Job summary
- Main area
- Acute
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 9
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 153-CO04681
- Employer
- University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Dorset Providers
- Town
- Dorset Providers
- Salary
- £105,385 - £121,271 pa
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Deputy Chief Digital Officer – Acute
NHS AfC: Band 9
Job overview
This is a post for a full time Deputy Chief Digital Officer - Acute accountable to the joint CDO – Dorset Providers. The post holder will have specific responsibility for overseeing Acute IT services across Poole, Royal Bournemouth and Dorset County Hospitals.
The Joint CDO and two Deputy CDOs are new roles which seek to bring together digital services across the providers in anticipation of the new strategic Electronic Health Record which is planned for introduction in 2028.
Each post holder will deputise formally for the joint CDO and will be a formal member of the Pan-Dorset Digital SLT.
This role will lead on Acute pathways and will work closely with the CMIO & CNIO’s of UHD and DCH to shape and deliver those aspects of the Digital Strategy.
The other role will lead on the Mental Health & Community and will work closely with the CMIO & CNIO’s of Dorset Healthcare to shape and deliver those aspects of the Digital Strategy.
One of the two postholders will lead on Commercial contract management for the service.
Two Deputies are being sought (Acute and MH/Community), and we are open about which of the candidates holds the Commercial portfolio; however, one of the post holders will be employed by Dorset Healthcare and the other will be employed by Dorset County or UH Dorset.
Digital health services are pivotal to the ambitious transformation agenda across Dorset Providers. This role will help ensure that the vision, direction and strategy is fully enabled by digital change and innovation.
The postholder will work with the UHD, DCH and DHC Digital Teams to design and implement new ways of working between the three Digital Services to maximise the capabilities and capacities of both teams and ensure we are using our expert and limited resources in an efficient and effective way.
The postholder will also work with partners across the health and care system to ensure alignment and interoperability of developments and to develop and implement a new Electronic Health Record system.
The post holder will support the Joint CDO in leading the provision of an efficient, effective and high quality professional and well-co-ordinated digital service capable of meeting all statutory, regulatory and NHS requirements.
Main duties of the job
- Shape and co-ordinate delivery of the digital strategy within the Trusts, consistent with service needs and resources
- To provide visible leadership to the digital and information teams, support the Joint CDO responsible for Digital strategy and transformation, and deputise as and when requested to do so in any matters relating to digital and IT.
- Co-design and implement new ways of working for the Digital Service teams to maximise capacity, service productivity and efficiency, and minimise duplication
- Lead and support delivery of digitally enabled transformational change to business processes and systems
- Take responsibility for the current function and operation of all the Trusts’ clinical and non-clinical digital and IT systems in use across the Trusts’
- Ensure the Trusts’ existing digital processes and systems can support the Trusts’ information and compliance regimes.
- Lead the Digital Services teams ensuring the team deliver timely, high quality and effective services to system users.
- Ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the teams, and understand the impact on BAU operational work with the implementation of new systems and processes
- Review organisational structures, systems and processes to support the Trusts’ culture of continuous improvement and to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
- Effectively manage key stakeholders and external relationships with an emphasis on clinical and medical colleague relating to EPR development.
- Report progress to all key stakeholders, escalating issues, risks and programme decisions
- To ensure that Digital plays a major role in developing integrated services with Health and Social Care partners and contributes to the overall aims of the Dorset health system.
- To share responsibility with the Joint CDO for the portfolio of Digital Programmes and budgets and ensure that the Programmes supports the Trust’s business objectives and is able to respond to future demand and change
- With reference to national strategy and standards, support the Joint CDO on long term digital direction and innovations.
- Work with the operational divisions to analyse and deliver highly complex solutions, leading them through the process
- Liaise with all departments to identify further opportunities for adoption, uptake and optimisation of digital solutions across acute services.
- To be an effective member of the Pan-Dorset Digital Senior Leadership Team.
