Deputy Director - Clinical Support Services & Community Division

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Clinical Support Services & Community Division, at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. The role of the Deputy Divisional Director of Operations is to be responsible for the strategic and operational management and delivery of all services and contracts within their portfolio. The role comprises of the day-to-day operational delivery of sustainable, high-quality services, maintaining and delivering against all performance targets and standards, as well as leading and overseeing the development and implementation of business cases and plans, whilst ensuring in partnership with the transformation team, the implementation of the service redesign programme.
This role requires significant engagement and working in collaboration with a number of different stakeholders, including commissioners, acute, primary care, and mental health providers as well as the public, voluntary and community sector organisations. The post holder is expected to provide visible leadership and promote high standards by modelling the values and behaviours expected of a senior manager in the NHS. They will have a professional and management line of accountability to the Divisional Director of Operations and Performance.
Please note, this Recruitment Process will include an Assessment Centre which will take place on Friday 6th December 2024., The post holder will be responsible for the efficient and effective day-to-day running of their portfolio within the Division; ensuring the delivery of key operational performance targets (finance, activity, workforce and quality/safety). Working in partnership with the Divisional and wider leadership team, the Deputy Divisional Director of Operations will be responsible for the provision of leadership and direction for all services within their portfolio. This will include delivery of local and national targets as well as operational service objectives. As Deputy Divisional Director of Operations, the post holder will work as part of a dynamic team in delivering an effective service supporting clinicians, managers and other staff across the organisation. The post holder will develop and role model strategic and operational practice for promoting strong leadership and innovation across the specialities within their portfolio., · Promote a common vision and ownership of the organisational values and strategic objectives of MWL, advising on the service implications of strategic and operational policy decisions.
· Work with clinical staff in developing appropriate changes in clinical practice within the service sectors in line with MWL strategy.
· Ensure that all staff understand the strategic direction of the partnership and are able to contribute to its development.
· The Chief Operating Officer in conjunction with MWL partners will agree personal objectives on an annual basis. This will form part of the annual review of his/her performance in the role. The Deputy Divisional Director of Operations will set objectives for senior members of the team, monitoring performance through an effective performance management process.
· Ensure high quality, patient centred care is delivered across all services.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES
· Contribute to the development, communication and promotion of the values and behaviours of MWL.
· Lead the development of a culture of continuous improvement within MWL in order to meet stretching financial, quality and performance targets.
· Champion MWL, the services it provides and its support for other front line health services.
· Ensure compliance with the Integrated Governance Framework, ensuring that the highest standards of corporate governance and probity are maintained by ensuring that all staff work within the provisions of Standards of Business Conduct, Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions.
· Maintain the delivery of high quality, efficient and effective services across MWL including the Care Quality Commission Registration requirements and standards.
· Deliver national and locally agreed performance targets.
· Develop business cases for any service developments ensuring it fits with the MWL strategy and appropriate activity, financial and workforce plans have been incorporated both within and across service sectors.
· Ensure effective communication both across and between service lines.
· Ensure all policies and procedures are adhered to and make recommendations on their amendment where necessary.
· Interpret alongside clinical colleagues, national, regional, and corporate health care policies/standards and formulate objectives and standards for the community and primary care services to deliver against these.
· Support Research & Development within and across the services.
· Undertake specific tasks asked from time to time by the Director Strategic Partnerships as required by the Board.
PATIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
· Support the Divisional and/or Deputy Divisional Director of Nursing and Quality in the delivery of the organisations Professional strategy to maintain professional standards and practice and the effective deployment of resources.
· Ensure processes are in place for investigation and response to complaints and incidents relating to our services, in accordance with organisational policy. Through the Divisional and / or Deputy Divisional Director of Nursing and Quality, ensure the quality agenda for our organisation is delivered in accordance with the aligned Strategy i.e. Clinical Strategy.
HUMAN RESOURCES RESPONSIBILITIES
· Ensure staff undertake their professional and managerial responsibilities, taking account the requirements of the working time directive and educational requirements.
· Provide leadership and direction to the services within your portfolio.
· Establish new ways of working in conjunction with clinicians, other healthcare professionals, support, and HR staff. This includes skill mix reviews, new role development and other workforce strategies.
· Manage workforce planning and staff development and ensure objectives, personal development plans, appraisal and mandatory and essential training is conducted for all staff.
