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Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 - the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as "good" or "outstanding" in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King's College London's GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
Job overview
We are looking for a Divisional Director of Operations to join our leadership team and play a pivotal role in driving operational success across our organisation.
Working with the Divisional Medical Director and Divisional Director of Nursing, you will be responsible for leading the operational strategy, performance, and day-to-day management of the Lewisham Medicine and Community Division which spans urgent and emergency care, specialist medicine and community services. We are looking for an individual with a proven track record of successful operational leadership in the NHS, with experience in divisional management and the ability to manage complex, multi-disciplinary teams and drive results. You will bring excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to shape and deliver agreed plans, engaging all stakeholders including system partners.
Lewisham Medicine and Community Division has seen improvements in all performance areas in the last two years. We are looking for a candidate to build on this improvement journey, leading our teams across an exciting future for local hospital and community services, as we continue to strive to be exceptional across the organisation and the system.
Main duties of the job
Key responsibilities:
1. Chairing the triumvirate team to effectively lead the division, monitoring performance and resource utilisation while balancing and prioritising across all resources and delivery demands to deliver the highest quality patient care, patient experience and operational.
2. Building the clinical vision and strategy for the division, inspiring and engaging all clinical services, staff and partners in the development and delivery of this vision including short- and medium-term plans; oversee the delivery of these plans with the clinical directorates, with special attention to cross-divisional issues and workflows.
3. In partnership with DDNG and DMDs managing the directorate teams within the division, ensuring clear structures and processes to support and sustain service targets, with a rigorous and empathetic approach to performance delivery, including challenge, support and problem solving.
4. Provide strong and expert professional and business leadership to all clinical services in the division, particularly in relation to service planning and service development.
5. Ensuring sound financial management and adherence to expenditure & income targets.
6. Working at all levels with and across the divisions, with corporate teams and with external partners to develop and embed a highly effective and inclusive culture; providing visible leadership to teams and developing the leadership potential of all staff.
Working for our organisation
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
1. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development.
2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability.
3. Improving the experience of staff with disability.
4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development.
5. Making equalities mainstream.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Divisional leadership
1. Contribute to the overall direction, operational and strategic leadership of the trust as a member of the trust management executive.
2. Provide visible and expert professional leadership for clinical services in the division and create a climate which encourages teamwork, maximises individual potential and stimulates innovation.
3. Develop cohesive leadership structures and relationships, at all levels of the division including the senior triumvirate, that effectively bring together operational, nursing and medical leaders into progressive action-oriented teams with clear roles, responsibilities and collective purpose.
4. Lead and support directorate and service operational management teams to own and deliver their annual business plan, including activity and improvement targets, effectively balancing management of available resources with clinical quality and operational.
5. Work with the triumvirate leadership team to ensure effective accountability and governance structures are in place at all levels of the division to ensure delivery against all key objectives including clinical quality, activity, performance, workforce and finance.
6. Lead the monthly Executive-Divisional PRM process providing effective assurance to the Executive on status against key objectives, evaluating service performance including actions and forecast, and escalating issues for action/resolution with Executive support.
7. Provide expert advice, leadership and decision-making to colleagues on managerial and operational issues; develop complex problem-solving skills in local leadership teams including the ability to analyse and present evidence-based recommendations.
8. Lead the annual business planning process for the division working with corporate and directorate teams to ensure all plans are clearly articulated, counted and costed.
9. Ensure the division, and its component directorates and services, has a clear vision and set of strategic objectives set out in short- and medium-term delivery plans. Structure and oversee the delivery of these plans with corporate support and guidance from Executive colleagues.
10. Provide visible and engaging leadership across the division at all times, leading the trust values by example and embedding an inclusive, open and continuously improving organisational culture positively impacting on the wider organisation and all key internal and external partnerships.
1. Operational management and performance
o Work with the triumvirate leadership team to ensure appropriate structures and processes (roles, huddles, daily and weekly rhythms and reporting) are in place across the division and directorates to effectively deliver high quality clinical services that consistently make best use of all available resources.
o Work with clinical-operational teams to develop and implement robust performance management arrangements. Ensure effective reporting, management and appropriate escalation on all aspects of service performance including analysis, problem-solving, agreed actions and forecast. Where there are performance gaps or failures, lead and support teams to undertake agreed actions in a timely manner.
o Co-ordinate operational processes across clinical teams, directorates and divisions providing advice and support to services and individuals as appropriate.
o Develop and deliver operational management plans to ensure there is sufficient capacity to meet demand and support the Trust in achieving all targets.
o Promote excellence and best practice across all clinical services with the emphasis on high quality patient pathways that minimise waste and make best use of all available resources. Facilitate the development of innovative plans for the improvement of clinical services, ensuring a high level of clinical engagement.
o Develop structures and processes to ensure effective engagement and response in daily trust and site-wide clinical and operational challenges, including leadership meetings and associated actions when the hospital is in OPEL and/or internal escalation.
o Ensure effective daily and situational reporting and communication across the division and trust regarding site and service management status (demand, capacity and staffing), required service responses, associated actions and subsequent impact and performance.
o Manage divisional occupancy levels to ensure there is sufficient capacity for admissions on a 24/7 basis including collective leadership responsibility for the full capacity plan and its implementation as needed.
o Provide leadership, co-ordination, management, and response to unexpected site incidents, ensuring the safety of people, site integrity, and business continuity.
o Lead and coordinate the management of planned works, working with infrastructure teams including facilities, estates and IT/Digital;
o Work with divisional and trust leadership colleagues to coordinate appropriate preparation, planning and escalation in response to short- and medium-term challenges including covid surges, winter planning and national holidays.
o Develop and nurture strong partnership working with support services including Estates & Facilities, HR, Finance and IT/Digital to ensure the hospital always function at its best.
o Cover the director-on-call rota.
o Ensuring the senior team has a visible presence across the division, effectively communicating at all levels, and is known as being a strong positive representation of LGT leadership, vision and values.