- Establish and maintain professional and effective relationships and contract governance with third party providers
- Ensure effective management of resources and funds to deliver within the agreed financial envelope
- Contribute to the overall successful performance of Dorset Provider
Working for our organisation
Digital health services are pivotal to the ambitious transformation agenda across Dorset Providers. This role will help ensure that the vision, direction and strategy is fully enabled by digital change and innovation.
The postholder will work with the UHD, DCH and DHC Digital Teams to design and implement new ways of working between the three Digital Services to maximise the capabilities and capacities of both teams and ensure we are using our expert and limited resources in an efficient and effective way.
The postholder will also work with partners across the health and care system to ensure alignment and interoperability of developments and to develop and implement a new Electronic Health Record system.
The post holder will support the Joint CDO in leading the provision of an efficient, effective and high quality professional and well-co-ordinated digital service capable of meeting all statutory, regulatory and NHS requirements.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents which are attached to this advert.
If this sounds like you and you would like to learn more, please contact Brendan Davies at our recruitment partners Hunter Healthcare on 07585 356985 or by email: [email protected].
HOW TO APPLY
Please do not apply through the trac recruitment system.
All applications should be sent to: [email protected]. All applications will be acknowledged. Please apply via this link UH DORSET 2025 HOME - CONEXAS MICROSITES
Applications should include:
- A covering letter explaining why the appointment interests you, how you meet the appointment criteria and what you specifically would bring to the post
- A Curriculum Vitae (CV) with education and professional qualifications and full employment history. Please include daytime and evening telephone contact numbers and email addresses. The CV should include names and contact details of three referees. References will not be taken without your permission.
- A completed Diversity Monitoring Form and Fit and Proper Person Monitory Form.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Educated to Masters level or equivalent experience of working at a senior level in relevant specialist area
- Evidence of continuing professional development
Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
Essential criteria
- Prior senior leadership role in the Information Management/ Information Technology sector
- Significant experience at a strategic level shaping digital and IT service development and modernisation
- Strong understanding of IT systems
- Outstanding leader who can build successful teams and has influential relationships.
- Experience of employing recognised improvement methodologies
- Experience of staff management and staff development at a senior level
- Strategic and operational experience of major programmes and projects.
- Extensive experience at working at a senior level in a complex environment.
- Extensive experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders in often pressured and politically sensitive environments.
- Extensive analytical experience, including significant experience of leading teams to build complex analytical model
- Extensive experience of business case assessment
- Experience of budgetary control, financial planning and forecasting at a senior level
Desirable criteria
- Experience of programme leadership in an IT related Transformation programme ideally in health
- Prior experience with public sector organisation(s)
- Prior experience with healthcare information systems
- Ability to develop and utilise effective professional networks
- Significant knowledge of current NHS national and regional health policy in relation to the digital agenda
Qualities
Essential criteria
- Recognised credible leader who can form and manage high performance, output driven teams
- Strong team player – able to shape a team to deliver high performance and engagement.
- Relationship builder in a complex environment – comfortable building strong relationships at all levels internally and externally and being able to influence in complex stakeholder environments
- Excellent communicator – on platforms, in teams and in writing. Ability to develop, use, analyse and interpret data
- Resilient and tenacious in a fast paced and challenging environment
- Ability to deal with challenging situations in a formal setting
- Ability to prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required
- Ability to analyse highly complex issues where material is conflicting and drawn from multiple sources (verbal, written and numerical).
- Demonstrable ability to act upon incomplete information, using experience gained to make inferences and decision making
- Demonstrable leadership, vision, strategic thinking and planning with highly developed political skills
- Demonstrable ability to plan over short, medium and long -term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
- Demonstrable ability to work effectively between strategic and operational activities where required
- Demonstrable ability to manage own and team workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information, working to tight and often changing timescales
- Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues
- Emotional resilience in challenging situations where views may differ and a high degree of negotiating and influencing skills is required.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Brendan Davies
- Job title
- Recruitment Partner at Hunter Healthcare
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07585 356985
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