with staff, colleagues and other professionals.

Information Management

Review, interpret and present accounts and reports, ensuring that work meets best practice standards and is used appropriately to support proposals and recommendations for decision making.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Master's degree in healthcare or management or demonstrable ability to work at Masters level
• Undergraduate degree
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Project Management qualification or equivalent training

Desirable

• Evidence of recent clinical update

knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Extensive knowledge and experience working in Community services: with a minimum of 4 years proven track record of significant successful operational management in the NHS (or equivalent) at a senior level
• Experience leading multi-professional teams with evidenced successful service developments
• Must have an understanding of the background to and aims of current healthcare policy/national guidance/CQC/ and appreciate the implications of this on delivering community services
• Experience leading senior teams and chairing major project teams with multi-professionals to develop and deliver new initiatives

Desirable

• Member of relevant professional body

About the employer

Royal Surrey is a compassionate and collaborative acute and community Trust. Recognising that our 5000 colleagues are our greatest strength, we offer a comprehensive health and wellbeing program along with a commitment to developing and advancing your career. Our diverse and welcoming Royal Surrey family will ensure you that you feel valued from your initial interview through your entire tenure.

We are clinically led and provide joined up care by bridging the gap between hospital and community services alongside regional specialist cancer care. Our main acute hospital site is in Guildford with community hospital sites at Milford, Haslemere and Cranleigh. We provide adult community health services in homes across Guildford and Waverley.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) have given us an overall rating of Outstanding.

Royal Surrey has a strong reputation and history to build on. We are proud of our achievements and we are investing in our colleagues through our commitment to supporting professional development as well as investing more than £45 million in our physical environment and new equipment in the next few years. There has never been a better time to join us.

Although it isn't the Trusts normal practice, adverts may close early, so you are encouraged to submit an application as soon as possible.

A video about the Royal Surrey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R96pMboIYdo