Job Description
Job Title:
Directorate Manager / Deputy Associate Director – Level 3
Band:
8c
Post Type:
Permanent
Location:
UHNS
Managerially Accountable to:
Clinical Director
Professionally Accountable to:
Clinical Director
Key Relationships:
Clinical Directors and Clinicians, Members of
Divisional/Directorate Management Team, Divisional
Associate Directors, General practitioners, Primary Care
Groups, Patient Groups, Ambulance Trust
ROLE SUMMARY
The post holder, along with the Clinical Director and Matron is a key member of the Directorate
Management Team accountable for optimising the resources of the Directorate in order to deliver safe
and effective patient care and for fostering an environment of continuous improvement.
The post holder will be responsible to the Clinical Director for formulating and implementing
business/service plans to deliver the strategic aims of a Directorate that has been assessed as a level
three in terms of its impact on the Trusts overall performance, as follows:
The Directorate achieves at least 3 of the following criteria:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Income greater than £40 million
Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) number of staff greater than 400
Complexity rating of high
Risk rating of red
To work with other Directorates to ensure the achievement of the Trust's and the Division's Corporate
Objectives.
To deputise for the Divisional Associate Director as necessary and lead on an agreed portfolio across
the division.
Key Areas
Staff and Stakeholder Engagement (Communication & Relationships Skills)
 It is expected that ALL employees of the Trust will take part in the appraisal process each year
with the first appraisal taking place within the first 6 months from appointment. The Directorate
Manager is responsible for ensuring that a directorate process is in place to enable this to be
implemented and monitored and will be responsible for agreeing with the Clinical Director and
Divisional Associate Director a date and time for their own annual appraisal and mid year review
 To ensure appropriate stakeholder engagement in the development of service plans and the
subsequent presentation of proposed changes to staff and where appropriate the public
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To communicate highly complex and sometimes highly contentious information to large groups
in a manner that is understandable and is likely to achieve engagement
To assist the Associate Director in receiving, interpreting and communicating highly complex
and sometimes conflicting information to large groups of staff who may have conflicting views or
objectives. Reconciling these conflicting views where there are significant barriers to acceptance
and/ or understanding.
To assist the Associate Director in providing, receiving or acting on highly sensitive or highly
contentious information relating to the Trusts highly specialist, complex and frequently
contentious service/modernisation issues which at times may be very emotive and/or very
controversial and as such requires the highest level of interpersonal and communication skills.
To ensure communication channels are used appropriately to facilitate the flow of information
between staff and managers and the complex range of services within the Directorate and
Division
To establish and operate effective communication systems for all staff working in the directorate
To develop and maintain effective communication and good working relationships with other
Directorates, GPs, Primary Care Groups and all relevant stakeholders
To represent the Trust on specific committees/working parties as requested
To network with other Trusts providing similar services in order to identify and share areas of
good practice at national and local level
To participate in the Corporate and Divisional General Management on-call service
To ensure a regular physical presence within all areas of the division in order to provide
appropriate leadership and be approachable to staff.
Knowledge, Training & Experience
 Degree level education or equivalent professional qualification.
 Postgraduate level management qualification
 Evidence of continuous management development demonstrated through the acquisition of
knowledge from taught development programme(s)
 Significant knowledge and experience of leading a range of different services including
responsibility for a range of functions. e.g. Finance, Information, HR, Performance
 Able to demonstrate the acquisition of additional specialist business management knowledge
(equivalent to Masters level), through training and experience acquired over time
Quality and Performance (Analytical & Judgemental Skills)
 To work with the clinical teams and management teams to establish clinical and non-clinical
performance targets and co-ordinate the monitoring of these through an agreed set of
performance indicators
 To monitor the performance of the Directorate against its agreed objectives and to be
responsible for ensuring corrective action where performance is not in accordance with
objectives
 To review the success of the Directorate against agreed KPI’s and where appropriate,
implement plans to enhance performance
 In conjunction with the Clinical Director and Matron, ensure that systems for clinical governance
are in place with appropriate monitoring mechanisms for their continued effectiveness
 To analyse and interpret a range of highly complex information in order to understand the
directorates financial and clinical performance and to prepare and present options for
improvement
 To analyse and interpret the staff satisfaction survey results for a complex range of services
within the directorate structure and to work with staff to develop and implement improvement
plans
 To be responsible for managing waiting lists and emergency admissions where applicable,
ensuring robust systems for validation, analysing activity and waiting list trends
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To be responsible for achieving agreed reductions in waiting lists and achieving agreed
treatment initiatives in each year
To be responsible for achieving a balance in-patient and out-patient waiting times, examining
total wait times
To ensure that the waiting times in outpatient clinics meet the standards laid out in the NHS
Plan
Service Planning and Delivery (Planning & Organisational Skills)
 Responsible for the formulation of a range of complex business strategies for the directorate
and to lead in the formulation of the directorate Business plan, ensuring the active involvement
of all clinicians and professional staff in developing strategy and service development
 To lead in the implementation of the directorates service and workforce transformation plan,
formulating business cases and service agreements as necessary
 To promote lean principles within the Directorate in order to improve quality and productivity and
embed a culture of continuous improvement
 To work in support of the Divisional Associate Director and work on specific projects as required
 To work flexibly in order to deliver the directorate agenda and to support to colleagues across
the Division including cover in times of absence
Physical Skills
 Standard PC skills
Responsibility for Patient/Client Care
 In conjunction with the Clinical Director and Matron be accountable for the direct delivery of a
complex range of services.
