Job overview
Are you ready to lead, inspire, and make a real difference in patient care?
We’re looking for a passionate and proactive Deputy Service Managers to help shape the future of healthcare delivery within our Divisions.
️ About the Role
This is more than just a management role — it’s a chance to be at the heart of operational excellence. You’ll work closely with clinical and administrative teams to ensure our services run smoothly and patients receive the best possible care. From urgent and emergency care to outpatient and elective pathways, your leadership will help drive performance, innovation, and compassionate service.
We have four posts across multiple specialties that are available:
1. Emergency Department, Division of Medicine
2. Neurology and Stroke, Division of Medicine
3. Urology and Vascular, Division of Surgery
4. Clinical Immunology, Division of Diagnostics & Clinical Support
Main duties of the job
What You’ll Be Doing
5. Supporting senior leaders to deliver high-quality, patient-focused services.
6. Leading and developing a team of administrative staff.
7. Managing performance against key targets including RTT, Cancer, Diagnostics and UEC.
8. Driving service improvements and supporting strategic projects.
9. Representing the service at Trust-wide forums and working collaboratively across departments.
What We’re Looking For
We’re seeking someone who:
10. Has a management qualification or equivalent experience. Brings leadership experience from a busy hospital or healthcare setting. Understands NHS policies and performance targets. Communicates clearly, leads confidently, and thrives in a fast-paced environment. Is passionate about improving services and supporting teams.
Working for our organisation
We have 10,000 fantastic people working hard to deliver quality services to our patients. Whatever your role, you help look after 370,000 people in our local area & give specialist care to 1.5 million people across Lancashire & Cumbria.
Working with us gives you the knowledge and sense of pride that every activity you do genuinely does make a difference to support our patients & staff, ensuring we keep thriving & delivering outstanding healthcare right across our local towns.
You’ll have access to varied development opportunities, learn new skills, meet fab people & do things you’d never have done. You’ll learn about working in a hospital, interacting with people from all different roles to build skills & enhance your career path.
You’ll make an impact, be challenged to think differently, be bold & help innovate to keep improving things. Everything we do centres around patient care which means your role is pivotal and something really to be proud of.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Why Lancashire Teaching Hospitals?
We’re proud to deliver excellent care with compassion. Our values — caring, individuality, teamwork, and personal responsibility — are at the core of everything we do. You’ll be joining a supportive, forward-thinking team that’s committed to making a difference.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities:
Communication and Leadership
Liaise with key personnel both internal and external, to ensure effective management of inpatient, outpatients, waiting lists and national access targets.
To deputise for the Specialty Business Manager (SBM) as required.
Responsible for the direct line management of administrative staff within the remit.
To liaise directly with patients and carers in relation to any enquiries/concerns.
Network with aligned services to ensure effective service delivery and quality of care.
Provide operational expertise and management support to all members of the service.
Act as a representative of the service at Trust wide forums.
To produce written and electronic communications as required to inform the Specialty Business Unit regarding performance, waiting times, medical rotas and performance information.
Operational Management Support
To manage a designated budget within the service.
To support the identification and delivery of cost improvements, service developments and income generation opportunities.
To support the Service Manager or Specialty Business Manager in monitoring SLA or contract KPIs.
Support the Service Manager or Specialty Business Manager in developing service specifications for new or revised contracts.
Assist the management team in the planning and implementation of the clinical governance framework.
To assist in the forecasting and planning for future activity requirements to ensure compliance with local and national targets.
Provide timely information for the management team so that business and service planning is appropriately informed.
Undertake management responsibility for administrative staff within the service groups including attendance recording, appraisal, recruitment, leave co-ordination, sickness absence management and first line grievance.
Support the rota co-ordinator with the delivery of the specialty’s activity plan. To provide responsibility for the administrative functions of the junior doctor workforce directives including recording and monitoring study and annual leave, co-ordinate induction and EWTD monitoring.
Responsible for implementing changes as a result of job planning cycle including risk assessing the impact this may have to delivery of activity for the service.
Undertake continuous professional development, seeking opportunities to enhance skills that can be identified via a Personal Development Plan.
