Assistant Service Manager - Acute Medicine & SDEC Services
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, staff pride themselves on not only leading through clinical excellence, but also by creating an environment where all staff are valued and appreciated. To achieve this, the Trust has embarked on an exciting new strategy focused on continuous improvement.
Our vision is to improve the lives of our community and provide excellence in healthcare, through partnership and innovationOur High Performance Culture will support everyone to be the best version of themselves by being true to our Trust vision, values and behaviours.
We welcome applications from colleagues from our local and neighbouring communities of all backgrounds and identities, who are currently under-represented within our region such as Black, Asian, Minority ethnic and those with disabilities.
As a region we are reviewing the way we work, and exploring how new working practices that support flexible working can create a positive work-life balance. As part of our recruitment process we will explore how our inclusive employment policies, flexible working, staff engagement forums, Trust facilities and services can be of mutual benefit.
Job overview
Working Full time: 37.5 hours per week
Accountable to the Service Manager within the Urgent Care Division, the Assistant Service Manager will provide support with the delivery of a portfolio of clinical specialties within the Acute Directorate – Specifically Acute Medicine & SDEC services.
Provide leadership and management skills to enable the directorate to meet its agreed aims and objectives within an efficient, effective and safe working environment. All reasonable tasks should be completed to achieve these objectives.
The post holder will have full line management responsibility for the specified secretarial team and ward clerks within the specified portfolio. To support the performance indicators within the services, including Referral to Treatment (RTT) targets and patient waiting lists, daily operational issues within the services and clinic management.
Evaluate and support day to day capacity and demand issues. Resolving these issues or escalating them appropriately. The Assistant Service Manager will be responsible for ensuring day to day clinical activity runseffectively and as efficiently as possible, highlighting variances or activity pressures to the specified Service Manager or Directorate Manager.
The Assistant Service Manager will provide support and assurance on performance delivery as part of the overall Directorate performance framework.
Previous applicants need not apply.
Main duties of the job- To be responsible for the line management of the specified secretarial team and ward clerks including the recruitment process, attendance management and annual leave process.
- To ensure all annual, study and special leave processes within the speciality team, are effectively managed to enable service delivery of the service to the required quality, cost and delivery performance targets.
- To provide timely and professional service management to all speciality based clinical staff and act as the co-ordinator for all speciality related operational day to day issues that may affect operational/performance targets.
- To ensure the timely completion of monthly staff variation lists (SVL’s) and associated documentation.
- To ensure operational effectiveness within the specified services, proactively ensuring patients are seen and treated in a timely manner, creating efficiencies in patients pathways and ensuring the appropriate utilisation of all specified clinical areas.
See Job Description & Person specification for all and further details.
Working for our organisation
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust provides services to West Cheshire and to Welsh patients covered by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. The Trust works collaboratively within the wider Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership. Its services are provided from three locations:
- The Countess of Chester Hospital: providing 438 general and acute beds
- Ellesmere Port Hospital: providing 56 beds as a rehabilitation, intermediate and outpatient facility
- Tarporley War Memorial Hospital: a base for community services which serve the local rural population.
The Trust employs over 6258 staff (headcount) which includes temporary bank staff and provides acute emergency and elective services, primary care direct access services and obstetric services to a population of approximately 407,000. This includes 357,000 residents in Chester and West Cheshire which includes Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Deeside area of Flintshire which has a population of approximately 50,000.
The Trust is a busy district general hospital and in 2022/2023, there were more than 503,342 patient attendances (inpatient, outpatient and diagnostic) ranging from a simple outpatient appointment to major cancer surgery. This is an increase of nearly 10,000 compared to the previous year when there were 494,387 patient attendances.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
See Job Description for further details.
Recruitment selection processes are based on competence (see Person specification) and values.
Please note applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment. The cost of the DBS application is £27.50 (standard) or £55.50 (enhanced), this cost will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
You are encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service. A small annual fee of £16 per year applies.
New entrants to the NHS will commence on the minimum of the scale stated above.
Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date.
Good luck with your application.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of target management
- Experience of financial and budgetary management
- Experience of people/HR management
- Proven ability in analytical skills and managing and analysing information and data
- IT literate – Proficient in using Microsoft office applications and other software applications
- Experience in healthcare management
Qualifications
Essential criteria- Diploma / NVQ level IV in an administrative subject or equivalent
- Supervisory / Management certificate or qualification
- Evidence of Managing a team
- Strong IT skills - Microsoft Excel / Access / Word / PowerPoint / Outlook
- RSA typing III or equivalent experience
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If the role is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Enhanced DBS check applications that are submitted with omitted or incorrect information will be withdrawn. In the event errors are identified on your original application, a new application will need to be submitted and you will be required to pay the DBS application fee again.
The cost of the DBS application will be deducted from your salary over the first three months of employment.
Overseas Candidates
The Department of Health and Social Care has released a new publication to support overseas candidates looking to work in health and care in the UK.
The new guidance provides information on the recruitment process that candidates should expect when applying for work in the UK. Please follow the below link: Applying for health and social care jobs in the UK from abroad - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Overseas candidates wishing to apply who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a CoS for the post by assessing their circumstances against criteria specified on the Visas and immigration - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Overseas candidates are responsible for their travel expenses.
From 6 April 2017, Tier 2 / skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, must present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years.Adult dependent's (over 18 years old) will also be subject to this requirement.