Head of Health Rostering and Safer Staffing

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust; Huddersfield; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading health service provider in the UK is looking for a strategic leader to oversee non-medical e-roster operations. The role involves ensuring effective staffing management, compliance with national guidelines, and supporting the nursing workforce's use of evidence-based tools. Qualifications include a Master’s degree and leadership experience. The position demands excellent communication skills and experience in change management. The role offers an opportunity to contribute to safe patient care standards across the organization.

Qualifications

• Educated to Master's degree level or equivalent.
• Experience of rostering system administration.
• Substantial digital literacy and proficiency in software.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to non‑medical e‑roster team.
• Ensure effective management of staffing levels.
• Lead and manage the rostering team to meet business needs.

Skills

Change management

Quality improvement techniques

Leadership

Negotiation

Digital literacy

Communication

Education

Master's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Safecare

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Leadership and Management

• Provide strategic leadership to the non‑medical e‑roster team ensuring achievement of agreed key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Work with Trust key stakeholders to ensure effective rostering management through the agreed roster approval processes.
• Provide expert advice to inform decision making regarding future software procurement.
• Monitor software licence use in line with procurement requirements.
• Provide expertise to the Trust in the use of evidence‑based tools such as Safer Nursing Care Tool (SNCT), in the implementation of nursing establishment setting and skill mix reviews.
• Ensure an agreed system and process for efficient data collection for acuity and dependency scores to support establishment setting.
• Support the training and education of the Safer Nursing Care Tool and Safecare categories to all inpatient ward areas, emergency departments and community settings to support establishment setting across the Trust including the inter‑rater reliability assessment process.
• Support compliance with national guidance and quality assurance of an effective safe staffing system, such as NQB guidance and Developing Workforce Safeguards.
• Ensure that the Safer Nursing Care Tool licence is kept up to date and the use of the tool within the Trust is within the boundaries of the licence.
• In close collaboration with the Head Nurse for Workforce and Education and Divisional Directors of Nursing, support the Chief Nurse Safer Staffing Reviews, ensuring the process is of a high standard and meaningful for participants.
• Work collaboratively across the Trust with divisions, ward managers and lead the E‑rostering team, to ensure that staff use the systems to maximum potential and provide reports to the Safer Staffing Steering Group, such as (but not limited to) effective real‑time management of staffing levels, escalation and red flag reporting.
• As required, lead safer staffing meetings, embedding use of information in Safecare to support daily staffing decisions.
• Audit processes related to nurse staffing management and policy documentation – ensuring all SOPs/policies are up to date and being adhered to.
• Work with software suppliers to ensure service levels are maintained for the benefit of the Trust. This will include service improvement and operational performance management with the suppliers.

Professional Duties

• Continually review overarching processes and procedures across the suite of rostering services to ensure efficient and effective delivery of sustained rostering services.
• Lead and manage the team, to ensure it meets business needs and delivers agreed benefits within agreed timescales, budget and to specified quality criteria.
• Ensure that business and technical solutions are strategically aligned and move seamlessly into business as usual.
• Understand the inter‑dependencies between Finance, HR, Training and Payroll systems ensuring that impacts are understood before system changes are made.
• Identify, influence and manage the full range of internal and external customers and stakeholders, to ensure that relevant information is communicated effectively. At times this will require communication of highly complex, highly sensitive, highly contentious or conflicting information.
• Be responsible for safer staffing policy implementation across the organisation.
• Provide reports and presentations to relevant stakeholders and boards.
• Provide support and input into commercial and procurement processes and decisions in order to ensure value for money.
• Identify, manage, track and report on any system failure risks ensuring mitigation and contingency plans are in place. Communicate risk and business continuity plans to senior management and key stakeholders.
• Support ward managers to use the health roster system to ensure the delivery of safe clinical care within a challenging and changing clinical environment, using effective leadership skills.
• Interpret system data to produce relevant performance reports. Oversee the production of reports in a timely manner in accordance with the Quality Metrics Dashboard to ensure information reported in the Dashboard is accurate and relevant to the dates being reported on, including production of NHS staffing submission data.
• Maintain professional registration, where appropriate, and credibility to ensure continued understanding of clinical implications of any changes to the roster system and/or updates on acuity and dependency tools.
• Provide strategic leadership to the rostering team, supporting the team leader to provide a high‑quality service at all times; having responsibility for service development aligned to e‑rostering throughout the organisation.
• Ensure all team members have the skills and competencies required to fulfil their role with a developmental focus. Identify individual and team learning and development needs and put plans in place to meet these.
• Have responsibility for the e‑roster team budget setting.
• Have line management responsibility for the non‑medical e‑roster team leader.
• Ensure health and well‑being of direct reports, taking account of any occupational health reports and making decisions about the implementation of reasonable adjustments where appropriate.
• Create an annual plan with clear objectives and KPIs for the team.
• Undertake and engage in training and development opportunities in order to achieve the essential requirements of the post and to support service developments.
• Manage and support staff in line with the Trust's policies and procedures including supervision, absence management, disciplinary and grievance issues.
• Develop robust partnership working arrangements with divisional colleagues at all levels of management across the Trust.
• Demonstrate a highly professional approach in working with clinicians, in terms of liaison, technical excellence and timely response.
• Undertake all such reasonable other duties as may be required as part of the role.

