Director of Outpatient Improvement | Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Greater London; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A major public health trust in Greater London is seeking a Director of Operational Improvement. This senior role is pivotal in transforming outpatient services as part of a strategic shift towards community-based care. The ideal candidate will have extensive operational management knowledge and a track record of delivering efficiency improvements. Key responsibilities include mapping hospital locations, reviewing patient flows, and conducting audits of workforce capacity. The position offers an opportunity to significantly impact community health services.

Benefits

Outstanding CQC rating

Commitment to equality and diversity

Recognition as a Best Place to Work

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of operational management within an acute hospital setting.
• Track record of delivering efficiency improvement programs with financial benefits.
• Ability to influence diverse professional groups.

Responsibilities

• Map hospital locations delivering outpatient services and assess utilization.
• Review service configurations and patient flows.
• Conduct a skills and capacity audit of the workforce.
• Gather data on activity, demand, and community requirements.

Skills

Operational management

Efficiency improvement

Influencing skills

Data analysis

Education

Qualifications related to operational management

Job description

The Director of Operational Improvement will report directly to the Chief Operating Officer and hold a senior leadership position within the Trust’s operational team旧 This role is pivotal in delivering the ambitions of the NHSE 10‑Year Plan, with a strong emphasis on transforming outpatient services as part of the strategic shift towards community‑based care. Historically, outpatient services have been configured around traditional hospital‑based models, often requiring multiple visits and fragmented pathways. This role will lead the redesign of these services to create integrated, efficient, and patient‑centred pathways that reduce unnecessary hospital attendances and improve continuity of care, considering the related work that is being delivered through other aligned programmes.

The postholder will possess extensive knowledge of operational management within an acute hospital setting, with proven expertise in best practice for planned care provision. They will demonstrate the ability to influence and drive the completion of actions across diverse professional groups. In addition, the postholder must have a track record of delivering efficiency improvement programmes that achieve significant financial benefits.

Key Tasks (Fixed‑term contract – initial phase)

• Mapping all hospital locations delivering outpatient services and assessing utilisation.
• Reviewing service configurations, patient flows, and physical space constraints.
• Conducting a skills and capacity audit of the workforce.
• Gathering data and intelligence on activity, demand, and community requirements.

This foundational work will identify opportunities to streamline processes, optimise space utilisation, and shift care closer to home wherever clinically appropriate.

Transformation Objectives

Aligned with the principles of the 10‑Year Plan and the system‑wide shift towards community care, the Director of Outpatients Improvement will lead the modernisation of outpatient services by enhancing collaboration across Primary, Community, and Secondary Care. Homerton’s integrated acute and community services, strong relationships with primary care, and established neighbourhood infrastructure provide a unique foundation for this transformation.

About Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

• High performing and flourishing organisation serving the population of Hackney, East London, The City and beyond.
• Homerton Hospital has recently attained the highest possible rating of “Outstanding” from the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
• Integrated Trust provides comprehensive hospital and community health services, including services out of St Leonard’s Hospital and the Mary Seacole Nursing Home.
• Committed to equality, diversity and inclusion; all staff are expected to embody the Trust values at all times.
• Committed through Fair Recruitment Standards to ensuring all applicants are treated fairly.
• On the HSJ & Nursing Times Best Places to Work list.

Further Information

The full job description provides an overview of the key tasks and responsibilities of the role, and the person specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience and knowledge required. For both documents, please view the attachment/s on this page.

The person specification below is not the full person specification but outlines the criteria against which your application form will be assessed.

This advert closes on Sunday 14 Dec 2025.