Improvement Facilitator
About us
At Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust we provide a range of mental health, learning disability, substance misuse, primary care and other specialist services designed around the needs of people in our city.
We have a dedicated and skilful team of people caring in Sheffield, which you could become a part of.
Our values are at the heart of everything we do. These are: working together for our service users, respect and kindness, everyone counts, commitment to quality, improving lives.
Job overview
Sheffield Health and Social Care are excited to bring this opportunity for an individual with both talent and drive for quality improvement (QI) to help frontline teams to make improvement happen at #TeamSHSC. This is a unique opportunity where the candidate will have work on a focused QI collaborative until July 2025.
The post holder will have a key role in the delivery of the organisation’s improvement ambitions . The Trust’s improvement ambitions are highlighted in its Quality Strategy that states that QI is a fundamental part of our wider Quality Framework.In line with this framework, we are ensuring that we are taking systematic approaches to improving performance and quality, whilst working with those closest to quality problems. This role will put this way of working into practice by focusing QI activity where it is most needed based on what Trust data are telling us.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will work within a small team to support the delivery of a focused improvement collaborative programme with guidance from the Programme Lead, Head of Continuous Improvement and other senior leaders. They will demonstrate the ability to engage others in improvement and will be experienced in using proven methodologies pragmatically e.g. The Model for Improvement, QSIR or Lean.The improvement programme will be high-profile and is likely to involve stakeholder environments that are complex and sometimes uncertain. Providing expertise in improvement, the post holder will ensure that all programme outcomes and impacts of change are measured effectively and monitored throughout, providing senior support to the teams involved.
The post holder will also support the delivery of the Trusts building of improvement capability, using an effective improvement dosing strategy to managers, front line staff, new starters and senior leaders, ensuring that we measure, monitor and evaluate the outputs.
The Improvement Facilitator will act as central source of improvement knowledge and an expert resource for all improvement programmes managed by the Improvement Team.
Working for our organisation
We are passionate about providing the very best care to the people we support, and we are looking for amazing people who share this passion to join us.
What is it that makes our Trust such a special place to work? Well, it is all about the people. Our staff, service users, carers and families all come from such diverse backgrounds, and all have expertise and stories to share.
It is important that you feel supported in your role, that the people who you work with are as passionate as you are and that your health and wellbeing is taken care of
If you are interested in developing your career, you will have access to a range of training and education opportunities, including apprenticeships, work experience and placements, as well as the chance to get involved in research.
We are all very proud of the difference we make to people's lives each and every day and if that is something that you'd like to be part of we'd love to have you with us.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The following represent a broad outline of tasks the post holder will be expected to perform in achieving their key result areas. These are not intended as a fixed list of duties. The post holder will, under the direction of the Head of Continuous Improvement, perform whatever duties are reasonably necessary to support improvement within the Trust.
- To ensure all improvement work is managed in accordance with the Trust values, strategic objectives and priorities.
- To ensure all improvement work incorporates the views and involvement of patients and their families. This involvement can range from individuals giving feedback, such as patient stories, to collaborative work including patient groups and communities helping to develop and design services.
- Ensure all improvement projects have clear measurable outcomes and identify how benefits will be realised.
- To coach and support Trust individuals and teams in the development of SMART aims, driver diagrams and identify appropriate process, outcome and balancing measures for each improvement project.
- To have extensive knowledge and understanding of Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge and experience of applying this theory to all improvement work.
- To coach and support internal and external clinical staff, managers, senior leaders and other health professionals in using improvement science methodology, e.g., System of Profound Knowledge, Model for Improvement, PDSA cycles, system mapping etc.
- Ensure robust programme and project management methodology is applied alongside improvement methodology to support the development and implementation of all existing and new programmes/projects.
- To pro-actively lead and advise on all of the Quality Directorate’s work.
- Ensure each improvement project/programme has a sustainability plan in place at project initiation.
- To analyse and interpret local and national data linked to improvement projects.
- To provide senior support and advice to the measurement teams around data analysis and data interpretation.
Person specification
Training
Essential criteria- Educated to degree level or equivalent level of experience of working at senior level in specialist area.
