Operational Manager for Community Services

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for the day to day efficient and effective operational management of a portfolio of service lines, linking appropriately with clinical and multi-disciplinary staff in all matters affecting the delivery of core services.
• Full line management responsibilities including recruitment, induction, appraisal, development and retention of staff.
• Managing sickness and absence, disciplinary and performance issues that may arise.
• Responsible for developing and motivating staff through effective personal leadership in line with values and vision.
• Develop workforce plans which anticipate service changes and developments and which address recruitment, retention and workforce supply issues to minimise the impact of these on service delivery.
• Lead and support organisational change with staff to ensure efficient service delivery and productivity and compliance with Trust requirements.
• To work with the Divisional Director of Operations, Heads of Service and Clinical Quality Leads, to ensure that clinical skills and skill mix is appropriate for each service or pathway.
• Respond to daily problems and ensure issues are swiftly resolved; implement solutions to issues raised in short, medium and long term.
• Ensure that resources are available to meet service needs.
• Manage delegated budget responsibilities for the services, ensuring adherence to agreed budget plans, identifying cost improvement savings and implementing plans to reduce costs safely.
• Produce comprehensive project plans to support the implementation of service changes.
• Ensure that all services are high quality: that they are safe and effective, with high levels of patient satisfaction. To take action quickly and appropriately where evidence indicates this is not the case.
• Ensure that all clinicians promote, operate within and adhere to the Trust’s Clinical Leadership Framework.
• The post holder will provide operational leadership to all staff within the care group. Have dedicated lead responsibility for the day-to-day operational management for the specified services. They will have to ensure the effective delivery of services to patients in accordance with agreed quality standards.
• The post holder will work with the Head of Service and others to understand the business requirements and implement plans for service improvement and involve patients, staff and partners to ensure changes to services meet patients, as well as ensuring the required capacity to meet key clinical performance targets.
•  Ability to work across a diverse range of partners in the public and voluntary sector, with different drivers and accountability.
• Ability to influence without direct authority and motivate others to achieve a shared aim and priorities.
• Ability to communicate clearly and consistently to a wide cross section of individuals.
• Experience of working in a pressurised environment, where there may be ambiguity and competing demands.
• Resilient and optimistic about the opportunity to work as ‘one team’ to have a greater and longer lasting impact on positive outcomes for residents.
• Excellent management skills, e.g. service and business planning, evaluation & risk stratification, budget monitoring, resourcing allocation and others.
• Skilled in empowering and developing others, and supporting the development of local community assets.
• Understands and has experience of applying effective partnership governance arrangements.
• Political awareness and cultural astuteness.
• Significant experience of co-ordinating staff, resources and infrastructure.
• Ability to demonstrate leadership qualities.
• Good understanding of risk stratification and how it can be used to inform early intervention and prevention.
• Knowledge of change processes and their implementation.
• Knowledge of safeguarding across children’s and adults’ services.

 Key results from the job holder

• Identify opportunities for service redesign, focusing on a patient centred approach to delivery; work to develop and lead plans to improve and develop services.
• In Trust and Service Group wide programmes that contribute to the improvement of patient services, ensuring where appropriate, lessons learned are disseminated and documented.
• To investigate processes and define root cause problems in order to make service improvements in line with Trust strategy.

• Continually develop own professional practice as indicated by the changing needs of services and patients
• Participate in personal development review.
• Contribute to and ensure the induction programme of staff as required.
• Contribute to the development, supervision and training of other clinical staff.

• Support healthcare practitioners, students and others, as required, to achieve appropriate levels of competence in practice.
• Participate and provide clinical supervision for self and others.
• Support the Divisional Director of Operations, Divisional Director of Nursing, Heads of Service and Clinical Quality Leads with the creation of an environment that is responsive to the changing needs and strategy of the Trust, changing patterns of healthcare and healthcare commissioning.
• Lead on resolving concerns from patients, staff, suppliers, internal and external service providers and partner organisations; ensure mechanisms are in place for capturing and sharing compliments.
• Support the complaints process in investigating and responding to complaints in line with Trust Policy.
• Ensure adherence to control processes and risk management arrangements including developing specific polices/procedures as appropriate.
• Undertake clinical audit and audit the evaluation of practice of self and others.
• Involvement in staff engagement and patient feedback.
• Ensure services operate within an agreed performance management framework that complements the Trust use of key performance indicators across a number of metrics.
• Using service line reporting to ensure timely and accurate capture of information from which metrics reported, and that these frameworks are understood by staff.
• As a member of the management team contribute to the Business Plan, ensuring staff involvement, in line with Trust objectives.

• Promote a positive image of the department both externally and internally.
• Participate in and contribute to Trust wide initiatives and projects as appropriate.

• In conjunction with the Performance Manager and Heads of Service, analyse service data to monitor activity and referral rates and identify changes or likely changes to this practice that may impact on the Directorate’s services.

 Communications and Key Working Relationships

• Build effective networks with other services and teams in Wigan and the conurbation area, working in collaboration to support efficient patient pathways.
• Manage the analysis of data so that the management team has access to timely and accurate information on all key performance indicators.

• Participate in the Trust’s Community On-call rota.
• Ensure all policies and procedures are adhered to as required by the Trust.

Responsibility for Finance

• Work with the Divisional Director of Operations, Head of Service and Finance Lead to ensure budgets are up to date and accurately identify changes to budgets as required.
• Identify costs pressures, service development and cost improvement plans, develop business cases to meet requirements.

Responsibility for Human Resources

• To support the informal and formal appraisal of staff and for ensuring that they are trained, supported, and developed accordingly.
• Contribute to workforce planning for the Community Division by identifying appropriate succession planning which supports workforce requirements for the future.
• Ensure effective recruitment and retention initiatives are implemented in conjunction with senior staff both within the division and corporately, and that they are in line with Trust processes and systems.
• To support regular performance review and development plans for all staff within their area of responsibility, enabling career progression and succession planning and by empowering staff to undertake a wider range of clinical responsibilities to develop and apply their knowledge and skills in practice gaining feedback and reflective discussion opportunity.
• Contribute to and promote a culture that values staff, recognising and acknowledging achievement whilst positively addressing poor performance.
• Ensure that staff complete the required mandatory training for their job roles, to comply with Trust objectives.

Responsibility for Health & Safety

Compliance with the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 – the post holder is required to fulfil a proactive role towards the management of risk in all of their actions. This entails the risk assessment of all situations, the taking of appropriate actions and reporting of all incidents, near misses and hazards, and a statutory duty of care for their own personal safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. 

Work Circumstances & on-call

Will be expected to take part in the Community On-call rota