1. Service development and improvement
o Provide support and leadership to the development and review of service improvement strategies ensuring that they are consistent with the Trust's strategy and priorities, facilitate meaningful engagement of staff and patients, and align with other system and place-based stakeholders.
o Support directorate teams to facilitate local pathway improvement projects and to demonstrate leadership in the Trust-wide priority programmes, ensuring the divisions contributes to the ongoing development and modernisation of services as per the trust strategy.
o Work with the triumvirate leadership team on the development and implementation of the division's strategy, including identifying opportunities for growing, improving and redesigning services in line with the Trust's objectives.
o Maximise opportunities for innovation to provide seamless and high-quality patient care and outcomes. Support the directorate teams to continually review operational processes to ensure that new ways of working are embedded across the organisation.
o Provide support for clinical teams to implement new models of care consistent with national and regional priorities, working in effective partnership with internal and external colleagues to design and deliver.
o Seek out opportunities to understand and challenge practice in all areas including clinical quality, patient experience and operational effectiveness, ensuring appropriate actions are in place to ensure and evidence improvement and demonstrate that quality and safety are of the utmost priority in the daily operation of services at all times.
o Take opportunities to review service performance and quality and to triangulate information produced through visits to operational areas, observing behaviours, and undertaking honest, supportive and open discussions with staff.
o Represent clinical services in the prioritisation of the Trust's capital and digital programmes and ensure IT and estates developments support the clinical priorities.
o Liaise and negotiate with corporate departments to ensure that the division and directorates receive the advice and support they need to manage effectively.
1. Strategic leadership, including system working
o Work as a dynamic, innovative leader using a positive, strong influencing style to ensure services and sites are run effectively, ensuring that the trust is consistently portrayed in a positive, collaborative manner.
o As a Trust senior leader, the Divisional Director of Operations is responsible for enhancing wider local health system stakeholder communication and engagement in the development of effective urgent, planned care and community services.
o Develop strong working relationships with external system partners and teams with a focus on system pathways and a vision to ensure all patients receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time.
o Alongside the Divisional Directors of Operations and Director of Clinical Site Operations (and Executive colleagues) act as a key point of contact and decision-making for system partners in relation to partnership issues and escalations: including integrated discharge planning, mental health issues, LAS diverts, site status reporting.
o Deputise for the COO or Deputy COO at key internal and external meetings as required.
o Seek, share and drive opportunities with the hospital which improve service delivery and performance to the highest level possible thus contributing to the overall success of LGT.
o Represent the Trust at all relevant local and system meetings working collegially with external partners as appropriate.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* First degree in relevant subject or equivalent experience.
* Educated to Master degree level or equivalent experience.
* Evidence of continuing professional development.
Experience
Essential criteria
* Extensive experience in a senior management/operational leadership role within the NHS.
* Demonstrable experience of successful change management in an acute care setting.
* Experience of community service management.
* Effective performance management of people and services to ensure delivery of quality, activity, performance and financial targets over time.
* Experience of defining, delivering and sustaining performance improvement across clinical teams and services.
* Partnership working across organisational boundaries to build relationships and deliver effective service improvement.
* Experience of effective strategic leadership within and across organizations to improve service quality, efficiency and outcomes at scale, in line with trust operating plan objectives and best practice.
* Familiarity with basic IT applications and reporting tools to support own work.
Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
* Demonstrable analytical skills and an ability to present complex information, analyses and recommendations to a variety of audiences.
* Clear understanding of national healthcare policy and strategic direction.
* Shares leadership with and is respected by clinical and non-clinical staff.
* Action oriented and adaptable to changing circumstances.
* Thinks and solves problems creatively with staff involvement.
* Provides authentic and clear communication and direction even in times of uncertainty/ambiguity.
* Engages effectively across boundaries, breaking down silos, while operating in partnership with stakeholders towards a shared vision.
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria
* Able to articulate and demonstrate how performance relates to the delivery of high-quality patient care.
* Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
* Strong, visible, creative, open leadership style.
* Able to lead and engage staff across the organisation from a variety of backgrounds.
* Has the drive and energy to make things happen; frequently goes "above and beyond" the call of duty.
* Resilience, drive and perseverance.
* Flexibility and adaptability.
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women's staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note, not all roles will meet the criteria for a skilled worker visa.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
* Candidate Information Pack (PDF, 328.1KB)
* Working at LGT (PDF, 4.2MB)
* Visa and Certificate of Sponsorship Information for Applicants (PDF, 3.8MB)
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