Service Improvement Lead- Band 7

United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust; Lincoln; On-site; GBP 49,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NHS Pension

Generous annual leave

Flexible working options

Banked overtime

Job summary

United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in Lincolnshire is seeking a Service Improvement Lead (Band 7) to drive improvement programmes within the EMAP network. The role focuses on project delivery, governance, and benefits realisation across acute trusts.

You will lead multi-disciplinary teams, develop business cases, manage risks, and engage stakeholders while supporting transformation in Lincolnshire's health system. NHS experience and formal change management training are desirable.

Qualifications

• Masters level or equivalent in change management or workforce planning.
• Experience in project management across full lifecycle.
• Ability to develop business cases and present to boards.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and networking skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead identification, analysis, design and delivery of EMAP programmes.
• Implement governance for service improvement.
• Ensure optimal use of resources and modelling.
• Present complex information to diverse stakeholders.
• Develop project plans, manage risks and dependencies.
• Produce PIDs and ensure PMO/change control compliance.

Skills

Project management

Change management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Masters degree or equivalent in change management / workforce planning

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Employer United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Employer type NHS Site Lincoln County Hospital Town Lincoln Salary £49,387 - £56,515 Per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 11/10/2026 23:59

Service Improvement Lead- Band 7

NHS AfC: Band 7

We recognise that outstanding care can only be delivered through our people. We want to attract people who can help us deliver our vision. We want in return to help people achieve what they wish in their careers in the NHS at ULTH.

We are always keen to welcome highly skilled, committed and compassionate individuals to our hospitals – people who put patients at the heart of everything they do and are ready to help us achieve our vision.

Our Group values guide everything we do. They are:

• Compassionate - We care about people - Compassionate is the act of showing empathy, kindness, and respect to others, recognising their individual needs and circumstances. It involves listening, understanding, and supporting others in a way that makes them feel valued, safe, and cared for.
• Collaborative - We work together as a team - Collaborative is working inclusively and respectfully with others to achieve shared goals. It involves open communication, valuing diverse perspectives, and building trust to create a supportive and effective team environment.
• Innovative - We strive to improve - Innovative is the process of exploring new ideas, approaches, and technologies to improve care, services, and working practices. It involves creativity, curiosity, and a willingness to take risks in a safe and supportive environment.

If you believe in them too, then you are ready to join the ULTH team.

We’ve taken great pride in building working environments where staff always feel valued, cared for and part of a team. Without doubt this is a challenging yet very rewarding job that is at the centre of health and care in Lincolnshire - making a positive difference to our patients.

Our Trust is situated in the beautiful county of Lincolnshire and is one of the biggest acute hospital trusts in England, serving a population of more than 700,000 people. We provide acute and specialist services to people in Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties. We have an annual income of £710 million (22/23) and we employ nearly 8,600 people.

Our Group Board have recently agreed a new vision statement – “Caring and building a healthier future for all” – stating their ambition for our Trust and the wider group to be among the best.

We also have a five year Integrated Improvement Plan setting out how we will achieve our strategic objectives, for patients, services, people and partners, the last recognising that our future success depends on our ability to ensure the Lincolnshire healthcare system is successful in achieving its ambition to help people live healthier lives and provide care closer to where people live.

Our latest CQC report increased our ratings for being effective and well-led from ‘Requires Improvement’ to ‘Good’. Our rating for caring remained as ‘Good’.

This is in recognition of the huge amount of work that our amazing staff have done to improve the quality of care for our patients in recent years.

We are committed to helping our staff balance their work and home lives and ensure they feel supported, valued and appreciated.

So,what is in it for you?

• Flexible working: Depending on the needs of your role, we will consider requests for flexible and/or part-time working for whatever reason you should need it. We recognise flexible working will not look the same for everyone, because it depends on the nature of the role and the needs of the individual.

Types of flexibility could include:

• Part-time - less than 37.5 hours per week.
• Off-site/remote working - working from home or other sites for part or all the week.
• Compressed hours – usually full-time hours but over fewer days or shifts.
• Staggered hours – having different start and finish times.
• Set shift patterns – to allow for predictability
• NHS Pension:A generous and flexible pension scheme with contributions from us as your employer fully protected against inflation and guaranteed by the government
• Annual Leave: Starting at 27 days a year, rising to 33 days after 10 years plus eight bank holidays (for staff covered by Agenda for Change) For Medical Workforce positions (Consultant and Specialty Doctor), the full-time entitlement commences from 32 days per annum. For all other Medical Workforce positions, the full-time entitlement commences from 27 days per annum.
• Bank working:The chance to work extra hours at enhanced rates and we will pay you weekly too, ideal if your income needs a quick boost.

In addition, there ismore.

• Family & Childcare: Including on-site nurseries at Lincoln County Hospital and Pilgrim Hospital Boston, maternity, paternity, adoption & shared parental leave following a set period of employment.
• Health & Wellbeing: including counselling, mental health first aid, physiotherapy, eye tests.
• Learning & Development including Lincolnshire Talent Academy, leadership training, medical education, clinical education, Lincolnshire clinical research
• Financial support and benefits including Cycle2Work, car lease scheme, home electronics. Free on-site parking and free tea and coffee and the ability to save and borrow through your salary.
• Rewards & Recognition including staff awards, long service awards, retirement awards, examples of excellence and staff lottery.

Enjoy a better quality of life in one of the UK’s most welcoming counties. Whether you’re taking the first exciting steps in your career, itching for a new challenge or searching for a better place to raise a family, Lincolnshire welcomes everyone. Discover a range of rewarding health and social care careers in a county that’s friendly, fascinating, affordable and brimming with everything you need to live a happy life.