- Recognised improvement advisor training.
- Developed IT skills equivalent to the ECDL standard
- Project/programme management qualification or equivalent experience.
- Postgraduate (or working towards) project management or business management qualification
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Ability to rapidly build credibility with all levels in the Trust, including senior managers and clinicians
- Ability to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information, negotiate with senior stakeholders on difficult and controversial issues.
- Proven abilities in mentorship/coaching/facilitation - guiding people/teams to achieving results and helping them to learn through practice
- Evidence of effective report writing and presentation skills.
- Proven capabilities in process/problem analysis, challenging existing thinking and generating improvements and solutions.
- Ability to deliver training on improvement methodology to clinicians, management, staff at all levels and service users / carers.
- Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate, prioritise and resolve problems before they arrive.
- Experience of coproduction with Experts by Experience
Experience
Essential criteria- • Excellent knowledge of Quality Improvement Methodology:
- The IHI Model for Improvement
- Driver Diagrams
- PDSA - Process mapping
- Breakthrough Series Collaboratives
- Statistical Process Control Chart and the use of data for improvement
- Data collection tools
- • Programme management experience
- • Experience of working in Quality Improvement within a healthcare setting
- • Understanding of statistics and measurement for improvement
- • Improvement Methods such as LEAN
- • Leading change in complex systems
- • Evidence of leading on the writing of:
- Journal articles
- Grant applications
- Award applications
Please think about your personal values and how these align with our values when you are applying. Find out more about our organisation through our website.
We are a Disability Confident employer level 2 and hope to achieve level 3 this year. We offer a guaranteed interview to disabled applicants who meet all of the essential criteria for a role. When you apply you will have the opportunity to let us know if you require adjustments to be made, please contact us if you are not sure or if you require adjustments to the application process itself.
Our six staff network groups welcome new members, these are:
- The Ethnically Diverse Staff Network Group
- The Disability Staff Network Group
- The Lived Experience Staff Network Group
- The Rainbow Staff Network Group
- The Staff Carers Staff Network Group
- The Women’s Staff Network Group
We know how important flexible working can be to applicants and therefore we encourage you to discuss any working arrangements as part of this process. We will always aim to accommodate requests, wherever possible.
The Trust is committed to safeguarding adults and children and as part of our safe recruitment practice the successful applicant(s) will be subject to a check with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) if it is deemed appropriate for the role.The cost of the DBS check (currently up to £48.23) must be met by the successful applicant(s).
When applying for this post you will redirected to complete your application in our preferred applicant management system, Trac. If you are successfully offered a role, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.In addition, in submitting an application, you authorise our Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the ESR IAT process should you be appointed.
Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) when writing job applications
If you choose to use AI or other tools to assist in writing your application, it's essential to personalise this information, particularly your supporting statement.
While AI can help streamline the writing process, these tools cannot fully grasp the context or requirements of the job you’re applying for, nor can they accurately reflect your skills, knowledge, and experience. It is crucial that you personalise your supporting statement by articulating these in your unique voice.
Relying solely on AI to write your application or supporting statement is not advocated by SHSC and could negatively impact your chances of success in the application process.
For example, AI responses…- usually lack relevance and fail to address the key criteria outlined in the job description and person specification.
- may come across as generic and fail to distinguish you from other applicants.
- may be ambiguous or open to misinterpretation. Without careful review and editing, the supporting statement could convey messages that are unclear or misconstrued by hiring managers.
- may include qualifications, skills, knowledge or experience that you do not possess, potentially leading to misrepresentation.
Supporting Statement
The supporting statement is an opportunity for you to showcase how your qualifications, knowledge, skill and experiences align with the requirements and criteria outlined in the job description and person.
Recruiting managers score applications based on the criteria listed in the person specification. Managers will be looking for evidence of how you meet these criteria. To increase your chances of securing an interview, provide examples of how you have applied your skills and knowledge in real-life situations.Share work-related successes and challenges you’ve navigated that align with the criteria. These could be from various aspects of your life, including work, education, and personal experiences.
Consider structuring your statement with clear headings or bullet points. This approach will help both you and the recruiting manager navigate through your application more effectively.