Neurological Services Director

Job Summary

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a motivated and experienced individual to fill the role of Neurological Services Director within the Directorate of Neurosciences. The successful candidate will be responsible for contributing to the development of neurological services in the trust, working across organisational boundaries to ensure appropriate services are in place and to deliver national and local strategic and operational service objectives and standards.

The Neurosciences Directorate comprises of 6 clinical service units - Neurology, Neurophysiology, Neurosurgery, Neuro Intensive Care Unit, Neuropathology & Spinal Surgery and these services are delivered on the John Radcliffe, Nuffield Orthopaedic and Horton hospital sites.

As Neurological Services Director, the successful candidate will have management accountability for the portfolio of Neurology and Neurophysiology and will provide line management support to the Neurological Service Support Officers.

The ideal candidate will have experience of analysing and interpreting information to identify and manage variances in performance and identifying solutions to deliver improvement. They will also have experience of designing/ improving business systems and processes and project management experience.

The successful candidate will have a broad understanding of the NHS and key policy issues that affect business performance and will be able to communicate the trust's and directorate's objectives, future plans and current progress against plans to all staff within the designated clinical areas.

They will also have the ability to facilitate change within and across organisational and professional boundaries and to work directly with the clinical leads of designated clinical services regarding financial procedures and use a balance scorecard approach to provide monthly summaries of financial and activity performance for relevant meetings, highlighting areas of variance.

Main Duties of the Job

1. To support the Directorate Manager & Deputy Directorate Manager in the following:

1. Contribute to the strategic planning of services within the Clinical Directorate, identifying future resourcing requirements and ensuring that the Directorate meets contractual and other requirements.

2. Ensure the delivery of a responsive, high quality, value for money service within the designated Clinical Services.

3. Achieve patient access standards and activity targets with the available resources.

4. Monitor and take action to ensure that all quality, productivity and profitability targets are achieved.

5. Develop services in line with the Trust's strategic direction.

6. In line with Clinical Directorate and Trust strategy, develop best practice, service modernisation and improvement plans for the area, to enhance the patient experience and deliver value for money.

7. Facilitate change within and across organisational and professional boundaries.

Business Planning and Financial Management

1. Work with the Clinical Director, Directorate Manager and Matron to formulate an effective and viable business plan for designated Clinical Services and the Clinical Directorate, working to ensure that it conforms to the overall Clinical Directorate and Trust business plan and takes account of the demand for services from the Trust and local and national trends and developments.

2. Assist the Directorate Manager in the preparation of the Annual Business Plan for the Directorate.

3. Prepare monthly activity and trend reports for designated Clinical Services to enable accurate forecasting of performance against key financial, service and quality targets and standards.

4. Assist the Directorate Manager in the preparation of business cases for all aspects of the Clinical Directorate's activities.

5. Assist the Directorate Manager in the preparation of the development of cost improvement plans for the Clinical Directorate.

6. To be accountable for delegated budgets within designated clinical units and ensure the achievement of financial balance.

7. Support the development and delivery of cost improvement programmes and manage expenditure within designated control levels.

Performance Management

1. To assist the Directorate Manager & Deputy Directorate Manager in delivering and monitoring performance against set targets (activity, finance, outcomes, utilisation) within designated clinical units and across the Clinical Directorate, and address variances should they occur to ensure effective delivery of service and standards.

2. To assist the Directorate Manager in the effective management of establishment control within the Clinical Directorate's budget.

3. Work directly with the Clinical Leads of designated Clinical Services regarding financial procedures and use a balance scorecard approach to provide monthly summaries of financial and activity performance for relevant meetings, highlighting areas of variance.

Human Resources Management

1. To lead, manage, motivate and develop staff within designated Clinical Services, and to maintain the highest level of staff morale and to create a climate within the Directorate characterised by high standards of openness.

2. Communicate the Trust's and Directorate's objectives, future plans and current progress against plans to all staff within the designated clinical areas.

3. Ensure the contributions and perspectives of all clinical and other staff are heard, valued and influence management decision making.

4. Ensure training and development needs of staff within the area are identified and reflected in the annual business plan.

5. Line-manage all designated staff in designated Clinical Services in line with the Trust's HR policies and procedures, providing annual appraisal.

6. In conjunction with the Directorate Manager, Clinical Director and HR Business Partner, develop local workforce plans, employee engagement and workforce productivity plans to ensure delivery of the Trust's Workforce Effectiveness Strategy, focusing on enhancing the commitment of staff and optimising workforce productivity and performance.

7. Ensure that staff management arrangements within the designated Clinical Services are consistent with HR policies and procedures within the Trust and to ensure that good practice in recruitment, appraisal, performance management and other policies are maintained.

8. Utilise workforce efficiently and effectively to ensure the structure and skill mix reflects the activity demands and to implement skill mix, staff deployment/changes as appropriate to meet the changing needs of patients within the financial budget.

9. Promote equal opportunities for staff and patients in accordance with the Trust's policies.

Quality, Clinical Governance and Risk Management

1. Support the development and delivery of the Governance agenda including clinical and non-clinical aspects of care and service; this will include establishing systems to monitor clinical standards ensuring high standards of care that is evidence based and integral to service delivery and involving patients and others in developing and enhancing services.

2. Carry out regular reviews of incidents, complaints, risk assessments and other multidisciplinary audits within designated clinical units, ensuring that appropriate follow-up is taken to address and reduce risk and that learning is disseminated across the unit.

3. Support the Directorate Manager, Clinical Director and Matron in integrating the work of the medical, nursing, administrative and other professional/clinical staff and aligning these around the delivery of effective and efficient services.