Directorate Support Manager

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Specialty Medicine Division of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust who are looking for an experienced Directorate Support Manager for Cardiology, Respiratory and Renal services to enhance the management structure within the Specialty Medicine Division. The post holder will provide operational and business management support to the Directorate working closely with the Directorate Manager, Clinical Director and Matrons.

This post is based at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and travel across the county is essential.

Main duties of the job

You will provide operational management alongside the Directorate Manager working in partnership with the Clinical leads and the Matron; ensuring that the Directorate and its services meet their quality, activity and financial targets and assist in the planning, objective-setting and change management within both the Directorate and the Division as a whole.

You should have previous experience of managing staff, projects, complaints, performance and budgets. You will need to demonstrate a proven record of pro-active management to achieve key performance targets and experience in managing and responding to a range of operational issues. Applicants will have excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to build, develop and motivate effective teams and work to tight deadlines in a fast paced environment.

For more details about this opportunity or to arrange an informal visit please contact Sally Hunter 01905 763333 Ext 30100

About Us

Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester.

Our workforce is nearly 6,800 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Our Objectives Are Simple:

1. Best services for local people
2. Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
3. Best use of resources
4. Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

Date posted

22 April 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 7

Salary

£46,148 to £52,809 a year

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time

Reference number

C9365-25-0329

Job locations

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Job Description

Job responsibilities

• Operational Management
• To assist in ensuring that the operational performance of the Directorate is effectively managed to meet agreed Trust and Divisional objectives.
• The post holder will be required to work with the Directorate Manager to ensure achievement of the Trust in-patient, out-patient maximum waiting time targets, emergency access and national cancer targets - specifically lung cancer.
• To monitor patients waiting via Trust Reporting systems, analyse information and take relevant action to ensure that no patients breach the targets. Discussing non routine capacity issues with Directorate Manager to ensure all waiting times and booking targets are met.
• To monitor performance against activity targets and other service objectives.
• To work with the Directorate Manager, Clinical Directors, Matrons, Departmental managers and the Finance team to set and deliver the Group objectives, in line with Directorate, Divisional and Corporate targets and strategies.
• To ensure there are effective processes in the Directorate to manage the Outpatient Waiting List System and ensure all outpatient bookings are in line with the recommended Trust and RTT standards.
• To deliver Income and Expenditure balance on the devolved resources.
• To deputise for the Directorate Manager as required.
• To take devolved responsibility for specific clinical areas within the Directorate as agreed with and under the management of the Directorate Manager including meeting with the Clinical Director, Matron and Departmental Leads on a regular basis.
• Work with the Clinical Director, matron, finance manager and heads of departments to identify service developments and new ways of working within the specialty and develop plans for implementation for reporting to the Directorate and the Division.
• To contribute to the identification of cost pressures and assist in the delivery of cost savings / service efficiencies and delivering an annual cost improvement plan.
• To review equipment needs and develop supporting rationales for bids for new and replacement equipment within the specialty as part of the Trusts business planning cycle.
• To ensure Pals, complaints and incidents are investigated in line with the Trust complaint policy. Where appropriate co-ordinate the response in liaison with the Directorate Management Team.
• To ensure accurate coding systems and processes are in place within the Directorate to ensure activity is accurately recorded impacting on income streams.
• To undertake project work as directed by the Directorate Manager such as working up plans for waiting list initiative work including work in the private sector and weekend working.
• Assisting the clinical staff with the development and updating of protocols and disseminating the information throughout the clinical area.
• To ensure the Trusts Infection Control policy is fully enforced.
• Management Of Staff
• To be responsible for the operational management of administrative and clerical staff within the Directorate.
• To ensure staff are aware of and comply with Trust policies.
• To implement HR policies as appropriate (eg Attendance Management, Grievance policy, Disciplinary Policy).
• To manage the systems in place for monitoring of sickness / absence and annual leave of administrative staff and where appropriate organise cover.
• To coordinate / undertake return to work meetings where appropriate in accordance with the Trusts attendance management policy.
• Booking of agency staff in line with the Trusts agency request guidelines.
• To manage the effective recruitment of designated Medical Secretaries and Administrative and Clerical staff within the Directorate.
• To arrange and support training and development of staff as identified from the PDRS and ensuring that all staff have a personal development plan in place. Monitoring the review cycle for the staff groups.
• To provide Human resources with weekly reports on agency expenditure, A&C staffing levels, sickness and maternity leave, and monthly reports on A&C vacancies.
• Business Development Responsibilities

The Post Holder Will Be Required To:

• Collate information and draft Directorate reports for divisional meetings.
• Support specific allocated Divisional projects.
• Review equipment needs submitted by the Directorate and ensure the development of supporting rationales.
• Work with Directorate Leads, Service Leads and other clinical representatives to support development of complex business cases for the division in conjunction with the Business Advisor for the Division.
• Work with Directorate leads, Service Leads and other clinical representatives to ensure strategic objectives and plans are developed as part of the Trusts business planning cycle.
• Work with the Heads of Service Clinical Director, matron, finance manager and heads of departments to identify and facilitate service developments and new ways of working.
• To undertake project work as directed by the Directorate Manager. This includes supporting projects relating to compliance plan, changes in pathways, capacity and demand profiling and major service alterations.
• To contribute to the identification of cost pressures and assist in the delivery of cost savings / service efficiencies and delivering an annual cost improvement plan.

Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential

• Educated to degree level
• Evidence of continued professional development
• Evidence of health service management experience

Desirable

• Educated to Masters level or evidence of equivalent experience in a health discipline or management role

Experience
Essential

• Previous NHS management experience - Developing Business cases
• Managing staff
• Managing projects within appropriate timescales
• Managing complaints
• Budget management
• Experience of leading and achieving change in a complex environment
• Experience of leading re-design or change management initiatives
• Experience of assisting negotiations involving complex, sensitive and contentious matters
• Experience of assisting service planning taking into account finance, manpower, equipment and organisational factors

Desirable

• Experience of managing a service with competing stakeholders

Skills
Essential

• Ability to build, develop and motivate an effective team
• Ability to influence/ persuade others with a positive approach and respect for work colleagues
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to prioritise and work to tight deadlines
• Computer literate
• Ability to analyse information and evaluate situations to draw appropriate conclusions
• Decision making and problem solving skill

Desirable

• Awareness of strategic management processes and their application e.g. fiscal planning, manpower
• Understand the role of IT in delivery of an effective service
• Experience of data manipulation and advanced excel skills
• Knowledge of the national and regional health strategies

Knowledge / Understanding
Essential

• Knowledge of NHS management issues - National agendas and initiatives
• Patient management issues
• Patient flow processes
• Knowledge of risk management issues
• Knowledge of the clinical governance agenda

Personal Qualities
Essential

• Self-motivated with a high drive for success
• Ability to work as a team but also on own initiative
• Adopts a flexible approach

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details
Employer name

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Charles Hastings Way

Worcester

Worcestershire

WR5 1DD

Employer's website

https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/