Support with the management of patient flow during times of site escalation and divisional UEC pressures.
Service Delivery, Performance and Improvement
Planned Care
Ensure accuracy of all associated Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) using the trust management system to ensure compliance with national guidance.
Ensure up to date awareness and monitoring of capacity and demand and benchmarking data.
Support the service in identifying and delivering improvements in pathways to mitigate capacity of financial gaps.
Ensure a detailed understanding of and support in improvements to RTT, Cancer and DM01 processes.
Rigorously monitor and manage performance within own area of responsibility for inpatient, day case, diagnostic, cancer and outpatient targets.
Monitor the activity carried out and ensure this meets the service level agreements in place.
In response to Directorate negotiations, develop and implement systems to achieve a balance between referral and hospital capacity.
Apply specialist knowledge when making decisions on specific changs needed to achieve the specific Directorate aims, objectives and targets.
To proactively manage outpatient and inpatient capacity, in conjunction with the clinical support management team.
Develop processes to standardise clinic templates across the service to ensure capacity available is maximised.
Develop and maintain trajectories with the ability to analyse data for the SBM or Service Manager.
Negotiate and implement systems and changes when necessary.
Ensure that administrative system and processes support the development and implementation of the service.
Unplanned care
Ensure accuracy of all associated KPI data using the trust management system to ensure compliance with national guidance.
Ensure up to date awareness and monitoring of capacity and demand and benchmarking data.
Support the service in identifying and delivering improvements in pathways to mitigate capacity or financial gaps.
Rigorously monitor and manage performance within own area of responsibility for A&E, SDEC, H@H and inpatient NEL activity.
In response to service negotiations, develop and implement systems to achieve a balance between referral and hospital capacity.
Support the division and wider Trust at times of extremis to manage site pressures.
Apply specialist knowledge when making decisions on specific changes needed to achieve the specific service aims, objectives and targets.
To proactively manage specialty level ED activity and inpatient capacity and flow e.g. ward and board round processes and discharge levels, in conjunction with the clinical support management team.
Develop and maintain trajectories with the ability to analyse data for the SBM.
Negotiate and implement systems and changes when necessary.
Ensure that administrative system and processes support the development and implementation of the service plans.
Partnership Working
Support the Division by working in partnership with corporate colleagues to ensure effective systems and processes which support effective patient care.
Support the Division by engaging in system wide initiatives where required to improve services for patients.
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Promote a culture where governance and risk management are seen as everyone’s responsibility.
Undertake risk assessments and the delivery of the Health and Safety at Work with the relevant Clinical Leads, operational managers and matrons to ensure that clinical and non-clinical complaints and thoroughly investigated and information supplied to support a timely response.
Make recommendations and implement agreed actions for resolution and/or improvements re Safety agenda where appropriate.
Maintain confidentiality and ensure team understand the significant of this and adhere to legislation and Trust Policy at all times.
People Management
Responsibility for vacancy/talent management within remit, ensuring all vacancies are recruited to in a timely manner and in line with our recruitment and selection policy.
Responsible for workforce planning within remit
Where there are difficult to fill roles solutions are found to ensure the department has sustainable staffing structures at substantive spend, which may be achieved through different marketing solutions or different structural arrangements.
Person specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential criteria
11. Management qualification or equivalent experience
12. Educated to degree level or equivalent relevant experience
Desirable criteria
13. Evidence of commitment to ongoing learning and professional development
Knowledge & Experience
Essential criteria
14. Experience of working within an administrative or operational role within a busy hospital setting
15. Management leadership experience of a team
16. Experience of managing NHS policies and national targets including UEC, Cancer, RTT and diagnostics
17. Performance management experience and personal use of PTLs for monitoring performance against access targets
18. Working knowledge of the Trust’s current information technology systems
19. Experience of capacity and demand planning, with supporting any changes to activity when appropriate
Desirable criteria
20. Managing a budget working with planned expenditures
21. Clinic template and theatre management
22. Ability to support financial budget setting
23. Evidence of strong working relationships with multi-disciplinary teams