Service Enhancement Project Manager

Job Overview

Are you eager to contribute significantly to the advancement of mental health services in South West London?

We are thrilled to present an opportunity for a dedicated and skilled manager to elevate their career by overseeing a range of service transformation and enhancement initiatives, ensuring tangible benefits for our patients. Your role will be pivotal in driving improvements in clinical practices and operational processes to provide exceptional patient care, while empowering our staff to operate at their best. This position will involve close collaboration with service leaders and healthcare professionals to strategize and implement enhancements in care planning and clinical pathways across our acute and community services. A strong emphasis will be placed on quality enhancement, productivity, and leveraging data and digital innovations as essential facilitators of this transformation.

Mental health services are central to our objectives within the South West London Integrated Care System, with a firm commitment from the system to invest in the enhancement of mental health, especially during these challenging times.

Key Responsibilities

We seek an individual ready to advance into a more senior, cross-functional management role, working across multiple boroughs and diverse service areas. A background in healthcare service management and delivery, along with expertise in organization, project planning, and the execution of change and improvement, is crucial for this position.

You will be proactive and self-driven, capable of inspiring and engaging others, fostering constructive and sustainable benefits in collaboration with clinical teams. Close cooperation with the senior management team, finance, and strategy colleagues in a matrix structure will be expected to support the development and execution of change, while prioritizing patient-centered improvements.

We are eager to hear from you.

About Us

At South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, we take pride in our commitment to excellence.

Our expert services, rich heritage, and unwavering dedication to delivering the highest quality care for individuals with mental health challenges are at the forefront of our mission. The Care Quality Commission currently rates our services as 'good', and we aspire to achieve 'outstanding' status.

This is an exciting time to join our team. We are revolutionizing the way we care for our communities to fulfill our mission of Making Life Better Together. Our investment in two state-of-the-art mental health facilities at Springfield University Hospital positions us among the best globally, with further developments planned across our sites and services.

We are committed to inclusivity and diversity, actively striving to be anti-racist. We aim to attract individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to enrich our collaborative efforts. We take pride in co-producing and involving our local communities in all our endeavors.

We offer flexible working arrangements, career advancement opportunities, and a variety of benefits to foster a positive and welcoming environment where our staff and their careers can flourish.

Responsibilities Include:

Supporting Operational and Financial Enhancements

• Facilitate the development of operational enhancements and transformations within the service line, encouraging colleagues to challenge existing practices.
• Utilize proven tools and methodologies, including lean processes, to assess and analyze complex issues that negatively impact current service line performance in clinical and administrative functions. Assist in identifying root causes of underperformance.
• Collaborate to implement improved care pathways or administrative processes that enhance quality and reduce waste.
• Design and establish effective information-sharing systems to support new end-to-end processes.
• Aid service lines in understanding data collection and associated reporting, including robust benefits realization for each initiative.
• Assist in developing business cases as necessary.
• Organize workshops to present complex information to staff and senior leaders, engaging them in the change process.
• Support the drafting of quality impact assessments for service transformations and changes.
• Establish and manage effective governance structures for the Clinical Service Line improvement program.
• Ensure program outputs are of high quality, delivered on time, and within budget.
• Proactively monitor program progress, issues, and risks, taking corrective actions as needed.
• Draft complex, sensitive information and present it in a clear format for various stakeholders to support the transformation/change process.
• Maintain a focus on service value and sustainability during changes, seeking opportunities to enhance service efficiency.
• Identify specific opportunities for value improvement by analyzing productivity and implementing action plans in collaboration with Service Line teams.
• Analyze demand data to assist Service Line teams in proposing solutions to address surges and demographic demand increases through effective service development and expansion.
• Manage the implementation of new services and operational methods.

Transformational Initiatives

• Support the development and execution of a Mental Health Transformation Program, building on previous progress. This will involve collaboration with designated leads and colleagues within the Strategy team.
• Work with colleagues to ensure that themes from the Trust Strategy, including a focus on prevention and recovery, are integrated into all improvement and transformation initiatives.
• Collaborate with colleagues to ensure that a co-production and engagement approach is integral to all improvement and transformation efforts.
• Liaise with a diverse range of colleagues to facilitate service line improvement and transformation work, considering the work at place, borough, and system levels in SWL and the evolving Primary Care Networks models.

Communication and Relationship Management

• Employ advanced influencing skills to motivate and engage individuals and teams across the Service Line to deliver high-quality improvement projects swiftly.
• Utilize expert communication, negotiation, and influencing skills to cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with a wide array of internal and external stakeholders regarding service improvements, driving innovation and reform in line with agreed objectives.
• Navigate complex and conflicting issues, including managing potentially challenging situations with staff and stakeholders where resistance to change may arise, ensuring optimal engagement from all parties to facilitate continuous change and secure appropriate buy-in.

Candidate Profile

Experience

Essential

• Experience managing a mental health caseload/pathway or leading a multidisciplinary mental health team.
• Experience working at a senior clinical or management level.
• Proven track record of meeting deadlines for large-scale projects.
• Experience drafting reports for committees and program board meetings.
• Experience in service development/redesign and leading successful implementation of significant changes.
• Experience collaborating with external stakeholders.

Desirable

• Experience creating project plans and managing projects against milestones and deliverables.
• Familiarity with procurement processes.

Qualifications

Essential

• Master’s degree or equivalent professional qualification.
• Project management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2).
• Evidence of ongoing professional development.