Job overview

The East Midlands Acute Provider (EMAP) Network is a group of the seven acute (hospital) providers across the East Midlands who have come together to maximise the opportunity afforded through collaboration. We have been working together as a collaborative since 2021 and while each NHS Trust has its own unique challenges, we also share a common goal which is to make things better for our population. We work together when it is beneficial to do so at scale.

Since 2021, EMAP has matured and continues to develop. It is now governed through a joint memorandum of understanding, led by the Chief Executives of the acute hospitals. EMAP's remit considers both specialised and district general hospital services with a focus on short term delivery whilst aligning for long term strategic benefits.

If you are already working for one of the seven acute hospitals that is a member of EMAP, a secondment will be considered. The majority of the role is office based. There may be an occasional requirement to travel across the east midlands to support a workshop / event. This will happen 2-3 times a year.

The Service Improvement Lead plays a key role within EMAP. The role develops delivery plans, contributes directly to service development, performance improvement and long‑term sustainability. The post holder supports healthcare transformation, value‑for‑money planning and the successful setup and delivery of projects within the EMAP.

Main duties of the job

Main Duties of the Job

• Lead identification, analysis, design and delivery of EMAP programmes/
• Implement and monitor effective processes, procedures and governance for service improvement.
• Ensure optimal use of resources, including financial and activity modelling.
• Present complex, sensitive and contentious information to diverse stakeholders using structured change management approaches.
• Develop project plans, allocate tasks, manage risks, issues and dependencies, and adjust plans as needed.
• Produce PIDs, and ensure all projects follow rigorous PMO and change control processes.
• Develop policies, procedures, care pathways, SOPs and protocols to support improvement initiatives.
• Maintain documentation, monitor progress and report regularly on milestones and resources.
• Proactively manage stakeholders, resolving conflict and supporting engagement across clinical and operational teams.
• Lead risk and issue tracking, escalation and resolution.
• Analyse complex data, best practice, develop business cases, produce reports and support decision‑making.

Please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification for the full breakdown of tasks, duties and responsibilities.

Working for our organisation

Lincoln Hospital is a thriving university city and with the opening of the medical school, it provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust has been granted teaching hospital status, after demonstrating evidence to significant teaching commitment. From now on it will be known as United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Pilgrim Hospital is situated in beautiful countryside and serves the communities in the South Lincolnshire area. It provides all major specialties and a 24-hour major accident and emergency service.

Grantham and District Hospital serves the communities of Grantham and the local area. It provides ambulatory paediatric and accident and emergency services.

Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust (LCHS) and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) have come together in a Group arrangement, with the goal of improving the care provided to patients across the county.

This will not constitute a formal merger of the two organisations, but will bring the Trusts together under a single Board and Executive Leadership Team, with the goal of improving the care that is provided to patients both in the community and in hospitals across Lincolnshire. Both Trusts will retain their separate statutory names and legal obligations.

The Group will be known as Lincolnshire Community and Hospitals NHS Group (LCHG).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

What should you do next?

We welcome applications from the UK Armed Forces Community.

You are:

• A Veteran
• A Military Reserve
• Partner/Spouse of those Serving NB: partners/spouses are only eligible whilst their partner is serving in the Armed Forces

All new employees will be subject to a charge for the DBS check that is required for the post. The Disclosure & Barring Service application form (formerly CRB) will be provided by ULTH and the fee will be deducted from your salary over a 3 month period.

Candidates are advised to read the attached guidance on using AI technology. When you complete your application, you are required to declare that the information in your application form is true and complete.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, ULTH reserves the right to close this advert prior to the closing date.

Please note, for applicants with previous NHS service: If successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Knowledge or equivalent experience to a to Masters level or equivalent in a relevant field e.g. change management . workforce planning and design
• Highly developed specialist knowledge in a field relevant to change management / workforce planning
• Evidence of continuing professional development
• Service improvement methodology training e.g. QSIR

Skills

• Effective organiser, influencer and networker

Knowledge

• Specialist knowledge to include an understanding of how projects are structured within a programme.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge of project governance structures.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with standard keyboard skills.
• Understanding of budget management and working knowledge of financial processes.
• Needs to have a thorough understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships both in terms of day-to-day working practices, but also in relation to management systems
• Awareness and Knowledge of the dignity in care agenda.

Experience

• Evidence of specialist knowledge and expertise and experience in Project Management with a general awareness about project management methodologies.
• Experience of developing and presenting business cases, briefings and reports to a range of diverse audiences including project boards
• Experience of designing and implementing project management teams from staff in multi-disciplinary backgrounds
• Experience of successful delivery across the full project lifecycle including scope and design, project planning, risk and issue

Special Attributes

• Used to working in a busy environment
• Adaptability, flexibility and ability to cope with uncertainty and change
• Willing to engage with and learn from peers, other professionals and colleagues in the desire to provide or support the most appropriate interventions
• Professional calm and efficient manner
• Demonstrates a strong desire to improve performance and make a difference by focusing on goals.

ULTH recognises that everyone is different, and values the unique contribution that individual experiences, knowledge and skills make in delivering quality healthcare and becoming a model employer. We are committed to transforming our organisational culture by actively committing to implementing the Trust Single Equality Scheme, and other policies, such as the Dignity in Care policy and the Dignity at Work policy. We will continue to promote equality and challenge discrimination in all service provision, recognising and meeting the needs of the diverse communities we serve. We will strive to provide an environment in which people want to work and to be a model employer leading in good employment practice.