· Develop a culture that enables the realisation of individual and team potential, using appropriate relational behaviour techniques and freedom to act policies within agreed performance management frameworks.
FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES
· To be responsible and accountable for the budget, and with service managers, develop and manage those budgets to meet the strategic and operational business plans including delivery of cost improvement targets.
· Ensure effective establishment control, cost control and budget management including the overall management of attendance.
· Manage the collection and use of information in accordance with local and national strategies and plans.
· In conjunction with the transformation team, lead the service Transformation programmes to deliver integrated services and quality improvement strategies through efficiency and productivity.
COMMUNITY / STAKEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES
· Be responsible for improving and sustaining relationships with our partners and other key stakeholders to building a positive image of our organisation through responsive internal and external communications.
· Develop sustainable services through the development of partnership with other organisations, including primary care, acute and mental health providers, voluntary agencies, and the independent sector.
· Ensure partnership arrangements meet governance and corporate requirements of all parties and are supported by robust governance and documented agreements.
Thank you for considering an application to work for Mersey West Lancashire NHS Trust. You are part of an exciting and forward-thinking NHS Trust who are one of the best places to work for in England.
Given sometimes we receive a high volume of applications to work for us, please be aware, that we may close a vacancy earlier than stated should a sufficient number of applications be received from which a shortlist can be confirmed. Therefore, you are advised to apply at your earliest convenience.
The Trust may contact you during the recruitment process for your feedback on your experience. We always aim for continuous improvement in our practice.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
We actively cultivate a professional environment of fairness, equality, dignity, and respect for all individuals. We welcome individuals from all backgrounds and value the unique skills, perspective and experience you bring. We are grounded in the belief that diversity enhances our collective strength, fostering innovation and excellence within our workforce. We welcome all applications irrespective of people's race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, religion/belief, age, gender identity, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity and in particular those from under- represented groups.
As a Disability Confident Leader, we commit to offering an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
If you are having difficulty completing an online application, or require any disability reasonable adjustments, to the application process, please contact [email protected]
We also commit to offering an interview to all armed forces veterans who meet the minimum criteria for the job (the essential criteria) listed in the personal specification. If you wish to apply under this Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please indicate this on the online application form.
The Trust operates anonymous shortlisting where no personal information about you, including your name or personal details are shared with the recruiting manager. No equality information is shared at any time during the recruitment process with the recruiting manager or other people involved in the decision-making process.
The equality monitoring information you provide is used in the following situations: to review our recruitment practices; where a job is limited to a specific person to verify their eligibility to apply; and to offer disability reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to 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 dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Following the recent update on UK immigration policy for those on a Health and Care Visa or Skilled Worker Visa, please click here to check your eligibility before applying for this post as we may be unable to provide sponsorship.
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
If this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Please note if applicable, applicants will be required to pay for their DBS check. Costs are deducted from salary following appointment.
If you have not already done so, you are therefore encouraged to enrol for the DBS Update Service to which a small annual fee of £13 per year applies.
Flexible Working
We actively support flexible working patterns throughout MWL. Changes made to the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook mean that:
· All employees have the right to request flexible working from day one of employment.
· There is no limit on the number of requests they can make.
· Employees have the right to make requests, have them considered, regardless of the reason.
At Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, we will consider requests for flexible working. We would also encourage you to also discuss flexible working options at interview stage.
Working for Team MWL
Staff recognition is especially important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Employee of the month. Along with supporting you to achieve your career goals we offer a generous pension scheme, unsocial hours payments (where applicable), 27 days annual leave on commencement (pro rata) and access to a range of NHS discounts. Our Staff Health and Wellbeing programme offer a variety of services.
The Trust is a non-smoking across all our sites. Failure to follow this rule could lead to disciplinary action. For more information, see the Smoke Free NHS website
You must ensure that your application, including personal statements and behaviour examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.
The Trust will not accept applications which are found to be AI generated.
Additional Information
Before applying, we encourage you to review the Trusts Values and Behaviours which are We are KIND, We are OPEN, We are INCLUSIVE, which can be found here.
An applicant guide to help and support you with your application and what to expect during your recruitment journey can be accessed in the supporting documents.
Good luck with your application. We hope to welcome you to Team MWL very soon.

Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
+ Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
+ Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
+ National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme