Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Trust Wide Capacity Management

• To take responsibility for the appropriate and effective use of beds across the three sites, ensuring that emergency patients are placed appropriately and in a safe and timely manner and that there is minimal cancellation of elective activity.
• To ensure that out of hours plans in regards to capacity management that have been developed within hours are followed to maintain flow in UHL. Review plans if necessary in line with capacity, demand and external pressures. This includes the submission of weekend/bank holiday plans.
• To monitor the trigger factors associated with an increase in emergency admissions and where necessary, implement the internal escalation policy in order to minimise the impact of reduced capacity for whatever reason.
• Develop systems to communicate to the duty management team / escalation policies and ensure policies/patient pathway changes are embedded throughout the organisation and disseminated to all key staff.
• To ensure effective communication and cooperation with the clinical teams is maintained within the Trust and that information in relation to capacity management is disseminated throughout CMGs and on call teams.
• To take responsibility to provide updates to the Head of Capacity and flow/on call teams with relevant performance data relating to bed management to give an accurate appraisal of the current capacity situation. This may be verbally or by the agreed communication means e.g. text.
• To ensure that critical untoward incidents relating to capacity management, including failure to meet Trust and national targets, are escalated and investigated and reported in accordance with Trust.  This will be in liaison with the Head of Capacity and Flow.
• To develop effective capacity management processes through the management, and facilitation of training and development for duty managers and clinical teams.
• To ensure that the implementation of the Real Time Bed State is appropriately supported and that compliance from CMG’s is managed and escalated appropriately. This includes utilising Nervecentre effectively and working with any project teams that are developing and reviewing new processes in regards to this.
• To review the emergency surgical take when on duty with liaison with the appropriate CMG’s and inform Bed Bureau to ensure the effective facilitation and placement of emergency admissions to UHL.
• Motivate staff to higher levels of performance by increasing their commitment to the Trust’s objectives, clarifying the vision and developing effective team working.
• Aid staff in their decision making process to ensure that safe flow of patients is maintained at all times.  

Budget

• To ensure that the duty management team is managed within the financial budget when rostering staff.

 Management and Leadership

• The senior operation managers will be responsible for line managing the duty managers and transport team.
• The senior operations manager will be required to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service.
• To maintain a high level of professionalism at all times.
• The senior operation managers will deputise for the Head of Capacity and Flow in their absence.
• In the absence of the Head of Capacity and Flow the senior operations manager will chair the tactical bed meetings and ensure appropriate actions and plans are delivered.
• To be responsible for the day to day operational line management of the duty management team. To plan, coordinate and evaluate the team to ensure it is efficient, all UHL sites are covered with the appropriate skill mix of staff in regards to supporting the CMG’s and on call teams with patient flow.
• To actively perform absence management completing the necessary documentation in a timely manner as per Trust policy.
• To be responsible for the compliance of Mandatory training and appraisals within the duty management team ensuring that KPI’s are achieved.
• To accurately complete personal human resource documentation in respect of the duty management team. Ensure that designated time frames are adhered to.
• To assist in the resolution of any conflicts within the team.
• To assist in resolving complaints locally and assisting in the investigation of and response to formal complaints as required in a timely fashion.
• To liaise with security staff or external organisations e.g. police, especially out of hours to ensure the safety of patients and the Trust.
• To participate in the staff appraisal scheme as both appraisee and appraiser maintaining a dynamic personal development plan.
• Be aware of the Trust’s values and ensure behaviours are embedded in the role and within the duty management team.
• Ensure any clinical issues raised are escalated to the Head of Capacity and Head of Nursing in the CMG.
• Provide assurance when recruiting staff that staff are appropriately qualified, registered with an appropriate body (where required), have authority to work in the UK and have undergone appropriate pre-employment checks including CRB.
• Ensure competence in core HR policies such as Equality and Diversity, Discipline, Recruitment, Workforce Change, and are competent to deal with first line HR issues.
• Ensure staff in the team work within the requirements of the European Working Time Directive.
• Promote a culture where staff feel empowered and accountable for service improvement at a local level.

Personal Effectiveness

• Pursues goals energetically despite setbacks and agreed plans requiring to be changed due to incidents or capacity issues.
• Have a strong personal impact: assertive with self-confidence and personal resilience.
• Keen to develop own skills, knowledge and understanding outside the confines of their own post.
• Influences people at all levels formally and informally through successful communication, negotiation and persuasive skills.
• Identify work required and allocating own time and that of appropriate staff to each task.

 Governance & Risk

• Help promote systems for clinical quality and safety improvement within the duty management team.
• To take a lead on responding to complaints regarding patient inflow from patients, relative’s, visitors and staff including other health and social care agencies. Ensure that complaints are dealt with in timely and professional manner, conducting any relevant investigation in line with Trust policies and procedures.
• Promote a culture where governance and risk management are seen to be everyone’s responsibility.
• Ensure appropriate systems are in place to evidence ongoing compliance with local and national policies as required for CQC standards.
• Ensure that any changes to practice or behaviours identified as a result of patient complaints are implemented and monitored to reduce the risk of further complaints.

Communication

• Establish excellent communication with other managers in the Trust and wider healthcare community to ensure that services and CMG’s work together in the patient’s best interest.
• Ensure that good practice and key corporate messages are rapidly shared within the CMG and wider organisation where appropriate.
• Provide prompt feedback to the Head of Capacity and Flow, on call teams including the CMG leads when necessary if issues in regards to patient flow, patient safety or staff safety arise whilst on duty.
• Take responsibility and give accurate data if completing any information returns or situation reports that are submitted from UHL to external partners including the CCG in regards to capacity management.
• Articulate clinical and professional issues in order to meet the needs of a diverse audience.

Education and Teaching

• Ensure that all staff receive appropriate training and on-going development to enable them to competently and safely fulfil their roles.
• Ensure that training is accessible to the duty management team, in a variety of formats, recognising the diverse needs of the workforce.
• Promote a culture of lifelong learning.
• Provide constructive feedback, support and resources to enable teams to develop and increase skills and abilities.
• Prioritise own time to be available to coach and mentor others.

Research and Development

• Lead on appropriate projects and audit activity if required.
• Ensure that research and audit activity is conducted in line with Trust standards and that results shared with other Specialties as appropriate.