Person specification

QUALIFICATIONS / TRAINING

Essential criteria

• Educated to Master's degree level or equivalent experience
• RLDatix training modules or willing to complete

Desirable criteria

• Professional Registration with NMC or HCPC
• Leadership Qualification

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE

Essential criteria

• Experience of change management and quality improvement techniques, e.g. NHS Improvement methodology or Lean.
• Experience of managing and completing complex projects requiring communication which may be highly complex, highly sensitive, highly contentious and/or conflicting.
• Proven leadership experience, including substantial line management experience.
• Ability to negotiate, persuade and influence.
• Able to develop long‑term plans for the delivery of significant projects, identifying risks and developing mitigation and continuity strategies.
• Must be able to work to agreed deadlines.
• Demonstrate substantial level of digital literacy, with ability to be proficient in the use of word processing, presentation and spreadsheet software.
• Experience of rostering system administration and use of Safecare.
• Detailed knowledge of the key principles of effective roster management.
• Knowledge and experience of systems management and IT solutions.
• Resilient under pressure.
• Demonstrates initiative and innovation.

Desirable criteria

• Ability to critically appraise data and business plans to determine impact and consequences.
• Experience of reviewing workforce models.

COMMUNICATION AND RELATIONSHIPS (INCLUDING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES)

Essential criteria

• Highly effective interpersonal, written and presentational communication skills.
• Ability to present complex and challenging issues to senior management and clinicians.
• Budget management experience.
• One Culture of Care values‑based.
• Exhibits enthusiasm for success and change.

Our vision is to provide One Culture of Care for one another in order that we can provide compassionate care for the people who use our services. We are passionate about creating a workplace where we work together to get results, encouraging colleagues to have their say, in order to co‑create the change we want to see. We take pride in the diversity of our workforce thats why we encourage applications from all. Reasonable adjustments will be made for disabled applicants.

We understand that more applicants are using AI technology to help with their applications. While these tools can be useful, they cannot fully capture your skills, knowledge, and experience. It's important that you personalise your application. Relying solely on AI is not recommended, as it may reduce your chances of success. Our screening process is thorough, so if you have used AI, please make sure to disclose this on your application form.

Please ensure your application is submitted with referees who can verify your employment/education history over the last three years and include valid email addresses for them. We will request electronic Factual Employment References from your previous employers. These references will be requested before you are issued with an unconditional offer of employment letter.

Candidates who require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the United Kingdom can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for this position by assessing their circumstances against the criteria specified on the Check if you need a UK visa - GOV.UK website. We encourage all applicants to review these criteria carefully to understand their eligibility for sponsorship.

If you are appointed to a post, information will also be transferred into the NHS Electronic Staff Records system. The Inter‑Authority Transfer (IAT) process is a critical and beneficial component of ESR and following interview your previous NHS employment data, if applicable will be transferred from your current / most recent employer.

You may be required to undertake a DBS. The Trust will administer the DBS check on your behalf and will recover the cost (Enhanced £54.40, Standard £26.40 or Basic £26.40) from your salary when you commence in post (including Internal staff). You will also be required to participate in the DBS Update Service and pay the £16 cost per year. This is a condition of your employment.

CHFT is part of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), a collaborative of the NHS hospital trusts from across West Yorkshire and Harrogate working together to provide the best possible care for our patients.

If you have any questions please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

• JD and Person Spec (PDF, 480.3KB)