 To monitor performance against local and national Key Performance Indicators, taking action to
continually improve performance.
 To ensure complaints are dealt with in accordance with Directorate and Divisional procedures
and oversees preparation of responses to written complaints on behalf of the Divisional
Associate Director, Chief Nurse, and Chief Executive.
Responsibility for Policy/Service Development
 Assist in the development of operational policies and shared care protocols for a range of
complex services with other clinical specialities within the Trust.
 Investigate any reported untoward incidents/near misses in conjunction with the Trust's Clinical
Risk Manager/Clinical Director.
 Investigate any major incidents within in the Division on behalf of the Associate Director.
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Financial/Business Management (Responsibility for Financial and Physical Resources)
To ensure full involvement/engagement of all key staff in the development of service
agreements
Liaison with the Divisional Accountant to ensure appropriate financial management is in place
and decides areas of appropriate budgetary devolution
To control expenditure ensuring it remains within budgets for all clinical/non-clinical areas of
responsibility
To understand the impact of service changes on the income and expenditure for a complex
range of services within the directorate structure and to ensure that planned changes lead to an
improvement in margins and/or service quality
To hold the joint responsibility for the budget for a complex range of services with the Clinical
Director
To contribute to the budget setting process for a complex range of services
Responsible for the procurement of all physical assets for a department/service
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Human Resource Management (Responsibility for Human Resources)
 To be responsible for the day to day management of all non-clinical staff within the Directorate
including recruitment selection and retention, deployment, training and disciplinary matters.
 To support the Matron in the day to day management of all nursing staff within the Directorate,
including induction, absence management, communication etc.
 To support the Clinical Director in the day to day management of all medical staff within the
Directorate, including induction, absence management, communication etc
 To ensure that effective systems of performance review and objective setting are in place and in
conjunction with the matron ensure appraisals are carried out for all staff, identifying individual
development and training needs
 To ensure a directorate workforce planning process is in place and work with the Matron and
Clinical Director to produce and implement a robust workforce plan taking account of relevant
legislation and professional guidelines e.g. EWTD. To produce a learning and development
plan as part of the workforce planning process
 To ensure compliance with Health & Safety legislation and regulations and Health & Safety
policies and procedures within the Directorate
 To work with the Clinical Director and management team to ensure that time and resources are
managed through effective teamwork, leadership and motivation within the Directorate
 To ensure that at all times, staffing rotas reflect the needs of the clinical areas and that the skill
mix is best used to enhance patient care whilst complying with legislation
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Responsibility for Information Resources
 To ensure systems are in place for the collection and analysis of patient activity data and related
financial information
 To ensure there are mechanisms in place for ensuring the accuracy and validity of this
information
 To regularly write reports for formal committees and boards.
Responsibility for Research & Development
 To regularly undertake surveys or audits as necessary to own work/regularly undertake research
and development activity.
Freedom to Act
 Is guided by corporate and national polices but in most situations the post holder will need to
establish the way these should be interpreted
 To deputise for the Divisional Associate Director as necessary and therefore make appropriate
level decisions on their behalf in their absence
 To lead on an agreed divisional portfolio across the whole division on behalf of the Divisional
Associate Director
Physical Effort
 Undertake light physical effort such as sitting, standing and walking
 Standard keyboard skills
Mental Effort
 Requires frequent spells of concentration through a work pattern which can be unpredictable
 Able to cope with interruptions whilst in periods of concentration
 Manage conflicting priorities
 Intense concentration is occasionally required when deputising for the Divisional Associate
Director.
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Emotional Effort
 Develop communication methods to help reduce barriers to change, using appropriate language
to engage with staff in a positive manner
 Regularly dealing with patient complaints and staff problems.
 Frequently dealing with distressing or emotional circumstances.
Working Conditions
 Working in a variety of areas across the hospital site
 Regular VDU usage
Personal/Professional Development
 To take every reasonable opportunity to maintain and improve your professional knowledge and
competence
 To participate in personal objective setting and review, including the creation of a personal
development plan
Standards of Behaviour
 The principles of “Improving Working Lives” must be upheld at all times
 To comply with Standards of Business Conduct
Health and Safety
 To take reasonable care for your own Health and Safety and that of any other person who may
be affected by your acts or omissions at work
 To co-operate with University Hospital of North Staffordshire Trust in ensuring that statutory
regulations, codes of practice, local policies and departmental health and safety rules are
adhered to
Confidentiality
 To ensure that confidentiality is maintained at all times
Equality and Diversity
 To promote equality and diversity in your working life ensuring that all the staff and patients who
you work with feel valued and treated in a fair and equitable manner
Infection Control
Infection Control is everyone’s responsibility. All staff, both clinical and non clinical, are required to
adhere to the Trusts’ Infection Prevention and Control Policies and make every effort to maintain high
standards of infection control at all times thereby reducing the burden of Healthcare Associated
Infections including MRSA.
All staff employed by the UHNS Trust have the following key responsibilities:
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Staff must wash their hands or use alcohol gel on entry and exit from all clinical areas and
between each patient contact.
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Staff members have a duty to attend mandatory infection control training provided for them by
the Trust.
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Staff members who develop recurrent skin and soft tissue infections and other infections that
may be transmittable to patients have a duty to contact Occupational Health.
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Safeguarding Children and Young People
All staff are responsible for ensuring that they are familiar with and adhere to the Trusts Safeguarding
Children procedures and guidelines. All health professionals who come into contact with children,
parents and carers in the course of their work have a responsibility to safeguard and promote the
welfare of children and young people up to the age of 18 years of age as directed by the Children’s Act
1989/2004. Health professionals also have a responsibility even when the health professional does not
work directly with a child but may be seeing their parent, carer or other significant adult.
All staff are required to attend safeguarding awareness training and undertake any additional training in
relation to safeguarding relevant to their role.
Other
This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list and may be subject to change from time to
time. All documents referred to throughout this Job Description can be found on the Trusts intranet, or
alternatively copies can be obtained from the Human Resources Directorate.
Signed Employee ________________
Print ________________
Signed Manager _________________
Print ________________
Date _______________
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Person Specification
POST:
Directorate Manager / Deputy Associate Director – Level 3
Attribute
Education,
Qualifications and
Training
Criteria
•
•
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Knowledge and
Experience
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Degree level education or
equivalent professional
qualification.
Postgraduate level management
qualification
Evidence of continuous
management development
demonstrated through the
acquisition of knowledge from
taught development programme(s)
Significant knowledge and
experience of leading a range of
different services including
responsibility for a range of
functions. e.g. Finance,
Information, HR, Performance
Able to demonstrate the acquisition
of additional specialist business
management knowledge
(equivalent to Masters level),
through training and experience
acquired over time, including
- Experience and knowledge of
the business planning process
- Experience of healthcare
contracting.
- Experience of waiting list and
activity management against
contract.
Evidence of working in partnership
with internal and external
stakeholders.
Experience of leading the
implementation of service
improvement including complex
change management programmes
at a management level
Experience of managing risk
associated with service change
Evidence of effective resource
management
Awareness of the NHS agenda at a
national and local level
Able to demonstrate the use of
evidence when decision making
Experience of leading and
managing others
Essential
Desirable
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Assessment
• Experience of measuring and
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evaluating outcomes in order to
secure improvement
Attribute
Leadership and
Management
Skills
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•
•
•
•
•
Personal
Attributes or
other relevant
criteria
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•
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•
•
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Evidence of leading and delivering
change through others
Able to hold others to account for
agreed targets
Creates and promotes
opportunities for others to
contribute and to develop
Able to shape and implement a
vision for future service
development
Evidence of effective team working
to deliver and improve services.
Ability to critically analyse complex
information and evaluate a range of
options to identify service
improvements
Exhibits energy and resilience to
drive through results
Ability to adapt personal style in
order to influence others and gain
support for ideas.
Sensitivity to a range of people and
organisations with particular
attention to leading discussions
with highly emotive client groups.
Be able to participate in the ‘On
Call Rota’
Behaves in an open, ethical and
professional manner
Aware of own strengths and
limitations
Able to balance own plans and
priorities with those of the service
and other team members
Able to demonstrate a level of
personal confidence necessary to
overcome barriers
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