Directorate Support Manager

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Directorate Support Manager to join our team at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. As a key member of our management team, you will be responsible for providing operational and business management support to the Directorate, working closely with the Directorate Manager, Clinical Director, and Matrons.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in ensuring that the operational performance of the Directorate is effectively managed to meet agreed Trust and Divisional objectives.
• Work with the Directorate Manager to ensure achievement of the Trust in-patient, outpatient maximum waiting time targets, emergency access, and national cancer targets.
• Monitor patients waiting via Trust Reporting systems, analyze information, and take relevant action to ensure that no patients breach the targets.
• Discuss non-routine capacity issues with the Directorate Manager to ensure all waiting times and booking targets are met.
• Monitor performance against activity targets and other service objectives.
• Work with the Directorate Manager, Clinical Directors, Matrons, Departmental managers, and the Finance team to set and deliver the Group objectives, in line with Directorate, Divisional, and Corporate targets and strategies.
• Ensure there are effective processes in the Directorate to manage the Outpatient Waiting List System and ensure all outpatient bookings are in line with the recommended Trust standards.
• Deliver Income and Expenditure balance on the devolved resources.
• Deputise for the Directorate Manager as required.
• Take devolved responsibility for specific clinical areas within the Directorate as agreed with and under the management of the Directorate Manager, including meeting with the Clinical Director, Matron, and Departmental Leads on a regular basis.
• Work with the Clinical Director, Matron, Finance Manager, and Heads of Departments to identify service developments and new ways of working within the specialty and develop plans for implementation for reporting to the Directorate and the Division.
• Contribute to the identification of cost pressures and assist in the delivery of cost savings and service efficiencies and delivering an annual cost improvement plan.
• Review equipment needs and develop supporting rationales for bids for new and replacement equipment within the specialty as part of the Trust's business planning cycle.
• Ensure complaints and incidents are investigated in line with the Trust's complaint policy. Where appropriate, co-ordinate the response in liaison with the Directorate Management Team.
• Ensure accurate coding systems and processes are in place within the Directorate to ensure activity is accurately recorded, impacting on income streams.
• Participate in the Trust management on-call rota.
• Undertake project work as directed by the Directorate Manager, such as working up plans for waiting list initiative work, including work in the private sector, and weekend working.
• Assist the clinical staff with the development and updating of protocols and disseminating the information throughout the clinical area.
• Ensure the Trust's Infection Control policy is fully enforced.

Management of Staff

• Be responsible for the operational management of administrative and clerical staff within the Directorate.
• Ensure staff are aware of and comply with Trust policies.
• Implement HR policies as appropriate, such as Attendance Management, Grievance policy, and Disciplinary Policy.
• Manage the systems in place for monitoring of sickness and absence and annual leave of administrative staff and where appropriate, organize cover.
• Coordinate and undertake return to work meetings where appropriate, in accordance with the Trust's attendance management policy.
• Book agency staff in line with the Trust's agency request guidelines.
• Manage the effective recruitment of designated Medical Secretaries and Administrative and Clerical staff within the Directorate.
• Arrange and support training and development of staff as identified from the PDRS and ensuring that all staff have a personal development plan in place. Monitoring the review cycle for the staff groups.
• Provide Human Resources with weekly reports on agency expenditure, Admin and Clerical staffing levels, sickness, and maternity leave, and monthly reports on Admin and Clerical vacancies.

Business Development Responsibilities

• Collate information and draft Directorate reports for Divisional meetings.
• Support specific allocated Divisional projects.
• Review equipment needs submitted by the Directorate and ensure the development of supporting rationales.
• Work with Directorate Leads, Service Leads, and other clinical representatives to support development of complex business cases for the Division, in conjunction with the Business Advisor for the Division.
• Work with Directorate Leads, Service Leads, and other clinical representatives to ensure strategic objectives and plans are developed as part of the Trust's business planning cycle.
• Work with the Heads of Service, Clinical Director, Matron, Finance Manager, and Heads of Departments to identify and facilitate service developments and new ways of working.
• Undertake project work as directed by the Directorate Manager, including supporting projects relating to compliance plans, changes in pathways, capacity, and demand profiling, and major service alterations.
• Contribute to the identification of cost pressures and assist in the delivery of cost savings and service efficiencies and delivering an annual cost improvement plan.

Medical Staffing

• Assist in Divisional Medical Staff recruitment.
• Oversee the effective recruitment, induction, training, and development of clinical staff within departments across the Directorate, ensuring that each member of staff has a robust Personal Development Review and a Personal Development Plan agreed as part of the Knowledge and Skills Framework.
• Ensure Junior Doctor compliance in relation to the European Working Time Directive, working closely with the Clinical Director to achieve this.
• Co-ordinate the provision of locum Medical Staff for the Division, including liaising with Locum Agencies, In-house Medical Staff, and Consultants as availability of Locums.
• Ensure suitability of locums by ensuring all documentation relating to GMC registration, fitness to practise, and health clearance are available for the Consultant to view.
• Actively manage the annual leave, study leave, and sick leave for Medical Staff within the Division, maintaining accurate records and ensuring the Divisional procedure is adhered to.
• Co-ordinate Induction for all Junior Medical Staff on commencement in the Division, ensuring new staff are clear about their working rota and rest periods.
• Be responsible for ensuring that all time sheets for locum staff are completed, coded, signed, and forwarded to the Agency and Finance Department.
• Maintain an up-to-date list of all Medical Staff in the Division.
• Produce and further develop regular and comprehensive reports for the Finance team on Locum Agency expenditure.
• Link in with other Divisional Medical Staffing leads to share good practice, ensure policies and procedures are up to date, and are adhered to, and to standardize working practices.